Winning a 49ers starting guard job to open last season, ran into injury trouble and ultimately lost his job. The veteran interior O-lineman suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 2, being part of another injury-riddled 49ers season. Upon return, Bartch did not reacquire his starting job.
Mikel Arteta's side will be looking to bounce back after a frustrating midweek outing in the Champions League, where they had to settle for a 1-1 draw away at Bayer Leverkusen. Recent league victories over Chelsea and Brighton have allowed the Gunners to open up a seven-point advantage over second-placed Manchester City, although the reigning champions still have a game in hand.
The Detroit Pistons are the top team in the Eastern Conference with a record of 45-15 and have been getting MVP-caliber play from star guard Cade Cunningham. They are 30-8 against the East and are hoping to make a deep playoff run after getting knocked out in the first round last season against the New York Knicks.
The first two games of the tournament saw South Korea topple Czechia by an 11-4 margin and Australia blank Chinese Taipei in a 3-0 victory. Highlights from those games include Guardians top prospect and 2024 No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana clobbering a deep home run to right field as part of a multi-hit day for Team Australia and Astros utilityman Shay Whitcomb belting a pair of homers for Team Korea.
Frenkie de Jong has been ruled for five to six weeks with a hamstring injury picked up in training, and Gerard Martín is also unavailable on Saturday due to suspension. Gavi (knee) is back in training but still awaiting his clearance, while Andreas Christensen (knee) remains sidelined with a long-term injury.
