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
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8:21 PM ET Associated Press The San Diego Padres are flirting with the idea of beginning the season with a six-man pitching rotation. Settling on an Opening Day starter, though, may not be as easy a decision for manager Bob Melvin. With Joe Musgrove sidelined by a toe injury and Yu Darvish pitching for Japan
1:30 PM ET ESPN News Services TOKYO — Shohei Ohtani hit a 448-foot, three-run home run in the first inning that landed just below his image on a video advertising board and had four RBIs to lead Japan over Australia 7-1 Sunday night at the World Baseball Classic. Japan, already assured of advancement, won its
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
3:33 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Outfielder Corbin Carroll and the Arizona Diamondbacks are in agreement on an eight-year, $111 million contract extension, sources familiar with the deal confirmed to ESPN, tying one of the top prospects in
6:56 PM ET Associated Press St. Louis Cardinals rookie outfielder Jordan Walker, one of the sensations of spring training, left Saturday’s game against the Houston Astros with a strained right shoulder suffered on a slide at second base in the first inning. But manager Oliver Marmol said he was not “overly concerned. Day-to-day.” Marmol said
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