Steelers Get Good News on Jaylen Warren Injury
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers had their best running game of the season in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings, but it came with their backup running back taking over. After Jaylen Warren missed the game as a last-minute inactive, Kenneth Gainwell stepped in. That isn't expected to be the case in Week 6, though.
Warren was a surprise inactive against the Vikings after dealing with a knee injury throughout the week. He was limited in practice on some days but was expected to play after being listed as questionable heading into the weekend.
Warren's knee didn't feel right before kickoff, leading the Steelers to make him a scratch for their Dublin game. Instead, Gainwell took over and rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns.
"Jaylen was a pregame decision. That’s why we listed him as questionable," head coach Mike Tomlin explained after the game. "He worked out prior to the game. We just didn’t feel good enough. We didn’t want to put him in a uniform and then he wouldn’t be able to finish and then you’re working a guy short. So, we worked him out, and that’s where we settled. Jaylen is a tough guy. He wanted to do it. I just thought it was prudent not to."
Jaylen Warren Expected to Return
According to PennLive's Nick Farabaugh, though, Warren will be back. The starting running back is expected to return in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns when the Steelers take the field again after the Bye Week.
"Sources told PennLive Friday night that the team had a low concern level for Warrens injury, and expected him to play, but it would be more about how his knee would react to Saturday’s workload," Farabaugh wrote.
Warren's Play
Warren signed a three-year extension just before the season started, keeping him as their feature running back this season. So far, he's struggled, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry with 132 yards through three games. He has, however, led the team in receiving yards twice this year.
That's not all him, though. The offensive failed to impress in three of the four games this season, with their Vikings win being the best game they've had as a group. If that continues, Warren should have more success as the primary running back for Pittsburgh moving forward.
The Steelers want to establish the ground game and allow it to help the passing attack thrive. They look at both Warren and Gainwell as usable options and having Warren back after the Bye Week should give them an opportunity to put on an even better performance than they did in Week 4.
Embattled Yankees Infielder Silences Critics With Resurgent Postseason Performance
Ishika Samant/Getty Images
Shortstop Anthony Volpe had an impactful series for the Yankees in their win over the Red Sox.
The 2025 season could not have been worse for New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe.
Yet, the embattled shortstop is reminding Yankees fans why manager Aaron Boone and the front office stuck with him and rewarding them for doing so.
Volpe capped a resurgent series, in both the field and at the plate, with a fourth-inning RBI single in New York’s series-clinching 4-0 win over the rival Boston Red Sox in Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series.
Volpe slashed .364/.364/.636 with a home run, two RBIs and had a hit in every game in the series. His single helped give breathing room to Yankees starter Cam Schlittler, who of course threw eight shutout innings while striking out 12 in his first postseason start.
Volpe and the Yankees will take on the Toronto Blue Jays in the best-of-5 AL Division Series, which starts with Game 1 on Saturday at Rogers Centre at 4:08 p.m. ET.
Anthony Volpe Looks Like A Playoff Performer
Boone and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told anyone who would listen all year they believed in Volpe after watching him help the Yankees reach the 2024 World Series.
It was easy to be skeptical, since Volpe hit a .212 with a .663 OPS and was tied with Trevor Story of the Red Sox for most errors of any AL shortstop (19) during the regular season — even after reports came out that Volpe had been nursing a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder for much of the year.
Yet, Volpe was the only Yankees hitter to touch up Garrett Crochet in Game 1 when he launched a solo homer off the Boston ace starter in the second inning of their 3-1 loss.
Then in Game 3 on Thursday, with the bases loaded, and the Yankees clinging to a 1-0 lead, Volpe found a hole past Boston second baseman Romy Gonzalez, driving in Giancarlo Stanton for the second of their four-run fifth inning against Boston starter Connelly Early.
I thought we just pressured him,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We didn’t hit a ton of balls on the nose. We had just really good, tough, winning at-bats against a guy that was really mixing it up quite a bit against us.
Volpe’s sudden production at the bottom of New York’s lineup comes on the heels of his exceptional postseason in 2024. He slashed .286/.407/.408 with a memorable grand slam in Game 4 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, while scoring 10 runs and playing in all 14 Yankees postseason games.
For his career, Volpe now has an .850 OPS and 11 runs scored and eight RBIs in 17 postseason games.
Anthony Volpe Has Cleaned Up His Defense In The Postseason
It seems as though the 2023 American League Gold Glove winner has been able to play more freely since the news surfaced of his shoulder injury.
Volpe quietly made just one error over his final 21 regular-season games — even while insiders like Joel Sherman of the New York Post called for him to be benched for Jose Caballero.
Yet, he’s saving his best for the playoffs. Volpe has not committed an error in 10 chances and turned a highlight-reel double play in Game 2 on Alex Bregman in the third inning, with the game tied at 2, that Boone called “special.”
The Yankees won 94 games, tied for the most wins of any AL team with the Blue Jays, with Volpe playing replacement-level shortstop. If he can continue postseason magic, it would go a long way toward getting the Yankees back to the World Series.
