First Call: Ravens add QB in case Lamar Jackson can't face Steelers; AL East team may want Pirates' Bryan Reynolds

As a date with the Pittsburgh Steelers approaches, the Ravens are stocking up at quarterback in case Lamar Jackson is sidelined. Teams are lining up to take a run at acquiring Bryan Reynolds from the Pirates.

Duquesne’s men’s basketball team is getting some national attention. Logan Cooley is back on the U.S. National Team. And a former Robert Morris Colonial is back between the pipes in the AHL.

All that in Tuesday’s “First Call.”

Backup Bird

The Baltimore Ravens appear to be bolstering their quarterback depth chart if Lamar Jackson can’t play against the Steelers this weekend. The former MVP suffered a knee injury Sunday during a 10-9 win over the Denver Broncos. His availability is in doubt for this week’s game.

If Jackson can’t start, Tyler Huntley will. And for depth purposes, the team signed Brett Hundley to their practice squad on Monday.

Hundley was with Baltimore for the 2022 training camp but was let go prior to final cuts. He was a fifth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2015. He has thrown for 1,902 yards, nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions during his career.

Hundley played against the Steelers in Pittsburgh during the 2017 season as a member of the Packers. The former UCLA Bruin was 17 of 26 for 245 passing yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and four sacks. But the Steelers won 31-28.

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North of the border?

The Toronto Blue Jays may be in the running for Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds. That’s according to Jon Morosi of the MLB Network.

The #BlueJays are a team to watch in the Bryan Reynolds market. They have interest in him and want to add an athletic switch hitter to their outfield. Based on strong industry interest, Jays would likely need to include Tiedemann or Martínez to have high offer. @MLBNetwork @MLB

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 5, 2022

The former All-Star requested a trade ahead of MLB’s winter meetings. Last year, the 27-year-old Reynolds hit .262 with 27 homers, 62 RBI, 74 runs and a .807 OPS in 145 games. Toronto traded Teoscar Hernández to the Seattle Mariners, so the Blue Jays have a hole in the outfield.

Starting pitcher Ricky Tiedemann and shortstop Orelvis Martinez are the two prospects Morosi mentioned. Tiedemann was the franchise’s 2022 Minor League Player of the Year. He posted a 2.17 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 117:29 strikeout to walk ratio over 18 starts across three levels this season, finishing the year with an 11-inning stint in Double-A New Hampshire.

Martinez is a 21-year-old infielder who hit 30 home runs at New Hampshire last season. But he hit only .203 with a 140:40 strikeout to walk ratio in 492 plate appearances.

The Yankees, Red Sox, Marlins and Rockies are all also rumored to have an interest in Reynolds.

Dukes on display

Duquesne’s Jimmy “Tre” Clark III pushed Saturday’s 78-77 win over Ball State onto a national spotlight.

The junior guard hit a buzzer-beating three-point basket at the end of the first half to cap a scoring run that cut Duquesne’s deficit to four points. The Dukes had been down as many as 14.

At the BUZZER! pic.twitter.com/QcVYsn3iS0

— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) December 3, 2022

Clark then turned the same trick again at the end of the game to break the hearts of the Cardinals.

.@TreClark_11 AT THE BUZZZER....AGAIN!!! Dukes win 78-77! pic.twitter.com/SXumoxI6E3

— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) December 3, 2022

Clark’s double buzzer-beater made for such good video, even the CBS Morning Show picked it up Monday morning.

We you ⁦⁦@CBSMornings⁩!
⁦@TreClark_11⁩ BMOC ⁦#GoDukes | #A10MBB pic.twitter.com/g2LigGPcHR

— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) December 5, 2022

SportsCenter also made the game-winner one of its top plays of the night Saturday.

Coming in at #️⃣4️⃣ @TreClark_11 #GoDukes || @DuqMBB pic.twitter.com/MxuR9cvv8p

— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) December 4, 2022

Clark and his Dukes teammates are now 7-1. Their next game is a home contest against 7-1 Marshall.

Red, White and Blue

Team USA Hockey has released the preliminary roster for the 2023 National Junior Team. West Mifflin’s Logan Cooley is on it.

The third pick of this year’s NHL draft (Arizona) is playing with the University of Minnesota this year. He’s one of four Golden Gophers on the team.

The U.S. National Junior Team finished fifth at the ‘22 World Juniors in Canada. Cooley played 51 games and put up 75 points (27 goals, 48 assists) for the National Under-18 Team last year in the 2021-22 season.

Cooley has 21 points for the Gophers, currently second most on the team.

Colonial continues career

Former Robert Morris hockey goalie Justin Kapelmaster signed with the AHL’s Hershey Bears on Sunday.

The Coral Springs, Fla., native was the Colonials netminder in the 2019-20 season after a transfer from Ferris State. He had a 12-14-3 record, a 2.52 goals against average and a save percentage of .929.

This is Kapelmaster’s second stint in the AHL. He played two games with the Cleveland Monsters in 2021. The 27-year-old has played for six teams in the ECHL. He was a member of Fort Wayne’s 2021 Kelly Cup Championship team, earning one win in the postseason.

Kapelmaster got into a 7-3 loss to Wilkes Barre-Scranton Penguins on Sunday. He played 32 minutes, saw 10 shots and didn’t allow any goals.