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Shohei Ohtani's inching closer to a return to the mound, and perhaps no one is more excited to see it than his teammate Dustin May, who tells TMZ Sports the Dodgers' pitching rotation could certainly use the "boost."

The Japanese superstar, of course, has stayed away from the gameday rubber for over a year after he required surgery back in 2023 to fix a UCL tear in his right elbow ... but May said this week Ohtani is almost all the way back.

The 27-year-old told us he's seen the two-way player "looking good" in bullpen sessions ... and added Shohei just recently started throwing his breaking pitches again.

Juan Soto's 15-year contract with the Mets is off to a less-than-stellar start ... but Dwight Gooden thinks it's only a matter of time until he turns things around -- telling TMZ Sports he'd like to talk to the MLB superstar to help get him out of his slump!!

We caught up with the Mets legend about the franchise's $765 million man's current output not matching his salary (.243 batting average, 8 home runs and 21 RBI heading into Friday's tilt with the Dodgers) and while some Mets fans are freakin' out, Doc certainly isn't.

"He set the bar so high his first six years, when expectation is going to be there, and then you throw in the contract he just signed, everybody's expecting everything," he said. "Unfortunately, every little thing that happens now, they point at him with a lot of stuff."

Britney Spears caused a huge scene on a flight back from Mexico ... and TMZ has obtained a photo of her on the jet ... and you can tell why folks in her orbit are concerned.

An emotional Britney has lotion or sunscreen slathered all over her right arm. It appears she's speaking to a woman, presumably a flight attendant.

We broke the story ... Britney was flying with her security Thursday from Cabo San Lucas to LAX when she started drinking ... and then lit up a cigarette and started smoking.

A piece of cinema history is hitting the auction block ... Jennifer Grey's famous punk dance briefs from "Dirty Dancing."

Jennifer donned the iconic short shorts in her unforgettable rehearsal scenes with Patrick Swayze in the timeless classic ... and now they are going to be sold to the highest bidder.

Propstore, a global entertainment memorabilia auctioneer, is hosting the auction online ... and the auction house tells us Jennifer's pink nylon Capezio briefs are a Size M 12-14.

Metro Boomin says the St. Louis storms that left 5 people dead and $1 billion in damage left him in a somber mood ... and the superproducer is taking initiative to get his hometown back to greatness!!!

Rodney Boyd, founder and partner with Nexus Group, tells TMZ Hip Hop that Metro immediately reached out to United Way of Greater St. Louis, and donated resources and that they were able to deploy food trucks into some of the most devastated areas on Sunday ... just hours after the storm hit.

Metro’s contribution to the United Way of Greater St. Louis not only funded efforts for big picture strategy, it also allowed first-responders to be fed, and assisted the hundreds who went days without power and water.

Jordon Hudson took a trip to D.C. last month to chat with politicians about her concerns over Maine fishing laws ... and one of the officials she spoke with is now opening up on their meet-up.

Sen. Susan Collins was one who got to shake hands with Jordon and hear about her issues with East Coast fishing policies ... and during a Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport chat with a photog on Friday, she talked about their sit-down.

While she kept things brief -- she was racing to catch a flight -- she did say it was clear the 24-year-old is very passionate about the subject.

Young Thug needs to brush up on his definition of snitching, because what Kid Cudi did with Diddy does not make him a rat ... at least according to Touré.

The music journalist joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday and we asked him about Young Thug labeling Cudi a "rat" for testifying against Diddy in court.

Touré says Young Thug's got it twisted when it comes to what is and isn't snitching ... and he schools us too.

Britney Spears caused a big commotion on a charter jet Thursday ... so much so, authorities met her after she got off the plane and gave her a warning.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Britney was flying with her security from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico to LAX when she started drinking -- then pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and started smoking.

The flight attendants were alarmed and ordered her to put out the cig, which she did. We're told she was "difficult" ... and when the plane landed, our sources say she was met by authorities and warned about her conduct. She was then free to leave.

Those taking the PCH to catch Friday's SLS better be prepared for Machine Gun Kelly -- Nyjah Huston tells TMZ Sports he's expecting MGK to roll through the Street League Skateboarding event!!

The competition officially kicks off at the Santa Monica Pier in just a few hours -- at 1:30 PM PT, to be exact -- and while most fans will come to watch Huston and other skaters throw down tricks ... the Olympic bronze medalist told us MGK is gonna get in on the fun, too.

Huston was super careful about what the "my ex's best friend" crooner will do at the event ... but said it'll be "special."

Suge Knight has no doubt Diddy would have shot at him if Diddy tracked him down at a famous restaurant in L.A. ... but his story will never be heard at Diddy's trial, even though it feels pretty important to the prosecution's case.

The former Death Row Records owner tells TMZ ... his rivalry with Diddy was so bad back in the day, Diddy would have had no choice but to use a gun if their paths ever crossed in public.

That almost happened back in 2008 at Mel's Drive-In ... because Diddy's former personal assistant testified this week he went to the famous diner to get cheeseburgers for Diddy, and bumped into Suge.

The former drummer for the metal-core band The Devil Wears Prada was killed in a plane crash early Thursday morning in San Diego, TMZ has learned from his family.

Larry Williams tells TMZ ... his son, Daniel, was among the victims of the Cessna crash around 4 AM, which set part of a residential neighborhood of U.S. Navy-owned housing on fire. Several people on the ground were hurt in the fire and one home was destroyed.

Larry tells us the family is confident he was on the plane and they know there were no survivors -- but they have yet to get an official confirmation from authorities, which is making the entire situation even worse.

Pamela Anderson isn't returning to her past trademark look, despite rumors to the contrary ... 'cause sources tell us an old photo of the star has confused the internet.

Here's the deal ... a photo of Anderson decked out in her old-school makeup made its way around social media this week, capturing her perfectly maintained face.

She's wearing a bright red robe in the snap, and her hair's dyed a vibrant bleach blonde ... and, it led many to surmise that she'd given up her au naturel face and was going back to the "'90s Pam" many fans adored back in the day.

Mark Longo -- who owned now-deceased Peanut the Squirrel -- has lawyered up and is demanding answers from the state of New York ... or at the very least an apology for what authorities put him through, claiming he's been targeted for harassment.

Peanut and Longo's pet raccoon Fred were taken from his Upstate New York home and killed on suspicion of having rabies back in October -- the house was raided over reports of harboring undomesticated animals, and an agent claimed the squirrel bit his finger during the search -- and Longo gives us the dirt on what's been going on the past 8 months ... spoiler: he says it's been a whole lotta bull.

Mark said there was supposed to be a vote in the New York State Assembly this week on "Peanut's Law" -- a bill that would help protect animal welfare, particularly critters in wildlife sanctuary care -- but instead, he says the bill is being stifled with no action allowed to advance it.

Jussie Smollett's stuck a pretty sweet deal with the Windy City -- instead of paying 6-figures in restitution for the hate crime hoax investigation, he's donating $50,000 to charity ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct involvement in the negotiations tell us the agreement between Jussie and Chicago calls for him to pay the $50K to a charity of the actor's choice ... and we're told he's opted to support the Building Better Futures Center for the Arts in Chicago.

The org focuses on mental health, art, music and acting training for underprivileged youth in Chicago.

Tory Lanez is currently on the mend after surviving a brutal prison attack, and now has a change of scenery -- after being moved to a completely different facility!!!

As of Thursday morning, we've confirmed Tory was shipped out to California Men’s Colony (CMC) to ensure his safety ... 3 hours away from the California Correctional Institution (CCI) where he was stabbed 14 times, resulting in both lungs collapsing.

Tory’s attorney Crystal Morgan tells TMZ Hip Hop the "Color Violet" artist is doing fine, considering the severity of his injuries ... but isn't necessarily happy he had to move to CMC, near San Luis Obispo.

Jon Taffer is once again suing a man allegedly running around Florida bars pretending to be him and harassing people, according to a new lawsuit filed by the "Bar Rescue" star and his lawyer, Bradford Cohen.

Here's what we know ... in court docs obtained by TMZ, Jon claims Vic Caroleo has been impersonating him since 2017 -- continuing to do so even after filing a lawsuit against him in 2024.

JT says VC is not just trying to pass himself off as him as a form of flattery -- he alleges he's committing "sexually inappropriate and abusive acts against women" while using his name.