Latest news with #WillWagner
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Blue Jays Fans Excited With Decision After Red Sox Game
Blue Jays Fans Excited With Decision After Red Sox Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Toronto Blue Jays have plenty to feel good about as they chase the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees atop the AL East. Not only do they own the AL's second Wild Card spot, but they dodged a bullet after superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s forearm injury on Thursday. Advertisement The 26-year-old left the game vs. the Cleveland Guardians early that day after getting hit by a pitch, and he was originally left out of the lineup on Friday vs. the Boston Red Sox. However, he was added back in just before the first pitch and went 2-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored in the 9-0 victory. The good news continued with Toronto's roster move on Saturday, which it announced via social media. Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Alan Roden (18)© Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images The team recalled infielder Will Wagner from Triple-A and activated him for Saturday's Red Sox rematch. It also optioned outfielder Alan Roden to Triple-A. Wagner is slashing just .186/.284/.220 with two RBI over 20 games this season, but he slashing .305/.337/.451 with two homers and 11 RBI over 24 contests in 2024. Meanwhile, Roden is slashing .206/.279/.309 with one homer and eight RBI over 42 games. Fans on social media are excited to see Wagner play again. Advertisement "Welcome back, demon," one said. "WILLLLLLL!!!!!" another said. "Wagner the right call over [Joey] Loperfido," another said. "We don't need another OF right now. Ernie [Clement] maybe gets a day off vs [Lucas] Giolito." "Will is back," another said. "Leave Will to cook now," another said. "Now we're talkin'," another said. Related: Fans Upset After Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Announcement on Friday Related: Blue Jays Announce Vladimir Guerrero Jr. News After Absence From Lineup This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
CTV News
a day ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Blue Jays recall infielder Wagner from Triple-A Buffalo, option Roden to minors
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Alan Roden (18) hits his first career home run against the Atlanta Braves during fifth inning MLB baseball action in Toronto on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Thomas Skrlj The Toronto Blue Jays have recalled infielder Will Wagner from Triple-A Buffalo. In a corresponding move, the Jays optioned outfielder Alan Roden to Buffalo. Wagner has three home runs and 13 runs batted in 18 games in the minor leagues for Buffalo this season. He also boasts a .268 batting average. However, he's batted .186 with two RBIs and 11 hits in 20 games in the majors for Toronto. Roden was recalled from the minors on May 30 after Anthony Santander was placed on the 10-day injured list. Roden has hit .206 with one home run and eight RBIs in 42 games for the Jays this season. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025.
Global News
a day ago
- Sport
- Global News
Jays recall infielder Will Wagner from Buffalo
See more sharing options Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook The Toronto Blue Jays have recalled infielder Will Wagner from Triple-A Buffalo. In a corresponding move, the Jays optioned outfielder Alan Roden to Buffalo. Wagner has three home runs and 13 runs batted in 18 games in the minor leagues for Buffalo this season. He also boasts a .268 batting average. Story continues below advertisement However, he's batted .186 with two RBIs and 11 hits in 20 games in the majors for Toronto. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Roden was recalled from the minors on May 30 after Anthony Santander was placed on the 10-day injured list. Roden has hit .206 with one home run and eight RBIs in 42 games for the Jays this season. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025.
Chicago Tribune
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville's Will Wagner rides to victory in Little 500, the country's largest collegiate bike race: ‘The most surreal feeling ever'
Growing up in Naperville, Will Wagner didn't cycle. Hockey and lacrosse were his sports of choice in high school. Now, the 22-year-old is a two-time winner of the largest collegiate bike race in the country. Late last month, Wagner rode to victory in the Little 500, an annual cycling race held at Indiana University's Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington. Modeled after the famed Indianapolis 500, the race was made widely popular by the 1979 film 'Breaking Away,' starring Dennis Quaid and Dennis Christopher. And oh did Wagner break away to triumph. 'We lapped the whole field,' Wagner said, speaking by phone Thursday. Wagner, who was set to graduate from Indiana University with a bachelor's degree in information systems and business analytics Saturday, competed on a team with three other cyclists. The Little 500, which attracts thousands of fans each year, is composed of a women's race and a men's race. The women's race is 100 laps (25 miles). The men's is 200 laps (50 miles). Riders compete in teams of four, with the fields — for both men and women — totaling 33 teams. The race is essentially a relay, with riders switching off who's on the track. Wagner anchored for his team — the Black Key Bulls — so it was up to him to finish the race. The moment he did was 'the most surreal feeling ever,' Wagner said. 'I don't know, it leaves you speechless every time I think about it,' he said. Wagner was born and raised in Naperville, he said. He attended Benet Academy High School in Lisle. Before college, Wagner didn't race. His dad did — albeit 'a long time ago,' he said — while his mom ran marathons. When he set off to Indiana University, his dad wanted him to check out the Little 500, Wagner said. Within the first few months on campus, he attended a meeting about becoming involved. He hasn't looked back since. There are three kinds of teams that compete in the Little 500, those fielded by fraternity and sorority organizations, residence halls and independent groups, Wagner said. The Black Key Bulls fall into the third category. Joining was 'definitely a grind,' Wagner said. 'I had no previous cycling experience and just right off the bat, I got put into some pretty intense training weeks. … I'd say, on average, I'd spend 12 to 13 hours a week (training), whether that's riding and lifting on top of that.' About a month before the big race, aspiring teams vie for a spot in the field through qualifications, according to Peter Schulz, Little 500 race director. Teams get three attempts to qualify. This year, 38 teams attempted to qualify in the men's race and a record 36 teams for the women's race, Schulz said. Wagner's sophomore year, the Black Key Bulls didn't qualify. 'We had a really strong team, probably projected to be one of the favorites in the race,' he said. '(But) during qualifications, we kind of messed up' and didn't make the cut. As he went into his junior year, Wagner was the only returning rider of the group that didn't qualify, he said. 'That put me in a position where I was automatically a leader,' he said. He and the new Black Key Bulls members came in with a new fire and ultimately pulled off the kind of comeback that's the stuff of dreams, returning to win it all last year, he said. Then they went and made it a two-peat with this year's victory. 'I think that struggle definitely made us stronger,' Wagner said. As he looked ahead to graduation, Wagner said joining the Black Key Bulls his freshman year 'was probably the best life decision I ever made.' 'I think even just joining has not only helped me become a better cyclist but a better person,' he said. The Little 500's tenure has stretched on for more than 70 years. It was founded in 1951 by Howdy Wilcox Jr., then president of the Illinois University Foundation, as a means of raising money for student scholarships, according to Schulz. Wilcox was inspired by his father, who had been an Indy 500 driver. The Little 500 started out as just a men's race. The women's race followed 37 years later in 1988. Since its inception, the Little 500 has contributed more than $2.5 million to student scholarships and causes, according to a race news release. For the past two years, funds raised through races have gone towards supporting mental health on Indiana University's Bloomington campus. Schulz, a graduate of Indiana University and former Little 500 rider himself, said this year's race was 'phenomenal.' 'There are few things guaranteed in life — death, taxes and an electric atmosphere at Bill Armstrong Stadium, of course,' Schulz quipped. After graduation, Wagner is moving to Chicago for a job as a business analyst. He's 'pumped' to be closer to Naperville, where his family still resides, he said. Post-college, Wagner said he hopes to continue cycling. Maybe even get into running. 'I think I just have a hard time sitting still,' he said.
