MLB

11:19 PM ET Additional tests on the ailing shoulder of prized young Athletics left-hander A.J. Puk revealed no structural damage, Oakland manager Bob Melvin told reporters Thursday. Puk, the sixth overall pick in the 2016 draft, had visited renowned orthopedist Dr. Neal ElAttrache this week after feeling some mild discomfort in the shoulder. He will

7:00 AM ET The days are growing brighter and moderately warmer even here along the western shore of Lake Michigan. Soon, I’ll be making my annual trip to spring training. This year, it’ll be to Arizona. And for that, I’m grateful, because it puts a buffer of a couple thousand miles between me and West

7:00 AM ET Sam Alipour | ESPN It’s 4:30 p.m. on a Wednesday, and, my mom would be thrilled to know, I’m getting my butt kicked in a beer-chugging contest at a Scottsdale bar — bringing up the rear in a three-horse race: 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich, 2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger and a

7:00 AM ET This case is not an episode of “Law & Order,” wrapped up in a nice tidy hour of television. The evidence is murky and inconclusive. Then again, maybe the evidence — such as it might be — doesn’t matter. The Houston Astros, after all, have admitted to cheating in 2017, offering apologies

7:11 PM ET It looks like Christian Yelich will be signing a contract extension that could keep him with the Milwaukee Brewers through 2028 (or 2029 if both side exercise a mutual option), for a total value for the deal at about $215 million. Nine-figure contracts in Major League Baseball aren’t that common, but in

8:00 AM ET LAKELAND, Fla. — The New York Yankees are heavy favorites to win the American League East, after adding Gerrit Cole. The Tampa Bay Rays won 96 games last year, and nearly derailed the Houston Astros‘ run to the World Series. The Boston Red Sox, on the other hand, traded their best player,

3:39 PM ET Tampa Bay Rays minor league outfielder Garrett Whitley was struck by a foul ball in the dugout Monday during the team’s spring training game with the Orioles. The team said Whitley has “a right facial injury” and will undergo further testing. Orioles infielder Renato Nunez fouled a ball off and sent it

7:00 AM ET Only one World Series favorite entering the season actually won the World Series in the decade we just completed. Wait, let’s put that another way: A team that was one of the top five favorites entering the season won the World Series only once over the past decade. The 2019 Washington Nationals

8:30 AM ET Sam MillerESPN.com Close ESPN baseball columnist/feature writerFormer editor-in-chief of Baseball ProspectusCo-author of “The Only Rule Is It Has To Work” Two years ago, before baseball had become consumed by the scandal of scurrilous teams trying too hard to win, we had the simmering crisis at the opposite end of the spectrum: teams

8:00 AM ET First, a warning: Don’t print out this article and take it to Vegas. Our 2020 MLB O/U’s aren’t bookie-approved — they’re just some debates we’ve been having this spring as we eagerly await baseball games that count. Still, the answers could tell us a lot about how the upcoming season will play

7:00 AM ET MESA, Ariz. — What’s different about spring training for players compared to the regular season? How about everything. It starts with being in the same place for six weeks, getting up daily before dawn and then playing half of a game before heading to the pool or golf course. None of that

7:00 AM ET Kiley McDanielESPN Close ESPN MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel covers MLB prospects, the MLB Draft and more, including trades and free agency. Has worked for three MLB teams. Co-author of Author of ‘Future Value’ This is my first stab at a top 100 prospects list for Major League Baseball at ESPN after doing

12:47 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” This relatively calm moment, between the cacophony that accompanied the Houston Astros‘ arrival at spring training and the impending clamor of the results of Major League Baseball’s investigation into the Boston Red

8:09 PM ET Associated Press GLENDALE, Ariz. — Corey Kluber faced major league hitters for the first time in 10 months — in a new uniform, no less — and said he didn’t feel any different. “Maybe a little bit beforehand,” the Texas Rangers right-hander said Sunday after throwing three innings against the Los Angeles

7:38 PM ET Associated Press MESA, Ariz. — Yu Darvish‘s spring training debut Saturday began exactly the way he predicted. First pitch, home run. Orlando Arcia connected right away, launching a drive over the fence in left-center field, prompting the Chicago Cubs right-hander to rapidly snap his glove open and closed, imploring the plate umpire

2:00 PM ET What Major League Baseball wants is for its product to move and flow in a way that attracts new generations of fans, many of whom now treat any hint of boredom with a touch of the next app, moving on to the next thing. This concern was the motivating factor behind the

4:10 PM ET With great risk comes great reward in baseball, whether played on actual diamonds or the ones found in digital fantasy leagues. It’s not a monumental challenge to assemble an 81-win team in Major League Baseball or finish fifth in your 12-team fantasy league. But who wants to be an also-ran? At some

11:13 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” For baseball players taking advantage of a new drug policy in which marijuana use is permissible, the commissioner has a warning: Just don’t show up to the ballpark high. Even though Major