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Northwestern named Aidan Chiles as its starting quarterback, ESPN reported Monday. Chiles started 20 games for Michigan State over the past two seasons. He transferred to Northwestern following last season. Chiles passed for 3,807 yards and 23 touchdowns and was intercepted 14 times in his time with the Spartans. Chiles began his career at Oregon State, where he passed for 309 yards and four scores in 2023 before following Jonathan Smith to Michigan State when Smith became the Spartans’ coach.

Coming off a career-best scoring season, Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe is expected to miss six months after suffering a torn meniscus in his right knee, ESPN reported Monday. Sharpe, 23, averaged 20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 2025-26, helping Portland to its first postseason appearance since 2021 despite missing 32 games with a stress fracture of his left fibula. The report said Sharpe’s injury occurred during a recent workout session.

Ahead of their three-game interleague series opener against the Boston Red Sox on Monday, the Miami Marlins activated first baseman/outfielder Kyle Stowers from the 10-day injured list. Stowers, 28, a first-time All-Star last season, was placed on the IL with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain on Aug. 11, retroactive to Aug. 10. Stowers, who entered Monday batting .242 this season with 16 homers and 52 RBIs in 94 games, started at first base and batted third.

The Houston Texans are acquiring receiver Kayshon Boutte from the New England Patriots for safety Jaylen Reed and a seventh-round draft pick in 2028, according to multiple reports Monday. Boutte fills a need after Houston lost second-year pro Jayden Higgins for the season due to a torn ACL sustained on Aug. 18. Boutte, 24, caught 33 passes for 551 yards and a career-high six touchdowns in 14 games (10 starts) last season. In 2024, he established career bests of 43 catches and 589 yards.

The New York Yankees optioned right-hander Brendan Beck to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, with the New York Post reporting that right-hander Justin Topa is expected to be recalled. Beck, 27, made his major league debut in May and is 0-1 with a 9.45 ERA in two appearances. Topa, 35, was signed as a free agent by the Yankees on Aug. 14 after he was released by the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals this season.

The Colorado Rockies placed veteran left-hander Kyle Freeland on the 15-day injured list with a pinched nerve in his neck and selected the contract of right-hander Blake Adams from Triple-A Albuquerque. Freeland, 33, departed his start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday in the fourth inning with discomfort in his left arm caused by the pinched nerve. He is 4-10 with a 6.37 ERA in 23 starts this season.

While eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey came off the physically unable to perform list on Monday, another Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback remains on the PUP list with no end to that stint in sight. Steelers coach Mike McCarthy told reporters that the team is currently “at an impasse” with cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who is sidelined after aggravating a back injury on the first day of Pittsburgh’s training camp.

A purported business trip to Ireland comes with the usual extracurriculars and distractions, but for North Carolina, it’s an opportunity to get away from it all. After a tumultuous offseason, the Tar Heels will kick off Year 2 under Bill Belichick when they meet TCU on Saturday in the annual Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin. North Carolina’s stunning hire of the legendary NFL coach last year only resulted in a 4-8 campaign and made headlines for the wrong reasons.

The Patriots signed veteran punter Matt Haack on Monday, according to ESPN. New England coach Mike Vrabel told reporters that the team would be adding a new punter after Bryce Baringer was forced to exit Saturday’s preseason win over the Philadelphia Eagles with an injury. Haack, 32, was most recently with the Washington Commanders this offseason as a temporary injury replacement for Tress Way before he was released last week.

With the threat of a potential work stoppage looming, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred expressed confidence that the 2027 season will proceed. Interviewed Sunday night by ESPN during the Little League Classic, Manfred discussed ongoing negotiations between MLB owners and the MLB Players Association. The current collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1. “We’re meeting regularly, which is good,” he said. “Every week, we’ve had days where we’ve met with the players.