1:37 PM ET Atlanta Braves third baseman Josh Donaldson won his appeal and will not be suspended after a benches-clearing incident with the Pittsburgh Pirates, a source told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. His fine for the incident was also reduced to $1,000, the source said. Donaldson had been suspended for one game following a skirmish with
MLB
1:02 PM ET Left-hander Dallas Keuchel will make his debut for the Atlanta Braves on Friday, getting the start against the Washington Nationals. Keuchel, the American League Cy Young winner in 2015, signed a one-year deal on June 7 worth about $13 million. He made two starts in the minors, posting a 1.93 ERA over
7:00 AM ET An historic homecoming, a delayed debut and a marquee matchup in the Bronx have our attention this weekend. Here’s what we’re thinking and what we’re looking for. The big storyline of the weekend is Albert Pujols‘ return to St. Louis (Angels at Cardinals, Friday, 8 p.m., ESPN+; Sunday, 7 p.m., ESPN). Among
1:22 AM ET CHICAGO — It hasn’t exactly been an everyday or even every year occurrence for the Chicago Cubs under Theo Epstein and his front office: A homegrown pitcher making his way to the big leagues with the stuff to stick around. All that might have changed on Thursday, when 24-year-old Venezuelan righty Adbert
2:29 AM ET Pete Alonso is a quintessential embodiment of the 2019 major leaguer: He’s big, he’s strong, he swings hard, and when he connects, the ball travels long distances. The rookie first baseman for the Mets belted his 25th home run in New York’s 7-4 loss to the Cubs on Thursday. That puts Alonso
6:55 PM ET Los Angeles Dodgers left-handed starting pitcher Rich Hill has a strained flexor tendon in his forearm and won’t pick up a baseball for at least a month. Hill, 39, who left his Wednesday start after one inning, said he is hopeful he will pitch again this season. Hill, who has battled injuries
5:58 PM ET NEW YORK — If you thought Aaron Judge, upon his return to the New York Yankees‘ lineup Friday from an injured-list stint, was going to ease himself back into playing, think again. The Yankees rightfielder reminded reporters at Yankee Stadium on Thursday afternoon that he only knew how to play at one
5:04 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” The Rays have received permission from Major League Baseball’s executive council to explore a plan in which they would play home games in both the Tampa Bay area and Montreal, commissioner Rob
4:12 PM ET The Philadelphia Phillies have put outfielder Bryce Harper into the leadoff spot for Thursday night’s game against the Washington Nationals in hopes of putting a spark back into the top of their lineup. Since June 4, when Andrew McCutchen suffered a season-ending knee injury, Phillies leadoff hitters have ranked last in batting
2:44 AM ET ESPN News Services The Philadelphia Phillies put outfielder Bryce Harper into the leadoff spot for Thursday night’s game against the Washington Nationals in hopes of putting a spark back into the top of their lineup. Harper went 1-for-5 with three strikeouts in the Phillies’ 7-4 loss. Cleanup hitter Rhys Hoskins was moved