12:29 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” DESCRIBING LIFE IN the minor leagues can sound like a twisted Mad Lib. The names and locations and adjectives may change, but for generations, the details of the climb to Major League
MLB
7:00 AM ET A Google search for “Houston Astros” and “evil empire” generates over 1 million results, with headlines such as: “Are the Houston Astros the new evil empire of baseball?” and “Jose Abreu signing helps Astros approach evil empire status” and “The new evil empire: Houston Astros look to erase stain of cheating scandal.”
11:29 PM ET ESPN News Services ST. LOUIS — Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol questioned outfielder Tyler O’Neill‘s effort after he was thrown out at home during a 4-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night. With St. Louis trailing 4-1 with two out in the seventh inning, O’Neill attempted to score on Brendan Donovan‘s
5:15 PM ET ESPN News Services SAN DIEGO — Padres slugger Manny Machado was ejected by plate umpire Ron Kulpa after being called out on strikes on a pitch clock violation to end the first inning of Tuesday’s game against Arizona. Machado was adjusting his batting gloves and appeared to be calling time as the
8:00 AM ET On a cloudy day in early January, Aaron Judge walked into the Yankees’ player development complex in Tampa, Florida. Hitting coach Dillon Lawson and infielder DJ LeMahieu were already working in the batting cages inside. They greeted Judge and congratulated him on the contract he’d signed a few weeks before, guaranteeing him
6:14 PM ET Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon has been given a five-game suspension for a public altercation with a fan in Oakland last week, videos of which circulated through social media. The decision was announced by Major League Baseball, specifically senior vice president of on-field operations Michael Hill, on Monday. If Rendon
2:17 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Major League Baseball owners voted unanimously to ratify the new collective bargaining agreement with minor league players, formalizing the landmark agreement that will more than double player salaries. Players late last week
5:16 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — Kodai Senga struck out eight in his major league debut, wearing a glove with an image of a ghost and a pitchfork in reference to his “ghost forkball,” leading the New York Mets over the Miami Marlins 5-1 on Sunday. The 30-year-old left-hander agreed to a $75 million,
2:41 PM ET Diamondbacks left-hander Madison Bumgarner has been sent back to Arizona to be evaluated by the club’s medical team after citing arm fatigue following his start against the Los Angeles Dodgers, manager Torey Lovullo said Sunday. Bumgarner (0-1, 11.25 ERA) allowed five runs on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts in
12:45 PM ET ESPN News Services NEW YORK — San Francisco Giants catcher Joey Bart was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a strain in the middle of his back. The move was made retroactive to March 31, and the team recalled right-handed reliever Sean Hjelle from Triple-A Sacramento before its series finale
1:23 AM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Trayce Thompson not only took out his frustrations on a left-hander, he helped one as well with a career night to spark the Los Angeles Dodgers to an easy victory. Thompson hit three home runs, including a grand slam in his first at-bat of the season, and
3:40 PM ET ESPN News Services Anthony Rendon wasn’t very talkative Saturday, two days after video surfaced of the Los Angeles Angels All-Star swiping at an Oakland fan following an Opening Day loss to the Athletics. “I’m sorry. I can’t comment,” the third baseman told reporters Saturday during a news conference on the field at
1:33 PM ET Associated Press CHICAGO — The Milwaukee Brewers placed infielder Luis Urías on the 10-day injured list on Saturday and selected outfielder Joey Wiemer from Triple-A Nashville. Before Saturday’s game against the Cubs, Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Urías is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a strained left hamstring. “It’s
2:24 AM ET SAN DIEGO — Jake Cronenworth and the San Diego Padres are in agreement on a seven-year extension, a source confirmed to ESPN on Friday night. The deal, which will become official once it receives approval from Major League Baseball, would begin next year and keep Cronenworth with the Padres through the 2030
4:43 PM ET Major League Baseball says it is investigating a confrontation between Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon and an Athletics fan at Thursday’s season opener in Oakland. In a 12-second video posted on social media, Rendon grabs the fan by the shirt and accuses the fan of calling him a “b—-.” Rendon continues to
7:00 AM ET Major League Baseball’s new rules didn’t impact scoring significantly in spring training, and oddsmakers began the season without adjusting their numbers on runs scored, while taking a wait-and-see approach to the pitch clock and elimination of the infield shift. MLB games have averaged 9.1 runs scored over the past five seasons. Last
10:12 PM ET Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani began the 2023 season with a twist: calling his own pitches through a PitchCom device hidden underneath his jersey near his left shoulder. Ohtani’s decision to call his own game is directly related to the pitch clock. “Shohei’s got so many pitches he can throw,” Angels
6:51 PM ET ESPN News Services Colorado Rockies closer Daniel Bard will open the season on the injured list because of anxiety. “From my experience, knowing myself, I think just taking a step back, taking time to work through things, get it right, is the best approach,” Bard told reporters Thursday, according to MLB.com. The