| | 4. White Sox drop to 3-22 as MLB’s worst team loses for 13th time in 14 games14:32[-/+] | MINNEAPOLIS — Edouard Julien started a fast and furious rally by ripping a 91 mph fastball from Michael Soroka for a solo homer.
Ryan Jeffers tied it with a lined solo shot on the next pitch.
After Chicago White Sox manager Pedro Grifol summoned lefty Tanner Banks from the bullpen, the Minnesota Twins followed with a blooper, a 42 mph nubber and a hard single to left field.
That’s all it took to topple the White Sox on Thursday afternoon. Stymied by Soroka for five innings, the Twins needed 12 pitches in the sixth to turn around their fortunes against the sad-sack Sox, who lost for the... | ↑ |
5. Chicago Cubs reliever Luke Little forced to change glove with American flag patch14:32[-/+] | CHICAGO – Cubs reliever Luke Little, a 6-foot-8 lefty with a fastball that averages 97 mph, briefly went viral for a reason other than his baseball talent.
“Hate to Say I Told You So,” a fast-paced rock song by The Hives, blasted from Wrigley Field’s sound system on Wednesday night as umpire Andy Fletcher approached Little during a pitching change. Little paused his warmup routine with one out in the top of the seventh inning. Fletcher told Little to change his black glove, which featured a small red, white and blue patch.
“The issue was the American flag was on his glove,”... | ↑ |
6. Bryce Harper shows his Dad Strength, homers again in return to Phillies after birth of child14:32[-/+] | CINCINNATI — Bryce Harper rejoined the Phillies late Wednesday night, in time to poke his head inside the visiting clubhouse at Great American Ball Park after the Phillies lost to the Reds. His teammates congratulated him on the birth of his third child. Manager Rob Thomson found Harper and shook his hand.
The Phillies had missed Harper for three days, but they were happy to give him his time at home.
“He was in a good mood last night after he got back,” Thomson said Thursday morning. “Everybody’s really good.”
They were even better Thursday afternoon when... | ↑ |
11. Cubs call up top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong after Cody Bellinger lands on IL with fractured ribs14:32[-/+] | Already dealing with a multitude of early-season injuries, the Chicago Cubs shut down Cody Bellinger with two fractured ribs on his right side, manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday. In the roster corresponding move, top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong was called up from Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs do not have a timetable for Bellinger’s return.
Bellinger, a Gold Glove outfielder, crashed into the Wrigley Field wall during Tuesday’s win over the Houston Astros. X-rays were negative after Bellinger exited the game early, but the results of Wednesday’s CT scan forced him onto the injured list. | ↑ |
17. Triston Casas has rib fracture, will miss significant time for Red Sox14:32[-/+] | Triston Casas is the latest Boston Red Sox player expected to miss an extended period of time on the injured list.
The first baseman was removed from Saturday’s game after injuring himself on a swing in Pittsburgh. He was later placed on the IL with a left rib strain, but on Tuesday, manager Alex Cora told reporters in Cleveland that Casas has a fractured rib and will miss a significant amount of time. He expected Casas to be able to play later this season, but did not give a timetable for his recovery.
Casas has a fracture. He'll be out for an extended period. Back this season but the... | ↑ |
22. Aaron Boone ejected 2 batters into game when umpire blames him for heckling fan: ‘It’s embarrassing’14:32[-/+] | NEW YORK — New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone may not have said anything to get himself ejected, but he had plenty to say after.
Boone ripped home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt’s decision to toss him just five pitches into a 2-0 loss to the Oakland Athletics on Monday at Yankee Stadium, an ejection that occurred after the umpire appeared to mistake a heckling fan above the dugout for Boone.
“It’s embarrassing,” Boone said.
He added, “I couldn’t believe it.”
Boone said he didn’t say a word to deserve getting thrown out — and TV cameras backed him up.
With a 0-1 count and... | ↑ |
29. Rockies flight investigated by FAA, United Airlines after video shows coach in pilot seat midflight14:32[-/+] | Amid their worst start in franchise history, the Colorado Rockies’ bumpy season hit more turbulence this week when the Federal Aviation Administration and United Airlines opened an investigation into an April 10 flight chartered by the Rockies in which video appeared to show a Colorado coach sitting in the pilot’s seat.
The since-deleted video, posted to Instagram by coach Hensley Meulens, was captioned, “Had some fun in the cockpit on our flight from Denver to Toronto. Thanks to the captain and the first officer of our United charter that allowed me this great... | ↑ |
39. Ex-MLB SS Yuniesky Betancourt charged with insurance fraud after allegedly staging accident14:32[-/+] | Former major-league shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt was one of four men arrested last week accused of staging an automobile accident to collect insurance money.
Betancourt, 42, played parts of nine seasons with the Mariners, Royals and Brewers. A native of Cuba, Betancourt’s last year in Major League Baseball was 2013.
Betancourt, along with Abel Vera, Nancy Mercedes Pena and Maura Perez, allegedly staged a car crash and falsely documented the incident with police to receive a personal injury claim, according to a news release from the Florida Department of Financial Services.
The four... | ↑ |
44. Woman who accused Trevor Bauer of sexual assault charged with fraud14:32[-/+] | An Arizona woman who accused former MLB pitcher Trevor Bauer of sexual assault has been charged with felony fraud against Bauer and another person, according to an indictment unsealed Monday in the Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County.
The indictment, issued by a grand jury in Maricopa County, also charged the woman with felony theft by extortion against the other person, who is not associated with Bauer, his attorney told ESPN.
An arraignment is scheduled for April 26 in Maricopa County.
The woman, who sued Bauer in 2022, accused him of choking her unconscious, raping her and getting... | ↑ |
45. Astros call up former top pitching prospect Forrest Whitley: ‘A long time coming’14:32[-/+] | HOUSTON — Mondays are universal off days in the minor leagues, meaning Forrest Whitley could crash on his couch. He fell half asleep before his phone started to ring.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Triple-A manager Mickey Storey told him, “but you’re going to the show.”
Whitley’s wait is over. The Astros promoted their former top prospect to the major-league roster Tuesday, completing a circuitous journey for a man once regarded as Houston’s next homegrown ace.
“It’s the first time in my life where I’ve really kind of felt that surreal moment where I was having a hard... | ↑ |
46. Dodgers call up outfield prospect Andy Pages: Source14:32[-/+] | Andy Pages’ thunderous bat turned heads this spring. And now, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ prized outfield prospect is poised to bring things to Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers are set to call up Pages, a league source confirmed to The Athletic, continuing the 23-year-old’s rapid rise less than a year removed from undergoing major shoulder surgery.
Few players in Los Angeles’ camp turned heads quite like Pages, whose combination of power at the plate and efficient defense in center and right field led to unsolicited praise from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts — who said Pages would be a big... | ↑ |
47. Rangers call up Jack Leiter to pitch Thursday for MLB debut14:32[-/+] | The Texas Rangers called up pitching prospect Jack Leiter to make his major-league debut Thursday against the Detroit Tigers, the club announced Tuesday.
Leiter, the 2021 No. 2 pick, has looked like a first-rounder this season with Triple-A Round Rock. He’s posted a 3.77 ERA with 25 strikeouts and a 0.98 WHIP in 14 1/3 innings pitched. His strong start included throwing 10 strikeouts against Oklahoma City on April 12.
The right-hander ranked at No. 14 on The Athletic’s Keith Law’s list of top Rangers prospects for 2024.
Our probable starter for Thursday: @jackleiter22. | ↑ |
48. Whitey Herzog, former Cardinals, Royals manager and Hall of Famer, dies at 9214:32[-/+] | In the summer of 1980, August A. Busch Jr., the chairman and president of the St. Louis Cardinals, summoned Whitey Herzog to Grant’s Farm, the family estate on the outskirts of the city. Herzog was 48 years old and had spent the previous five seasons managing the Kansas City Royals before taking over as Cardinals manager before 1980 season, but Gussie Busch, as he was known, had an idea. He needed a new general manager. He wanted Herzog. He offered a simple mission.
“Whitey,” Busch said, as the men talked over a couple beers. “Get me one more championship.”
Herzog accepted the... | ↑ |
52. White Sox tie 1907 Brooklyn Superbas for most shutouts through first 16 games of season14:32[-/+] | The Chicago White Sox’s miserable start to the 2024 season is starting to look historically bad.
On Monday night, they lost 2-0 to the Kansas City Royals. It marked the sixth time this season they’ve been held scoreless, which ties them with the 1907 Brooklyn Superbas for the most shutouts in the first 16 games of the season, according to Codify Baseball. They’ve been shut out once in all six series they’ve played this season.
The only teams in MLB history to be shut out 6 times in the first 16 games of a regular season:
1907 Brooklyn Superbas2024 Chicago White Sox... | ↑ |
53. Ken Holtzman, 4-time World Series winner and author of 2 no-hitters, dies at 7814:32[-/+] | Ken Holtzman, a prolific pitcher who threw two no-hitters for the Chicago Cubs, helped the Oakland A’s win three consecutive World Series titles in the 1970s and won another World Series with the New York Yankees in 1977, has died at the age of 78.
Born in St. Louis, Holtzman played for the University of Illinois in the same year he made his Wrigley Field debut, beginning a distinguished 15-year career that also featured stops with the Yankees and Baltimore Orioles.
“We are deeply saddened,” the Cubs said in a statement Monday, recognizing Holtzman for “cementing himself as one of the... | ↑ |
54. John Sterling, longtime Yankees radio voice, retires after 35-year run14:32[-/+] | The legendary radio voice of the Yankees, John Sterling, is retiring effective immediately after more than three decades in the booth, he and the team said Monday.
The Yankees and Sterling made the announcement after The Athletic reported on a planned news conference for this weekend in which the 85-year-old Sterling was anticipated to retire, citing health concerns. Sterling has been a broadcaster for 64 years.
The team will recognize his contributions in a pregame ceremony prior to Saturday’s Yankees-Rays game. He was originally slated to call the series.
WFAN will replace Sterling with... | ↑ |
65. Braves’ Spencer Strider has season-ending elbow surgery: How does Atlanta’s rotation adjust?14:32[-/+] | Atlanta Braves right-hander Spencer Strider will miss the rest of the season after having surgery Friday to repair the damaged ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. But the type of procedure he had, internal brace surgery, means Strider could return sooner than if he had Tommy John surgery.
Recovery from internal brace surgery is typically about 12 months for pitchers, compared to 14-16 months for most who have Tommy John surgery. Also, that 14-16 month timeline is usually on the longer end for pitchers returning from a second Tommy John surgery. Strider had Tommy John surgery in 2019... | ↑ |
66. Shohei Ohtani matches Hideki Matsui for most MLB home runs by Japanese-born player14:32[-/+] | LOS ANGELES — It took one, authoritative swing Friday night for Shohei Ohtani to once again reach history and match an idol.
No Japanese-born player in Major League Baseball history has ever homered more than baseball’s richest man after Ohtani walloped an outside fastball from San Diego Padres starter Michael King and drove it into the pavilions seating in left center field at Dodger Stadium in the Dodgers’ 8-7 loss.
Career home run No. 175 leveled Ohtani with Hideki Matsui, the fearsome Japanese slugger for the Yankees, Angels, Athletics and Rays whom Ohtani has long described as... | ↑ |
67. Carlos Correa exits Twins’ opener at Detroit with right oblique injury14:32[-/+] | The season is only 11 games old and already the Minnesota Twins potentially are without three stars.
Carlos Correa exited Friday night’s game in Detroit early with a right oblique strain, which leaves his immediate status in doubt. Correa appeared to grab his right side during a third-inning strikeout and Willi Castro took over for him at shortstop in the bottom of the inning.
The Twins already are without star closer Jhoan Duran, who’s been out since mid-March with a Grade 2 oblique strain, and budding star Royce Lewis, who suffered a severe right quad injury on Opening Day.
Though Duran... | ↑ |
68. Ippei Mizuhara surrenders to authorities, apologizes; released on 25k bond14:32[-/+] | LOS ANGELES — Ippei Mizuhara appeared in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles Friday and surrendered to authorities. He was released on a $25,000 bond and will return to court for the next hearing on May 9.
Mizuhara, who had shackles around his ankles and was dressed in a suit with no tie, was ordered to surrender his passport, was barred from gambling and from entering casinos, and was instructed not to have any contact with Shohei Ohtani, the star baseball player from whom he is accused of stealing roughly $16 million. Judge Maria Audero also ordered that Mizuhara attend a program to treat... | ↑ |
69. Rimas Sports, agency launched by Bad Bunny, facing MLBPA punishment: Sources14:32[-/+] | Rimas Sports, an agency launched last year by recording artist Bad Bunny, is facing significant punishment from the Major League Baseball Players Association, including at least one license revoked, multiple sources briefed on the matter told The Athletic.
The agency launched in partnership with Rimas Entertainment executive Noah Assad and Jonathan Miranda, who was tabbed as president. Rimas employed Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez as a sports ambassador and its client list includes the New York Mets’ Francisco Alvarez and Ronny Mauricio, the Cincinnati Reds’ Santiago Espinal, the... | ↑ |
77. MLB’s Sunday morning package could leave Peacock for new home: Sources14:32[-/+] | MLB’s Sunday morning baseball on Peacock could be going, going, gone, executives briefed on the negotiations told The Athletic.
MLB expects to continue the Sunday morning games, known on Peacock as “MLB Sunday Leadoff,” with a new service, according to an executive briefed on the negotiations. The executive said the league and an unnamed platform are closing in on an agreement, which would begin this season. The executive declined to identify what service because negotiations were not finalized.
Last year, Peacock’s 19-game schedule began on April 23. MLB has... | ↑ |
78. Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, charged with bank fraud and stealing more than $16M14:32[-/+] | By Andy McCullough, Mike Vorkunov and Sam Blum
Three weeks after emerging as the central figure in a gambling scandal swirling around Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was accused of stealing more than $16 million from Ohtani to pay off gambling debts, according to an affidavit filed by federal authorities on Thursday.
The complaint accuses Mizuhara, 39, of bank fraud, a crime that includes a maximum sentence of 30 years. Mizuhara is expected to appear in federal court, likely on Friday, for a bond hearing. He will not enter a plea, and an arraignment... | ↑ |
83. Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter negotiating guilty plea in connection to purported theft: Report14:32[-/+] | Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani who was fired in March after Ohtani alleged Mizuhara stole millions of dollars to pay gambling debts, is negotiating a deal to plead guilty for the purported theft, according to a report by the New York Times.
The report described the investigation into Mizuhara’s alleged theft as “rapidly nearing a conclusion” and indicated that federal prosecutors found evidence that Mizuhara may have stolen more than the $4.5 million that initially appeared in news reports when the story first broke. Evidence... | ↑ |
91. Orioles calling up Jackson Holliday, No. 1 prospect in MLB: Source14:32[-/+] | The Baltimore Orioles are calling up shortstop Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 prospect in MLB, a league source confirmed Tuesday. Holliday is ranked No. 1 on The Athletic’s Keith Law’s top 100 MLB prospects for 2024.
ESPN was the first to report the news.
It was a surprise not to see Holliday make the Orioles’ opening-day roster after a red-hot spring training, and he quickly showed the team what it was missing in Triple A with a blistering start for the Norfolk Tides. Holliday homered in his first Triple A at-bat of the year. In nine games, he had 14 hits in 42 at-bats with... | ↑ |
92. Top MLB Draft prospect Nick Kurtz homers six times in seven at-bats for Wake Forest14:32[-/+] | When Wake Forest star first baseman Nick Kurtz left a game against Virginia on March 15 with a shoulder injury, things were looking grim for one of the preseason favorites to go No. 1 in the 2024 MLB Draft. An 0-for-1 performance that day dropped his average to .241 and his Demon Deacons squad sat 1-3 in the ACC despite entering the season as the favorite to take home the national title.
Things didn’t get much better when he returned after missing six games. Kurtz hit a low point in the first game of the North Carolina series two weeks ago when his average dipped to .217 after going 0-for-5... | ↑ |
93. Astros promoting top pitching prospect Spencer Arrighetti to make MLB debut14:32[-/+] | KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Amid a slew of injuries to their starting rotation, the Astros are promoting top pitching prospect Spencer Arrighetti to make his major-league debut on Wednesday against the Kansas City Royals, manager Joe Espada said after Tuesday’s 4-3 loss.
Arrighetti will take the rotation spot of Framber Valdez, who went on the injured list Tuesday with what Espada described as “left elbow inflammation.”
“We’ve gone through our pitching here in the last week and we want to make sure we protect some of these guys,” Espada said. “Having Arrighetti will... | ↑ |
94. Former Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias charged with 5 misdemeanors from September arrest14:32[-/+] | The Los Angeles City Attorney’s office charged former Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias with five misdemeanors stemming from a September arrest, a spokesperson for the office confirmed to The Athletic on Tuesday.
Urias faces one count of spousal battery, two counts of domestic battery involving a dating relationship, one count of false imprisonment and one count of assault for an alleged altercation that took place outside of a soccer game at BMO Stadium. His arraignment is scheduled for May 2. TMZ first reported the charges against Urias.
Urias was arrested on Sept. 3 on suspicion of... | ↑ |
99. Padres rally from 8-0 deficit, stun Cubs to match largest comeback win in club history14:32[-/+] | SAN DIEGO — Monday had already brought a partial solar eclipse over the skies of this city, which was commemorating the 20th anniversary of Petco Park. Then, Fernando Tatis Jr. and the San Diego Padres surpassed the Chicago Cubs in historic fashion.
The Padres rallied from an eight-run deficit to beat the Cubs 9-8 and equal the largest comeback win in franchise history. Chicago scored four runs in the second against Yu Darvish and four more in the fourth before San Diego made it a game with a seven-run sixth, the Padres’ highest-scoring inning since another seven-run frame last Aug. 5... | ↑ |
100. Shohei Ohtani on rise of arm injuries: Pitching with max effort, clock could be ‘significant factor’14:32[-/+] | MINNEAPOLIS – As the sport has fixated on the state of its prized stars’ pitching elbows, Major League Baseball’s highest-paid star hypothesized that the sport’s overall emphasis on stuff and the implementation of a pitch clock last season could be behind the surge of injuries.
Shohei Ohtani’s right elbow bears a familiar scar among those in the sport, undergoing Tommy John surgery after his rookie season in 2018 and another major elbow procedure (later revealed to be a hybrid Tommy John/internal brace) last September.
He understands the toll that throwing near triple digits can... | ↑ |
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