5:56 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — The “opener,” the phenomenon that swept through major league pitching staffs last season, may finally take hold in the Bronx later this spring. With injuries already ravaging the upper echelon of his starting rotation, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone admitted Wednesday that he may employ a version of
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5:49 PM ET Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman was removed from Wednesday’s spring training game against the Miami Marlins with back stiffness. Bregman will not play Thursday, but manager A.J. Hinch indicated he could return to the Houston lineup Friday. “He took a swing in his one at-bat and had a little bit of
4:34 PM ET Boston Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright was suspended 80 games on Wednesday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Major League Baseball said Wright tested positive for growth hormone releasing peptide 2 (GHRP-2). Steven Wright tested positive for growth hormone releasing peptide 2 and has been suspended for 80 games. Jim Rogash/Getty Images
9:05 AM ET FORT MYERS, Fla. — My ESPN colleague Tim Kurkjian likes to say that baseball players are the best athletes in the world — or at least the most underrated. I agree. Of course, Tim and I are baseball fans and absolutely biased in this regard, but we are also right. This is
2:06 PM ET After hitting a home run in his first simulated game with the Phillies, Bryce Harper stood by his comments about recruiting Mike Trout to Philadelphia on Wednesday. “If I didn’t mean it, I wouldn’t have said it,” he said Wednesday. Major League Baseball announced Wednesday that it was aware of the situation
12:35 PM ET Associated Press DUNEDIN, Fla. — Right-hander Bud Norris and the Toronto Blue Jays have finalized a minor league contract, and he will report to major league spring training. Norris, who turned 34 on Saturday, had 47 saves over the past two seasons for the Los Angeles Angels and St. Louis Cardinals. He
11:35 AM ET The Texas Rangers have signed closer Jose Leclerc to a four-year, $14.75 million contract extension that includes two club options, the team announced Wednesday. In our spring MLB stock watch, we examine who gained (and lost) the most wins during the offseason with the biggest names finally off the market. With players
12:40 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees pitcher Luis Severino still feels “a little pain” in his right shoulder, but he is optimistic that “it’s nothing bad,” he said Wednesday. “My strength is the same,” said Severino, who suffered a shoulder injury minutes before a scheduled start against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday.
11:22 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” The first Tuesday in November isn’t going to be the only annual Election Day in the United States. As part of sweeping changes to the collective bargaining agreement, which is increasingly likely
9:07 PM ET The San Diego Padres have generated nearly $3 million of additional ticket revenue in the two weeks since Manny Machado agreed to a 10-year, $300 million contract, according to the team’s president of business operations, Erik Greupner. Greupner did not provide specifics on the raw number of tickets sold, but said it