No Explanation For Starling Marte's Absence

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said he was unable to update the status of outfielder Starling Marte on Thursday after he was missing from summer camp for a third straight day. Arizona announced on Wednesday that they have a new positive COVID-19 test on Wednesday, but they didn't identify the player. There's a chance it's […]

Drew Pomeranz Fine After Tweaking Knee

San Diego Padres reliever Drew Pomeranz (knee) is fine despite exiting last weekend’s game after planting awkwardly. The move was precautionary and he’ll make his next scheduled outing. The 31-year-old journeyman found new life as a left-handed specialist in 2019 and will work from the bullpen in his second stint with the Friars. After flopping […]

Justin Verlander Showing Revamped Delivery

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (groin) is completely healed from March groin surgery and was also able to make some adjustments to his mechanics during the COVID-19 shutdown that have him feeling "fantastic." He threw three scoreless and hitless innings in an intrasquad game Thursday. The right-hander was 21-6 with a 2.58 ERA last […]

Ryan Weathers, Joey Cantillo Destined For Alternate-Site Roster

San Diego Padres pitching prospects Ryan Weathers and Joey Cantillo will likely be alternate-site starters once the season starts. The team’s No. 9 and 10 prospects, respectively, had little shot of making the big league roster but will stay sharp while tuning up Padres hitters waiting for call-ups. Weathers, 20, posted a 3.84 ERA in 22 […]

Josh Reddick Has Leg Up In Right Field

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker is giving outfielder Josh Reddick the leg up in the right field competition over youngster Kyle Tucker. Baker intimated that Tucker will have to win the job from Reddick, who is in the fourth year of his contract. “The future is probably Tucker’s, but the now is probably Reddick’s,” Baker […]

Billy Hamilton Put On Injured List

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler announced on Thursday that outfielder Billy Hamilton and left-handed reliever Jarlin Garcia have been put on the 10-day injured list. The two players are on the injured list for "medical reasons" but wasn't more specific. It's likely that they've either tested positive for COVID-19 or have come in contact […]

Buster Posey Still Weighing Decision To Play In 2020

San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey was absent on Thursday for a second straight day and missed a practice for the third time since summer workouts started at Oracle Park. Manager Gabe Kapler said Posey is dealing with a personal matter away from the field and is still weighing the option of sitting out of […]

Jimmie Johnson Returns At Kentucky

After testing positive for COVID-19 and missing last week's race at Indianapolis, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson returns to the seat of the No. 48 at Kentucky Speedway. The seven-time champion was cleared by NASCAR after he tested negative two straight days. Johnson will start from 20th in Sunday's Quaker State 400. In nine starts […]

Anthony Rizzo Sits Out Again Thursday

Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo (back) sat out of the team's intrasquad scrimmage on Thursday, missing the last two days of workouts with lower back tightness. “I spoke to him yesterday and he felt much better,” manager David Ross said, “so he’s moving the right direction.” Rizzo remains day-to-day and typically deals with some […]

Javier Baez In No Rush To Resume Extension Talks

Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez doesn't regret declining the team's offer during negotiations on a long-term extension over the winter, and he's in no "rush" to resume talks in the uncertain climate of the COVID-19 pandemic. Baez will be eligible for free agency after the 2021 season, and he said that talks were "progressing" in […]

Rizin Veteran Jiri Prochazka Making UFC Debut

Jiri Prochazka (26-3-1) will make his UFC debut in his 31st professional bout. The Rizin veteran was 11-1 with the Japanese-based organization from 2015 to 2019. His power has been on full display, winning his last eight in a row by knockout, with seven of those eight coming in the first round. Overall, 23 of […]

Yu Darvish's Fingernail Issue Not A Concern

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Yu Darvish (finger) had a brief mound visit during his intrasquad outing on Thursday due to a minor fingernail issue on his right index finger. It's not a concern, though, as the right-hander stayed in the contest and faced six more batters after the mound visit. There's nothing to worry about […]

Caleb Smith Dealing With Stiff Neck

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Caleb Smith (neck) said he was dealing with a stiff neck since Thursday morning. The neck issue affected his command a bit on Thursday, but the left-hander feels healthy otherwise. It doesn't sound like an injury that should linger. Smith can be dominant at times, but he really struggled in the […]

Volkan Oezdemir Back To His Winning Ways

Volkan Oezdemir (17-4) is on a two-fight winning streak after losing three in a row to the top fighters of the division. In his last outing, Oezdemir gave the talented Aleksandar Rakic his first loss in the UFC. According to DraftKings, Oezdemir only scored 62 points in this contest. In his previous bout, he knocked […]

Jose Iglesias Feeling Much Better

Baltimore Orioles shortstop Jose Iglesias' back is "feeling a lot better today," according to manager Brandon Hyde. The skipper said that Iglesias would work out on Thursday and could play in the intrasquad game in the evening. The O's are just being cautious here with their everyday shortstop, so Iglesias should be ready for Opening […]

Nathan Eovaldi Has Solid Line Thursday

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi allowed just one hit while walking one and fanning four in four scoreless innings during an intrasquad game on Thursday. He threw 34 of his 58 pitches for strikes and hit one batter in the tune-up for the regular season. The hard-throwing right-hander also looked impressive last weekend […]

Muslim Salikhov Looks To Shake Up Welterweight Division

Unusual for a fighter from Dagestan, Muslim Salikhov (16-2) is a very dangerous striker, with 11 of his wins coming by knockout. Ninety-one percent of his strikes occur on his feet. Though he only lands 1.99 significant strikes per minute, his defense is even better at 1.42 significant strikes absorbed per minute. Salikhov is riding […]

Slade Cecconi Signs With Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks signed pitcher Slade Cecconi, a competitive-balance pick at the end of the first round in June, for $2.384 million on Thursday. It's just above the slot value for the No. 33 overall pick of $2.202 million. With the signing, Arizona has now signed all five of their draft selections from the 2020 […]

Elizeu Dos Santos Looking To Add Another Tally

Elizeu Dos Santos (22-6) will make his 11th appearance inside the Octagon, sporting a very solid 8-2 UFC record. Half of his UFC victories have come by finish. After a loss to Jingliang Li in August of 2019, Dos Santos rebounded with a unanimous-decision victory over Alexy Kunchenko in March. According to DraftKings, he scored […]

No Progress In J.T. Realmuto Contract Negotiations

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto is no closer to a contract extension than he was in March. The All-Star catcher was negotiating a contract extension during spring training, but those talks have reportedly stalled. Realmuto said he isn't concerned about not having an extension yet and understands it's a business, which sounds like the team […]

Angels Adding Adam Seminaris To Player Pool

The Los Angeles Angels are adding 2020 fifth-rounder Adam Seminaris to their 60-man player pool on Thursday, according to sources. The left-hander from Long Beach State won't be an option to pitch for the Angels during the shortened 60-game season, but his addition to the player pool will allow the club's minor league staff to […]

Corey Kluber In Midseason Form

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Corey Kluber allowed only two hits and an earned run on a solo home run while walking none and striking out nine in six innings pitched in Thursday's intrasquad game. The right-hander threw 53 strikes out of 80 pitches and recorded more than three outs in the fourth and sixth innings […]

Joey Gallo, Brett Martin Feeling Good

Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said that both outfielder Joey Gallo and pitcher Brett Martin are feeling good and are essentially asymptomatic of COVID-19. However, neither player has been cleared to return to the field and must return two negative tests in order to do so. It was reported that Gallo tested negative at […]

Dellin Betances Making Slow Gains In Velocity

New York Mets relief pitcher Dellin Betances (shoulder, Achilles) still hasn’t reached the fastball velocity he exhibited when he was a lockdown reliever for the Yankees. Betances, who topped out at 90 mph in his Grapefruit League debut back in March, was only sitting at 92-93 mph in his first summer camp live batting practice […]

Jose Castillo Out Six Weeks With Lat Strain

San Diego Padres reliever Jose Castillo (lat) was diagnosed with a teres major strain and will be out at least six weeks. The injury is another brutal setback for the 24-year-old, who was expected to be a key cog in the Padres loaded bullpen. Castillo was electric as a rookie in 2018 with a 3.29 […]

Ubaldo Jimenez Doesn't Want To Retire

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez, who wasn't included on the team's summer camp roster, said that he wants to continue his career. The veteran right-hander was a star for Colorado from 2006 to 2011, but he hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2017 as a member of the Orioles. The 36-year-old Dominican was […]

Blue Jays Add Austin Martin To Player Pool

Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo announced on Thursday that first-round shortstop Austin Martin will be added to the team’s 60-man player pool. They will likely try the 21-year-old out at different positions with Bo Bichette set to occupy the shortstop position for the foreseeable future. Martin won’t make any impact with the big-league club […]

Michael Wacha Building Up To Work As A Starter

New York Mets starting pitcher Michael Wacha is currently building up to work as a regular rotation member. Heading into spring training, Wacha was primarily viewed as a spot starter and long relief option for the Mets. He was in competition with Steven Matz for the fifth rotation spot. However, with the season-ending injury to […]

Spencer Torkelson Working With Alan Trammell

Detroit Tigers corner infielder Spencer Torkelson, the first overall pick in the draft, started working with Hall of Fame shortstop Alan Trammell during Tigers summer camp as he transitions from first to third base. Torkelson also had his first at-bat at Comerica Park on Wednesday, grounding out softly to shortstop. The power-hitting first baseman from […]

Casey Mize Impresses in Scrimmage

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Casey Mize impressed in Thursday's intrasquad scrimmage. He allowed no hits in 2 1/3 innings and struck out three batters, including Miguel Cabrera on only three pitches. Mize is Detroit's top prospect and has the talent to become one of the best pitchers in the game. If he can crack the […]