Will Smith was honored Tuesday morning with a "Hometown Hero" banner dedication at the Grocers Ice Lofts near downtown Louisville.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher and former Louisville Cardinals legend Will Smith was back in Louisville Tuesday morning for a dedication of a “Hometown Hero” banner.  Portrayed on the side of the Grocer Ice Lofts 609 E. Main Street, Smith becomes the latest of 30+ Louisvillians to have his image bear the side of a building in The Ville. 

Throughout his Dodgers career, Will has embraced the organization’s commitment to serving others. He has visited children in hospitals, participated in youth baseball clinics, recognized educators and given his time to numerous charitable events. Whether through Catching Hope or his work with the Dodgers, Will understands that professional athletes have a unique ability to inspire others. He uses that platform to promote perseverance, teamwork, education and service -- not only through his words, but through his actions.

Will’s commitment to giving back with both his time and resources has become an integral part of who he is as a player, teammate and member of the Los Angeles community. While continuing to excel on the baseball field, he has grown into a respected clubhouse and community leader, using his platform to invest in young people, educators and communities in both Los Angeles and Louisville, Kentucky.

Will ’s combination of achievement and service makes him a compelling candidate for the 2026 Roberto Clemente Award. Like Clemente, Will understands that the privilege of playing Major League Baseball carries a responsibility to improve the lives of others. Through the Catching Hope Foundation, he has turned that belief into sustained action, building a legacy that extends well beyond championships and memorable moments in October, a legacy measured by the lives he is helping to improve.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Jackson Flora didn’t want to disappoint the crowd. 

The Giants’ 2026 first-round Draft pick had punched out the first two batters he faced to start the top of the second inning of Single-A San Jose’s 3-1 win over the Stockton Ports on Thursday night, but he knew he had some extra incentive to strike out the side.

A’s prospect Edgar Montero had been designated that night’s Beer Batter, so if Flora struck him out to end the frame, fans would be granted half off beers around the stadium for the next 15 minutes. 

The crowd at Excite Ballpark made the stakes known, chanting, “Beer! Beer! Beer!” throughout the at-bat. 

Montero worked a full count, but he ultimately went down looking on an 83 mph slider from Flora, who strutted off the mound and tipped his cap to the crowd as he walked off the field.

Riley Greene remains unstoppable at the plate, and on Monday night he hit his third home run in the last three games to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 5-4 home victory over the Minnesota Twins in the first game of a three-game home series.

Greene entered the game with five extra-base hits (3 2B, 2 HR) over his previous two games, becoming just the 10th Tigers player to accomplish this feat this century and the first since Eric Haase recorded six extra-base hits over a two-game span on Sept. 7 and 9, 2022.

With the help of Cubs Charities and Advocate Children’s Hospital in Chicago, the Cubs had 8-year-old twins Ben and Noah Prepelica, 13-year-old Jackson “JD” Stocking and 8-year-old James Solotorovsky, all pediatric patients, in the interview room to give their autographs to Chicago’s players. Each had a stack of custom baseball cards in front of them to sign and trade.

“It makes it more about them than about us,” said Hoerner, who noted that the inspiration for the event stems from Mitch Haniger hosting a similar day while with the Mariners. “And because it’s here, they’re able to meet a lot more players. I’m grateful for teammates who give them even a couple minutes of their time. It all adds up to a pretty cool thing.”

The Prepelica twins were both born with a congenital heart defect known as aortic stenosis and both have undergone echocardiograms every six months for the first seven years of their lives. Stocking sustained a serious brain injury earlier this year. Solotorovsky was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia earlier this year, but is currently cancer-free after months of treatment and hospital stays.

A BROKEN HAND? That couldn't stop a 10-year-old Nico Hoerner.

Playing in Oakland's Babe Ruth League, Hoerner suffered the type of injury that would send major leaguers to the injured list. For most kids, it would knock them out of competition, at least until the cast came off months later.

Instead, Hoerner picked up a bat with one hand, learned a new position and kept playing.

"I broke my hand catching because the umpire wouldn't scoot back and the hitter just swung and hit my hand," Hoerner recalled to ESPN. "It was my left hand, my glove hand.

"It was my first time playing outfield actually because I could only throw underhanded. I couldn't squeeze it but I would still pitch. And hit. With one hand in a cast."

Have a professional debut, Ryder Helfrick.

Helfrick, the 15th overall pick to the Diamondbacks in this year’s Draft, posted three hits in his first game with Single-A Visalia. That included a late, go-ahead home run en route to a 10-9 win over Fresno at Chukchansi Park.

Entering the top of the eighth inning with a 7-4 deficit, Visalia’s Ivan Luciano knotted things up with a clutch three-run homer. Then came Helfrick out of the on-deck circle, who took the lead after battling to a full count. The 21-year-old lifted the pitch way out to left field, leaving no doubt about his first professional long ball and an 8-7 lead for Visalia.

While most of you are focused on today’s MLB Trade Deadline, which comes up at 5 p.m. CT, I thought I’d take time to update you on some good — and not-so-good — Cubs performances over the past week.

Here’s who’s been hot and not for the Cubs over their seven games against the Cardinals and Yankees.

Nico Hoerner is on a hot streak

The Cubs second baseman batted .423/.444/.654 (11-for-26) over the seven games. He had a four-hit game in St. Louis and hit two home runs, his first since April. One of those homers was a key part of the win against the Yankees Saturday — it tied the game in the seventh inning.

For a team that can use more feel-good moments, we present: Jackson Flora, the San Francisco Giants' first-round pick.

Flora, 21, was the undisputed top pitcher in the draft, and he's local, a lifelong Giants fan from Pleasanton who gazed around Oracle Park on Wednesday and said, "I've sat in just about every seat in this ballpark, but I've never been on the field before, so it's been awesome!" 

Flora, the fourth overall pick, officially signed Monday, and before the finale against the Brewers he was presented his first Giants jersey (No. 1 for a first rounder) by the team's top baseball executive, Buster Posey. "I mean, I grew up watching him play, and I'm a huge fan, so it's kind of still settling in a little bit, but it's exciting," Flora said, perma-smile on his face as he spoke to reporters in the dugout. 

Back when he was coming up through the Mariners’ farm system, Bryan Woo heard early on from Dan Wilson, then a minor-league instructor, about the importance of giving back in the community.

“It’s something I didn’t really understand too much,” Woo, the Mariners’ 25-year-old pitcher, said. “But I think once you get up here and your performance on the field grows a little bit, you realize how much larger your responsibility becomes off the field as well. And so that’s something I’m starting to grow into a little bit and realize the power behind it.”

In that spirit, Woo on Tuesday afternoon hosted a group of kids from Seattle Children’s hospital for a reverse signing event at T-Mobile Park.

How do you fix a team like the San Francisco Giants? They should get some better pitchers, for one. Maybe a hitter who reminds you of Barry Bonds, even when he’s not doing anything. Just doing those two things would be a heckuva start.

Friend, do the Giants have an amateur draft to share with you.

The Giants selected University of California, Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora with the fourth pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, then selected pitchers with three of their next four picks. With their third-round pick (fourth selection), they selected an outfielder by the name of Bonds. Peyton Bonds. He wore No. 25 at Rutgers in honor of his uncle, who used to play at Arizona State and for the Pittsburgh Pirates. We’ll get to that.

Bryan Woo still remembers his time in the ICU vividly.

For how terrifying it was, but also for the thoughtful care of the medical staff that helped him and his family navigate what remains one of their toughest life challenges.

So, when the Mariners’ electric right-hander pushed to create more individual connection with the Pacific Northwest community entering this season, he had a very specific demographic and cause in mind, which was brought to life on Wednesday.

Woo welcomed to T-Mobile Park two cancer patients from Seattle Children’s Hospital -- Charlotte Malone, 11, and Cooper Anderson, 12, as well as their families. But it was the youngsters who presented Woo with gifts of a lifetime, which brought him to tears.

How do you fix a team like the San Francisco Giants? They should get some better pitchers, for one. Maybe a hitter who reminds you of Barry Bonds, even when he’s not doing anything. Just doing those two things would be a heckuva start.

Friend, do the Giants have an amateur draft to share with you.

The Giants selected University of California, Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora with the fourth pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, then selected pitchers with three of their next four picks. With their third-round pick (fourth selection), they selected an outfielder by the name of Bonds. Peyton Bonds. He wore No. 25 at Rutgers in honor of his uncle, who used to play at Arizona State and for the Pittsburgh Pirates. We’ll get to that.

The crown jewel of the UC Santa Barbara Baseball pitching staff now has a crown of his own. Perfect Game named Jackson Flora its 2026 College Pitcher of the Year on Tuesday, the first such award bestowed to any Gaucho Baseball player. The right-hander from Pleasanton led all qualified pitchers in ERA this season with a mark of 1.06, which is also the best season by any Gaucho since UC Santa Barbara joined Division I in the 1970 season. He picked up 12 wins without defeat and set the program's single-season strikeout, punching out 133 batters.

A block away from the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Wednesday morning, a once-overlooked Dodgers star embraced his own newfound notoriety.

Four days after slugging the game-winning home run in Game 7 of the World Series, Will Smith was serenaded by hundreds of fans at a Raising Cane’s promotional event at the intersection of Sunset and Highland, taking a makeshift stage to chants of “We want Will!” from a crowd of Dodgers faithful forever indebted to his championship-clinching swing.

“Please welcome three-time All-Star and World Series champion and Game 7 hero Will Smith.”

The familiar voice of Dodgers broadcaster Joe Davis wasn’t announcing Smith stepping up to the plate. Instead, the catcher traded Dodger Stadium for a different kind of spotlight Thursday night at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills for Dodgers Comedy Night, part of the Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival benefiting the Catching Hope Foundation.

Hosted by longtime Dodgers fan and actor/comedian Ken Jeong, the annual event brought together Dodgers players, comedians and fans for a night of comedy and fundraising benefiting the local Los Angeles community. Teammates, including Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages and more, walked the event’s signature blue carpet before the show began.