MLB

5:11 PM ET Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora expects his new third baseman Justin Turner back before Opening Day after a frightening scene when the former Dodger was hit in the face by a pitch during a spring training game last week. “Just add a little more [recovery time] and take it day by

1:53 AM ET PHOENIX — Playing for Team USA again in the World Baseball Classic was never a question for third baseman Nolan Arenado. After helping the U.S. win the tournament in 2017, he desperately wanted a chance to defend that title. He’s off to a good start. Arenado, 31, had three hits and several

6:59 PM ET Associated Press A hit is a hit, even if it’s only spring training. For San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr., it has been a long time coming. Tatis had been 0-for-16 this spring before hitting a smash shot off the glove of Chicago White Sox shortstop Erik Gonzalez for a single

9:55 AM ET Associated Press TOKYO — Shohei Ohtani had another RBI double, 21-year-old right-hander Roki Sasaki reached 100 mph 21 times in 66 pitches and Japan beat the Czech Republic 10-2 on Saturday night to clinch a quarterfinal berth in the World Baseball Classic. Shugo Maki hit his second home run of the tournament

8:54 PM ET ESPN News Services Former major league outfielder and two-time World Series champion Jesus Alou died Friday at the age of 80, the Boston Red Sox announced. Alou recently suffered two cardiovascular accidents, but he hadn’t been diagnosed with a serious illness, a family source told ESPN’s Enrique Rojas. Alou spent 15 seasons

6:09 PM ET PHOENIX — While Team USA is one of the favorites to win the World Baseball Classic, its pitching staff lacks some of the best available players. Manager Mark DeRosa said Friday that getting elite position players to participate wasn’t a problem but it was a different story when it came to the

2:10 PM ET Associated Press JUPITER, Fla. — Infielders Yuli Gurriel and José Iglesias have agreed to minor league contracts with the Miami Marlins. The 38-year-old Gurriel won the World Series with the Houston Astros last year after hitting .242 with 40 doubles, eight home runs and 53 RBIs. In the postseason, Gurriel had 17

7:00 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” IT’S EASY TO FORGET, just one year later, how narrowly Major League Baseball avoided catastrophe. The league’s lockout of the players was approaching its 100th day. The doomsday clock for missing regular-season

10:37 AM ET ESPN staff The World Baseball Classic will feature some of the greatest players MLB has seen in quite some time. Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and more will face off as the global tournament returns for the first time since the pandemic. Then there are the teams where

7:00 AM ET It’s that time of year: The projection systems for the 2023 MLB season have been released and baseball analysts are divulging their secret-sauce prophecies, so let’s dig into the five teams that are most likely to take a step forward and possibly emerge as playoff surprises in 2023. And, yes, no matter

9:31 PM ET SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Team USA manager Mark DeRosa is leaving no stone unturned in his preparation to manage one of the favorites to win the World Baseball Classic this month. He even sought advice from another coach who has had some experience dealing with a team of All-Stars. “I talked to Mike

10:20 PM ET Associated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — This was a different kind of pitch for All-Star pitcher Martín Perez, who will be playing for his native Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. Perez sang the Venezuelan national anthem before the team played an exhibition game Wednesday night against the Houston Astros. Editor’s

7:00 AM ET AS TEAM USA raised the World Baseball Classic trophy in 2017, Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout felt the FOMO wash over him. “It looked like they were having so much fun, making the plays and winning,” said Trout, who was watching on TV from spring training camp in Tempe, Arizona. “That’s

5:37 PM ET ESPN News Services The Cincinnati Reds have reassigned veteran right-hander Chase Anderson to major league camp. It is an indication that Anderson, 35, has a chance to earn an Opening Day roster spot for his 10th big league season. The Reds need to fill two starting rotation slots behind their young trio

5:20 PM ET Associated Press The Atlanta Braves have reason to hope right-hander Kyle Wright, the majors’ only 20-game winner last season, still has time to be ready for Opening Day. If Wright requires more time to prepare for the season, the Braves appear to be developing sufficient depth to fill their rotation. Wright, 27,

7:00 AM ET The World Baseball Classic is back after a six-year absence — it was originally scheduled for 2021 but postponed because of COVID-19 — and the 2023 version will be bigger and better than ever, featuring more teams and star-studded rosters. The field expands from 16 to 20 teams, including first-time participants Great

8:21 PM ET Associated Press Shohei Ohtani hit a pair of three-run homers in a prep game for the World Baseball Classic, helping Japan win 8-1 at the Central League’s Hanshin Tigers in an exhibition on Monday night. The Los Angeles Angels two-way star went down to his left knee in the third inning when

9:04 PM ET ESPN News Services New York Yankees star Aaron Judge hit his first homer of the spring — a three-run shot — against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. The reigning American League MVP launched a towering, opposite-field drive just over the right-center wall as part of a six-run second inning. The four-time All-Star