ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup The Netherlands will have goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and top scorer Memphis Depay both ready to play in the team's World Cup opener.
Coach Ronald Koeman said Saturday, on the eve of the Group F game against Japan, that his entire team is fit. That includes Verbruggen and Depay, though the coach wasn't ready to reveal his starting lineup.
The status of Verbruggen was in question after he hurt his hip in a collision during a tune-up match with Uzbekistan on Monday, and then was held out of training Wednesday. But Koeman said the keeper returned to full practice Friday and Saturday.
Depay, the Netherlands’ all-time leading scorer with 55 goals, dealt with a thigh injury for several weeks before playing for Brazilian club Corinthians on May 24. That was only three days before the 26-man Netherlands roster for the World Cup was set.
Koeman said Depay has looked good since the start of the team's tournament preparations.
“He is an important player, has been for a very long time,” Koeman said through an interpreter. “He's a key part to our possible success in this World Cup.”
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
Netherlands' Memphis Depay argues with referee Jakob Semler during the international friendly soccer match between Netherlands and Algeria in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP Photo/ Patrick Post)
Virgil van Dijk and Memphis Depay during the last practice before the World Cup soccer in Zeist, Netherlands, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/ Patrick Post)
CLEVELAND (AP) — A nice win for the Guardians over a division rival quickly turned into a devastating loss.
Cleveland star third baseman José Ramírez broke a bone in his left hand on a swing Saturday and will be sidelined for an indefinite period, a massive blow to the two-time defending AL Central champions.
Ramírez sustained a fractured left hamate bone leading off the fifth inning in the Guardians' 3-1 win over the Detroit Tigers. The team didn't update the condition of the 33-year-old until after the game, when manager Stephen Vogt confirmed the break.
Vogt said Ramírez underwent imaging tests that revealed the fracture.
“He had a similar injury I think to his right hand a few years ago,” Vogt said. "He tried to go back out. He knew the position we were in, grabbed his glove and said ‘Maybe I can still play defense,’ but he couldn’t squeeze his glove. Hosey wanted to get back out there to help us win that game. He just couldn’t.”
A seven-time All-Star, Ramírez is the face of Cleveland's franchise and the Guardians' most indispensable player. Losing him for any time is crippling.
Surgery will likely take place in the next few days, and the Guardians, who moved back into first place, will then have to do their best to survive without their best player. They have options at third base, but none of them is close to being in Ramírez's class.
Ramírez, who is a switch-hitter, suffered a fracture to his right hamate bone in 2019 — the only time he has been on the injured list in his career — but was only out a month following surgery after being expected to miss as much as seven weeks.
He's been struggling at the plate so this season, and entered Saturday's game batting just .238 with 10 homers and 33 RBIs. Ramírez, who has finished in the Top 4 in MVP voting five times, is a career .274 hitter. He holds virtually every major team record.
Ramírez wasn't the only injury Saturday as the Guardians lost outfielders Chase DeLauter and Angel Martinez in the first two innings.
DeLauter suffered a bruised right rib cage colliding with the outfield wall Martinez sustained a bruise when he fouled a ball off his foot.
When Ramírez left the game, the Guardians were without the top three hitters in their batting order. Vogt was forced to reshuffle his lineup and put Rhys Hoskins, who began the game at first base, in left field. Hoskins had not played there since 2018, when he was with Philadelphia.
It's not known if DeLauter and Martinez will join Ramírez on the injured list.
“We’re working through the logistics and what the next steps are so we’ll know more tomorrow or the next day," Vogt said. "These things can get complicated.”
Detroit manager A.J. Hinch, who has spent the season navigating through a litany of injuries, empathized with Cleveland's situation.
“It was one after another for those guys,” Hinch said. "If there’s any team that understands having injuries at a weird time, it’s us. I didn’t see anything with Ramírez to have him come out of the game, so when Stephen (Vogt) was on the field I had no idea what it was about and they were moving their players all around.
"Obviously health is a premium. Sounds like they’ve got a lot to sort out over there.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Cleveland Guardians' José Ramírez watches his home run sail into center field during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Cleveland Guardians' José Ramírez walks to the dugout after being called out on strikes in the first inning of a baseball game againts the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez, left, runs home to score a run on an RBI single by Chase DeLauter during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Cleveland Guardians' José Ramírez walks to the dugout after lining out to short in the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez rounds first base after hitting a single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
