What J.J. McCarthy’s injury means for Vikings; Yankees’ Juan Soto has huge night

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⚾ Good morning to everyone but especially …

JUAN SOTO AND THE NEW YORK YANKEES

There’s not a lot Juan Soto hasn’t done in his magnificent and still-burgeoning career. But on Tuesday night, he checked off yet another accomplishment. The Yankees superstar had his first career three-home run game in a 4-1 win over the White Sox.

• Soto’s incredible hitting display featured one of his best attributes: an ability to go to all fields. He homered to the opposite field in the third inning, left center in the sixth and right center in the seventh.
• With 33 home runs this season, Soto is two away from tying his career high of 35 achieved last year with the Padres.
• At 25 years and 293 days old, Soto is the fourth-youngest Yankee with a three-home run game on the road, only older than Joe DiMaggio, Charlie Keller and Lou Gehrig. Not bad company!

With the win, the Yankees also jumped a half-game ahead of the Orioles in the AL East standings. It’s the first time since June 26 that they’ve had the solo lead in the division.

😁 Honorable mentions

• Micah Parsons says CeeDee Lamb will be suiting up for the Cowboys come Week 1. We’ll see!
• The Commanders signed Martavis Bryant.
• Colin Kaepernick continues to train in hopes of an NFL return.
• The 2024 NBA Cup groups are here.
• Will Levis has a new mayonnaise-inspired fragrance. No, we’re not kidding. The Titans quarterback spoke about that and much more (football-related stuff) with Jordan Dajani.
• Randy Johnson spoke about Paul Skenes and much more with Matt Snyder.
• Dr. Dre wants to compete in this sport at the 2028 Olympics.
• Helmet communication is coming to college football. Dennis Dodd has the details.
• We have the latest on college football quarterback battles across the nation.

🤕 Not such a good morning for …

J.J. McCARTHY AND THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS

The Vikings have determined the winner of their quarterback battle … just not the way they wanted. J.J. McCarthy will undergo surgery on a torn meniscus, and his timeline to return is unknown.

• McCarthy reported knee discomfort after the Vikings’ preseason game against the Raiders. He had completed 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, earning an “A-” in Chris Trapasso’s Week 1 rookie grades.
• According to reports, McCarthy could miss a few weeks if he needs only a meniscus trim. If he needs a full repair, he’d miss several months.
• McCarthy, the No. 10 overall pick in this year’s draft, was behind Sam Darnold — who also has performed well — on the depth chart, but nothing was finalized. Now, the job all but officially belongs to Darnold.

Even if the plan was always to sit McCarthy for at least some of the season, this is a tough blow. He needs the reps to continue to develop, and training camp and the preseason provided the perfect setting for that. Cody Benjamin has more on what this means for Minnesota’s quarterback group.

👎 Not-so-honorable mentions

• Ja’Marr Chase skipped Bengals practice as he awaits a new contract.
• Alvin Kamara (back) left practice early.
• Marquise Brown (sternoclavicular dislocation) is expected to miss four to six weeks. The season opener is three weeks from tomorrow.
• Chase Claypool (toe) is on the IR.
• The Chiefs have a lot to learn about the new kickoff.
• Jordan Chiles will not be keeping her bronze medal.
• Jazz Chisholm Jr. (UCL) is likely headed to the IL.
• OK, so Jim Harbaugh won’t be an honorary captain at Michigan‘s season opener after all.

🏈 College football betting guide: Top teams that could disappoint

Ten days. That’s how long is remaining until the 2024 college football season kicks off, and Tom Fornelli’s betting guide is here. Whether you’re an experienced gambler or just starting to get in on the fun, Tom gets you ready to make some serious money based on recent trends.

David Cobb, meanwhile, has best win total bets across the new-look college football landscape season, and I like …

• Cobb: “Oklahoma State over 8 (-130) — Oklahoma State won nine regular-season games last season and is near the top of the charts nationally in returning production. … Though the defense spun its wheels last season in coordinator Bryan Nardo’s first year, he now has some Big 12 experience and plenty of familiar personnel to mold an improved unit. Offensively, Alan Bowman is a seasoned veteran at quarterback, and running back Ollie Gordon is one of the top non-quarterback Heisman Trophy contenders. Mike Gundy is the dean of Big 12 coaches and has a team that should challenge for the conference title.”

David also has his call on Colorado‘s line of 5.5 wins, and I know you’re interested in Deion Sanders’ Year 2. Who isn’t?

Finally, one day after Shehan Jeyarajah had teams that could rise from their rank in the preseason AP Top 25, our staff picked teams that could go the opposite way: top-10 squads that could fall out of the rankings completely by season’s end. Cameron Salerno says …

• Salerno: “(10) Florida State — The Seminoles lost over a dozen starters combined from both sides of the football last season, including star quarterback Jordan Travis. Florida State is pushing all its chips in on former Clemson and Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. The schedule features three teams ranked in the initial rankings (No. 14 Clemson, No. 19 Miami and No. 7 Notre Dame) with games against SMU, North Carolina and Florida sprinkled in between.”

🏀 Olympic men’s basketball duos we’d love to see in the NBA

Well that was fun, wasn’t it? USA Men’s Basketball put together an enthralling run to the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and while every gold is special regardless of sport or year, this one felt a little different. LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant — all-time icons and pillars of the NBA — led the way, and they did it in the twilight of their legendary careers, likely for the last time.

It’s hard to be nostalgic for something actively unfolding, but that was one of the feelings I got as the seconds ticked down in the gold medal game against France. Combine that trio with awesome supporting stars like Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker and Joel Embiid, and it was quite the treat.

But what if we could see these guys as teammates more regularly? Brad Botkin envisioned Olympic duos we’d love to see together in the NBA, and while the James-Curry pairing would be awesome, I might like this one more.

• Botkin: “Durant and Edwards — We know Durant can thrive alongside other stars; he’s the greatest Olympic player in history and stepped right into the Golden State machine at the height of its power and only added to its efficiency. That was a question many people had about Edwards as he declared himself Team USA’s No. 1 option: Would he be able to curb his takeover instincts when deference was called for? He had no problem doing that in Paris, where he naturally toggled between superstar scorer and supremely overqualified support staff.”

No, it won’t happen. (Probably.) But it’s fun to dream. Brad also has one duo that could — and probably should — actually happen.

📺 What we’re watching Wednesday

⚾ Royals at Twins, 1:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Dodgers at Brewers OR Yankees at White Sox, 8:10 p.m. on MLB Network