MLB

7:16 AM ET Editor’s note: From rising strikeout totals and unwritten rules debates to connecting with a new generation of fans and a looming labor battle, baseball is at a crossroads. As MLB faces these challenges, we are embarking on a season-long look at The State of Baseball, examining the storylines that will determine how

7:58 PM ET ESPN News Services Amid a Major League Baseball crackdown on pitcher-friendly foreign substances, New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole struggled to give an answer when asked Tuesday whether he’s ever used a particular sticky paste called Spider Tack while on the mound. “I don’t (long pause) … I don’t know … I

4:45 PM ET The Texas Rangers designated outfielder/designated hitter Khris Davis for assignment on Tuesday after he was hitting .157 in his first season with the club. Davis, who was acquired in the trade that sent longtime Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus to the Oakland Athletics, has two home runs and five RBIs in 22 games

11:30 AM ET Associated Press The Toronto Blue Jays will be extending their stay at their adopted home in Buffalo, New York, through July 21. The team previously was committed to playing in Buffalo through July 4. The extension comes as the Blue Jays on Monday announced the release of their next batch of tickets

9:19 PM ET Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mike Trout says his right calf is starting to feel better, but the Los Angeles Angels superstar still doesn’t know when he will be able to return. The time-time AL MVP went on the injured list on May 18 after straining his calf the night before against

4:32 PM ET The Seattle Mariners optioned struggling rookie outfielder Jarred Kelenic, who is currently in an 0-for-39 slump, to Triple-A Tacoma on Monday. Kelenic, who is ranked as the No. 3 prospect in baseball according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, is hitting just .096 with 26 strikeouts in 23 games. He also has two home

8:45 PM ET Chicago Cubs infielder Patrick Wisdom reached a milestone on Sunday accomplished by only two other players in history. Wisdom, 29, hit two home runs in the Cubs’ 4-3 win over the San Francisco Giants, giving him seven long balls in his first eight starts with his new team. According to the Elias

6:30 PM ET The Chicago White Sox‘s Tony La Russa moved into second place on MLB’s all-time manager wins list with his 2,764th career victory on Sunday. He passed John McGraw and now trails only Connie Mack after his team beat the Detroit Tigers 3-0. “He was a much better player than I was, and

2:52 PM ET ESPN News Services San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria will be sidelined for an estimated four to six weeks after suffering a sprained left shoulder in a collision with shortstop Brandon Crawford on Saturday. Longoria was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday after being injured in the collision, which happened

7:30 AM ET Expectations are only expectations. Coming into the 2021 MLB season, many baseball observers considered the American League East the New York Yankees‘ division to lose. Fast forward two months and New York is looking up in the standings at three teams — the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay

4:45 PM ET All Major League Baseball pitchers will be checked repeatedly and randomly for foreign substances by umpires under the plan being swiftly advanced — and perhaps implemented within the next 10 days to two weeks. Major League Baseball is expected to instruct its umpires to enforce a rule that has long been on

1:10 PM ET Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper has been activated from the injured list and will bat third Saturday. Harper went on the 10-day IL on May 25 with a bruised left forearm. Prior to going on the injured list, the slugger had been in an 0-for-16 slump and was held out of the

9:58 PM ET Associated Press CHICAGO — Detroit Tigers starter Spencer Turnbull left Friday’s game against the Chicago White Sox after the fourth inning because of tightness in his right forearm. Turnbull won a 12-pitch battle with Yermín Mercedes to end the fourth, getting him to swing and miss at a fastball. Kyle Funkhouser replaced

4:01 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Two-thirds of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams have been able to relax coronavirus protocols after four additional clubs qualified and raised the total to 20 franchises reaching 85% vaccinations for players and other on-field personnel. The commissioner’s office and the players’ association said Friday that two additional

10:59 PM ET Thursday’s Triple-A game between the Norfolk Tides and Durham Bulls was called in the eighth inning after Bulls pitcher Tyler Zombro was hit in the head by a line drive. Zombro, a 26-year-old reliever for the Tampa Bay Rays affiliate, appeared to be convulsing on the mound before being taken off the

5:58 PM ET Arizona Diamondbacks television analyst Bob Brenly on Thursday said he will take a voluntary leave of absence from Bally Sports Arizona while he takes sensitivity training following his comment earlier this week about Marcus Stroman, which the New York Mets pitcher said had “racist undertones.” “I want to apologize again for my

11:19 AM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians are narrowing a final list of new names and vetting them for legal purposes after months of research and discussions with fans. The team announced in December that it is changing its name for the first time since 1915, a decision that came as part

7:00 AM ET We’re already two months into the 2021 MLB season, and the standings are starting to come into focus with teams already 50-plus games into their schedules. What does that mean for our first MLB Power Rankings of June? Well, for starters, there’s plenty of movement at the top, including a very tight