3:16 PM ET Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals made seven-time All-Star catcher Salvador Perez the fourth captain in franchise history before their opener against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, rewarding one of the club’s most popular players with the rare title. Unlike football or basketball, the captain title is bestowed
MLB
3:11 PM ET ESPN News Services Atlanta Braves left-hander Max Fried exited his Opening Day start against the Washington Nationals on Thursday with left hamstring discomfort, the team announced. Fried winced as he he ran to cover first base for the initial out of the fourth inning and was removed after 43 pitches. He gave
2:46 PM ET The Chicago White Sox bid goodbye to longtime veteran outfielder Leury Garcia on Thursday, paving the way for prospect Oscar Colas. The moves were among several made by the team to finalize its Opening Day roster prior to Thursday night’s game against the Houston Astros. In addition to Colas, the White Sox
8:56 AM ET The Atlanta Braves and infielder Orlando Arcia have agreed to a three-year, $7.3 million contract that includes a team option for 2026, sources have confirmed to ESPN’s Buster Olney. The team option is worth $2 million and includes a $1 million buyout, sources told Olney. The deal was first reported Wednesday by
7:00 AM ET Welcome to MLB Opening Day 2023! After one of the most exciting preludes to a regular season in recent memory — from offseason chaos to players (and fans) learning baseball’s new rules and enjoying shorter, faster paced games to an epic World Baseball Classic — it’s time to play ball. All 30
7:00 AM ET WHEN ISABELLE DE LEON and Michael Volpe drive to and from work in Manhattan, New York, each day, turning on sports talk radio is automatic: WFAN’s Boomer Esiason in the morning, ESPN New York’s Michael Kay on the way home. When the couple met at SUNY Downstate Medical School in Brooklyn in
10:22 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Minor league baseball players and Major League Baseball struck a tentative deal Wednesday on the first collective-bargaining agreement between the sides that will more than double player pay, sources familiar with the
8:52 PM ET Associated Press CHICAGO — All-Star outfielder Ian Happ appears poised to enter the season with an expiring contract after he and the Chicago Cubs were unable to agree on a new deal. Happ said Wednesday he had “nothing really to report” and “no real comment on it.” He said he is not
5:28 PM ET SAN DIEGO – Diamond Sports Group, the operator of 42 regional sports networks across MLB, the NBA and the NHL, paid the San Diego Padres their rights fee on Wednesday, which means the company will continue to broadcast the team’s games in the near future, sources told ESPN. Diamond, which operates under
5:50 PM ET SAN DIEGO — San Diego Padres third-base coach Matt Williams has been diagnosed with colon cancer and will be away from the team for an undisclosed period of time. The news was revealed by Padres manager Bob Melvin on Wednesday afternoon, roughly 24 hours before the team begins its highly anticipated season.