MLB asked to voluntarily accept minor league union
NEW YORK — The Major League Baseball Players Association asked management Tuesday to voluntarily accept the union as the bargaining agent for minor leaguers. Bruce Meyer, the union’s deputy executive director, sent a letter to MLB Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem that claimed a majority of minor leaguers had signed authorization...
Tigers’ Austin Meadows reveals mental health struggles
DETROIT — Detroit Tigers outfielder Austin Meadows revealed on Friday he has been dealing with mental health issues along with physical ailments and will not play again this season. “This season has been an unfortunate struggle with a series of injuries and illness, from dealing with vertigo early on, then...
Astros put ace Justin Verlander on IL with calf injuryVideo
HOUSTON — Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander, a leading candidate for the AL Cy Young Award, was placed on the injured list with a right calf injury. The team announced the move Tuesday and said an MRI done on the calf Monday revealed fascial disruption but no muscle fiber disruption....
Dodgers All-Star pitcher Tony Gonsolin out with forearm strainVideo
MIAMI — The Los Angeles Dodgers put All-Star pitcher Tony Gonsolin on the injured list Monday because of a strained right forearm, making the move as a precaution hours before his scheduled start against the Miami Marlins. Pitching more than he ever has in his career, Gonsolin is tied for...
MLB players’ association trying to unionize minor leaguers
NEW YORK — The Major League Baseball Players Association is attempting to unionize minor leaguers, reversing decades of opposition. The players’ association said Monday it is circulating union authorization cards among players with minor league contracts to form a separate bargaining unit from the big leaguers. While the average major...
Rays lock up Glasnow through ’24 with $30.35 million dealVideo
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow signed a $30.35 million, two-year contract that will delay the start of his free agency by one year, the team announced Friday. The Rays’ Opening Day starter last year hasn’t pitched this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery Aug. 4,...
Julio Rodriguez, Mariners finalizing massive, long-term contract
SEATTLE — Since the day he signed as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic, the Mariners have known they have something special in Julio Rodriguez. And as he grew from potential-filled prospect, to baseball phenom, to everyday center fielder and now the face of their franchise, the idea of...
First Call: Ike Taylor’s new Steelers job; ex-Pirate almost makes MLB history; Duquesne-Florida St. point spread
Former Pittsburgh Steeler Ike Taylor said he is getting a job with the franchise. A former Pirate almost made history at the plate, while a few others have been busy on the mound. And Duquesne’s athletic department celebrated a landmark win in soccer as it hopes for something similar in...
Roberto Clemente: Keeping the Dream AliveVideo
Luis Clemente swats at insects as he stands on the edge of a swimming pool filled with stagnant, murky water in this San Juan suburb of 150,000 people. The pool had been a glistening centerpiece of Roberto Clemente Sports City. On this blistering May morning, nearly 50 years after the...
First Call: Joe Schobert already released; mixed injury news for Ravens; Tyler Glasnow attempting a comeback
In Wednesday’s “First Call,” a former Pittsburgh Steeler is struggling to keep a new job. The Baltimore Ravens are getting mixed results on the injury front. Tyler Glasnow is trying to return. And Duquesne’s football team has new captains. That was quick Joe Schobert didn’t last very long in Denver....
Angels owner Arte Moreno explores selling franchise
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno says he is exploring the possibility of selling the franchise. Moreno purchased the Angels in 2003, a year after they won the World Series. He has spent aggressively on aging free agent stars like Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton, but the...
First Call: Ex-Steeler shines at QB in Cleveland; Roquan Smith willing to stay in Chicago; Ravens extend preseason streak
An ex-Steelers quarterback is on fire with his new team this preseason. The Roquan Smith dream seems to have died for Pittsburgh fans. The Ravens just can’t lose in August. And Pittsburgh has two champions in a pair of very unique sports. All that in Monday’s “First Call.” And the...
Kid ‘n Play: Little Leaguers set for date with MLB stars
Jason Varitek reveled in 1984 in all the quaint traditions that make the Little League World Series a throwback to the simple days of playing baseball. He traded pins, met kids from other parts of the United States and around the world. Varitek and his teammates played in ping-pong tournaments...
Former Norwin slugger JJ Matijevic recalled to Astros a day after getting his own bobblehead
Another MLB promotion and a bobblehead? JJ Matijevic’s dream summer just keeps getting better. A day after getting his own bobblehead, Matijevic is headed back to “The Show.” The former Norwin star is set to join the Houston Astros again after a third call-up from Triple-A Sugar Land where he...
Dodgers’ Walker Buehler to have elbow surgery, out for seasonVideo
MILWAUKEE — Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler will have season-ending elbow surgery, a setback for the team with the majors’ best record. The Dodgers announced Monday before the start of their four-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers that Dr. Neal ElAttrache would perform the surgery on Aug. 23. “It’s...
More than 3.1 million TV viewers for ‘Field of Dreams’ game
NEW YORK — More than 3.1 million viewers watched Fox Sports’ broadcast of Major League Baseball’s second “Field of Dreams” game, about half of the audience for the 2021 game. The Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-2 on Thursday night at a throwback ballpark in eastern Iowa, a short...
Padres star Fernando Tatis suspended 80 games for positive drug testVideo
NEW YORK — San Diego Padres dynamo Fernando Tatis Jr., one of the brightest, freshest stars in MLB, was suspended 80 games on Friday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. The penalty imposed by MLB was effective immediately, meaning the shortstop cannot play in the majors this year for...
Drew Smyly stars as Cubs beat Reds in 2nd ‘Field of Dreams’ gameVideo
DYERSVILLE, Iowa — After the Griffeys played catch in Iowa, Drew Smyly took over. Smyly struck out nine in five scoreless innings, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds, 4-2, on Thursday night in Major League Baseball’s second “Field of Dreams” game. Seiya Suzuki reached three times, and Nick...
Trevor Bauer’s accuser files countersuit to defamation claim
LOS ANGELES — A San Diego woman who alleges Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer sexually abused her has filed a countersuit to his defamation claim, alleging the baseball star beat her and left her bruised, according to a court filing. Bauer has denied abusing the woman he met through...
4 of the top 5 picks in this year’s MLB draft were Black — the result of minority development and other grassroots programs
CHICAGO — History was made in the first round of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft. For the first time in 30 years, nine Black players were drafted in the first round, including four of the top five selections. The Arizona Diamondbacks drafted high school outfielder Druw Jones with the...
First Call: Steelers fans won’t like list of potential destinations for Roquan Smith; Jose Quintana solid again for St. Louis
Thursday’s “First Call” wonders if the Pittsburgh Steelers can land Chicago Bears star Roquan Smith in a trade. If they can’t, who will? Also, a former Pirate is shining for his new team. A former Penguin is now a college coach. And a former Steeler may not be able to...
Terry Francona suggests New Brighton host an MLB game: for the hot dogs, of courseVideo
DYERSVILLE, Iowa — Egypt. Australia. A hot dog place in Pennsylvania. A junior college in Chicago. If MLB is looking for another place for a game, oh man, do we have some fun ideas. The second “Field of Dreams” game is Thursday night in the cornfields of eastern Iowa, near...
Chris Sale out for year after breaking wrist in bike accident
BOSTON — Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale broke his right wrist in a bike accident over the weekend and will miss the rest of the season, the team said Tuesday, the latest setback during an injury-plagued three years for the ace. Sale had surgery Monday and is expected to...
Yankees DH Matt Carpenter fractures left foot on foul ball
SEATTLE — New York Yankees designated hitter Matt Carpenter broke his left foot Monday night when he fouled off a pitch against the Seattle Mariners and will be out indefinitely. Carpenter, wearing a protective boot in the Yankees’ clubhouse after their 9-4 win, said he’s hopeful he might only miss...
Cubs to cut OF Jason Heyward after the season
CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs will cut ties with right fielder Jason Heyward after this season, ending one of baseball’s most expensive and unproductive free-agent signings with a year left on his contract. “We’re not going have him with the team next year,” Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer...
