Fred Warner's Season-Ending Injury Adds to 49ers’ Growing List of Setbacks
The San Francisco 49ers were dealt another blow Sunday when linebacker Fred Warner exited in the first quarter of their 30-19 loss with a season-ending right ankle injury.
Coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed after the game that Warner had dislocated and fractured his ankle, requiring surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the season.
When was Fred Warner Injured?
The injury occurred with just under eight minutes remaining in the first quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On a first-and-10 from Tampa Bay’s 36-yard line, running back Rachaad White ran off left tackle for a 10-yard gain. Warner appeared to stop White, but as he attempted the tackle, Niners safety Ji’Ayir Brown collided with the back of Warner’s right ankle.
Brown immediately recognized the severity of the injury, while Warner’s teammates quickly dropped to their knees with hands on their heads as San Francisco’s medical staff rushed to his side.
Within minutes, Warner was taken off the field on a cart. His right foot and ankle were stabilized in an air cast as teammates offered well wishes before he was escorted to the locker room.
Before the injury, Warner was on the verge of surpassing Hall of Famer Patrick Willis’ franchise record for career tackles, needing just five more to reach the milestone.
Second-year linebacker Tatum Bethune entered the game in Warner’s place.
The Niners Have Lost Nearly All There Top Players to Injuries
Warner’s injury adds to the mounting list of setbacks for the 49ers, who nonetheless hold a 4-2 record.
San Francisco lost defensive end Nick Bosa to a season-ending torn ACL in Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals and has been without key contributors at various times, including tight end George Kittle (hamstring), quarterback Brock Purdy (toe), and receivers Ricky Pearsall (knee), Brandon Aiyuk (knee), and Jauan Jennings (ankle, ribs, shoulder).
Despite the injuries, the Niners have a top 5 offensive rank in total yards per game, while they are in the middle of the pack on the defensive side of the ball.
Mac Jones Couldn’t Deliver Win This Time
Mac Jones has at times played well while filling in for Purdy. On Sunday, he made some mistakes against Bucs, who are playing at an elite level to start the 2025 NFL season.
The 49ers were threatening to tie the game when Jones threw an interception to Jamel Dean on fourth-and-5 from the Buccaneers’ 33-yard line with just under six minutes remaining.
The turnover set up Chase McLaughlin’s 45-yard field goal, pushing Tampa Bay’s lead to 30-19.
Battling knee and oblique injuries, Jones finished with 347 passing yards and two interceptions, marking his first loss in four starts filling in for Purdy.
“Obviously didn’t play my best,” Jones said postgame. “I’m proud we went out there and fought. I just want to go out there and practice and see what I can do better.”
Next week, the Niners host the Atlanta Falcons on “Sunday Night Football,” Oct. 19.
Red Sox Tabbed to Trade Jarren Duran For 2-Time 1st-Round Pick Lefty Ace
Getty
Jarren Duran of the Boston Red Sox.
The Boston Red Sox finally broke their postseason drought this season, not only getting into the playoffs but winning a postseason game for the first time since 2021 — and only the second since winning the World Series in 2018. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, that was as far as they got.
Their season crashed to an end in the American League Wild Card series, dropping the second two games of the best-of-three set to the New York Yankees.
Looking to build on the Red Sox’ limited but encouraging success in 2024, Boston chief of baseball operations Craig Breslow has said that a top priority in the coming offseason will be to add a top-of-the-line starter to take the No. 2 spot in the starting rotation behind 2025 Cy Young candidate Garrett Crochet.
At the same time, the Red Sox have outfielders they can use as trade chips to offer for a frontline starting pitcher. With rookie sensation Roman Anthony, 2024 Gold Glover Wilyer Abreu, elite defensive center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, as well as Masataka Yoshida and fan-favorite Jarren Duran all competing for spots, Breslow has plenty to work with.
Duran appears to be the most tradeable of the bunch. Perhaps the most likely pitcher, or among the likeliest, who could be obtained in exchange for Duran and a prospect package, appears to the Cincinnati Reds southpaw Nick Lodolo.
Here’s why.
Duran Remains Under Team Control
Duran’s performance declined after his 2024 breakout season — when he was named All-Star Game MVP — with an OPS dropping from .834 to .774 while his seven outfield errors were a career high. His stolen base count fell significantly, from 34 in 41 tries to 24 in 30 attempts.
A late bloomer, Duran remains under team control for three more seasons despite that he’ll reach his 30th birthday during the 2026 season. But he is owed $8 million under a club option next year, a substantial raise over the $3.75 million he earned in 2025.
The five-year veteran’s name came up in trade rumors seemingly all season long, especially around the trade deadline.
Just as the Red Sox have a surplus of outfielders, the Cincinnati Reds arguably have enough quality starting pitchers to make at least one tradeable. It was their pitching that got the Reds their first playoff berth in a full season since 2013 (they also qualified in the 2020 pandemic year in a truncated season with an expanded playoff format). Their offensive production of 4.42 runs per game ranked them a mediocre 14th.
Their starting staff ERA of 3.85 placed ninth in MLB. The Red Sox starters were 12th at 3.92.
Lodolo Back at Full Health
“If the Reds were to seriously consider trading for Duran, the package would likely have to be built around Lodolo,” wrote analyst Drew Koch of the
The 27-year-old Lodolo made 28 starts, with one relief appearance, for the Reds this season, posting a 3.38 ERA and a 4.9 WAR. Duran’s WAR was similar at 4.6. While a stress fracture on his leg derailed his sophomore season after he placed sixth in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2022, he appears to be back at full strength.
In Lodolo, the Red Sox would also be getting a pitcher who belongs to what Fangraphs called “a small but fascinating subclass of ballplayer: The two-time first-round pitcher.”
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Lodolo in the first round — with the final pick of the compensation round — in 2016 out of Damien High School in the Los Angeles suburb of La Verne, California. The then-teenage lefty chose instead to attend Texas Christian University.
Three years later, the Reds made him the seventh overall pick in the draft.
