MLB

10:40 PM ET MESA, Ariz. — Shohei Ohtani featured an upper-90s fastball and a wipeout splitter in his spring pitching debut Friday, a 41-pitch outing that seemed to validate the Los Angeles Angels‘ hopes that he can contribute as a two-way player this season. Ohtani, pitching two days after unleashing a 486-foot home run to

5:55 PM ET Associated Press California officials will allow people to attend Major League Baseball games and other sporting events, go to Disneyland and watch live performances in limited capacities starting April 1. The rules announced Friday coincide with baseball’s Opening Day. The San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics all have home

5:55 PM ET Associated Press California officials will allow people to attend Major League Baseball games and other sporting events, go to Disneyland and watch live performances in limited capacities starting April 1. The rules announced Friday coincide with baseball’s opening day. The San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics all have home

4:15 PM ET Free agent pitcher Sam Dyson has accepted a suspension for the entire 2021 season for violating MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy, the league announced Friday. “Having reviewed all of the available evidence, I have concluded that Mr. Dyson violated our policy and that discipline is appropriate,” commissioner

12:22 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he’s feeling better after getting a pacemaker and said he hopes to return to the team Saturday or Sunday. Boone said he would have been back with the Yankees on Friday if not for coronavirus protocols. “I think I’m ready

11:56 AM ET Associated Press New York Mets president Sandy Alderson says he is emphasizing offense over defense, but Kevin Pillar and Albert Almora Jr. were brought in to help with their gloves. “While some of our players aren’t defensive geniuses, we think that the overall blend that we have is pretty good,” Alderson said

11:10 AM ET The Houston Astros are without eight pitchers at their spring training camp after they were sent home due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols, manager Dusty Baker said Friday. General manager James Click would not say if any players had tested positive, but Baker said pitchers Bryan Abreu, Luis Garcia, Ronel Blanco,

7:00 AM ET THE LOS ANGELES DODGERS spent $100 million to renovate Dodger Stadium ahead of the 2020 season, an ambitious undertaking that modified most of the infrastructure in an effort to modernize baseball’s third-oldest ballpark. “Irony of ironies,” Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said. “After all these years of being the most beautiful

7:00 AM ET In last week’s early 2021 MLB draft rankings, Vanderbilt right-handers Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker were second and third, respectively, on the list — and the top two pitching prospects on our board. I had a chance to see the two pitch back-to-back in both ends of a doubleheader on Sunday in

7:31 PM ET Associated Press GOODYEAR, Ariz. — – Cincinnati Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama returned to spring training after a week away to be with his wife, who was seriously injured when a tree fell on her in a park in Ohio. Akaya Akiyama was hospitalized after being injured by the tree last week while

6:16 PM ET Associated Press NORTH PORT. Fla. — Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried won’t make his first scheduled start of spring training because of a potential exposure to someone with COVID-19. Braves manager Brian Snitker said Thursday that Fried hasn’t tested positive for the virus, but the team is taking no chances. The left-hander

4:29 PM ET Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Thursday he was “absolutely not aware” of any sexual harassment allegations against Mickey Callaway during their time together with the Cleveland Indians organization. Atkins, who was the Indians executive who oversaw Callaway’s hiring by Cleveland in 2010, said the team failed by not creating

11:43 AM ET Five of 789 professional athletes infected with COVID-19 were later found to have suffered inflammatory heart disease in the largest study to date on the cardiac impact of the virus in sports. In data published Thursday in JAMA Cardiology, doctors affiliated with six U.S.-based leagues followed the 789 infected players last year

6:00 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Major League Baseball will hold a sportwide Lou Gehrig Day starting this season, honoring the Hall of Fame New York Yankees first baseman whose grace and courage fighting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis inspired

7:00 AM ET New York Mets fans, riding the wave of new owner Steve Cohen’s money and enthusiasm, began the offseason hoping to end up with at least two players — and dreaming on three — from the group of Francisco Lindor, Trevor Bauer, J.T. Realmuto, George Springer and DJ LeMahieu. The Mets landed only

6:07 AM ET Center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. plans to sign a two-year, $24 million deal with the Milwaukee Brewers that includes an opt-out after the first year, a source familiar with the contract told ESPN. Bradley spent all eight of his seasons with the Boston Red Sox, joining the organization in 2011 when he

2:30 PM ET ESPN News Services New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone is taking an immediate medical leave of absence to have surgery to get a pacemaker, the team announced Wednesday. Boone, 47, who had open-heart surgery in 2009, said in a statement that he’s had mild symptoms of lightheadedness, low energy and shortness of

3:09 PM ET Associated Press SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — – Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Tim Locastro has tested positive for COVID-19. Manager Torey Lovullo said on Wednesday that Locastro tested positive on Tuesday night and would be out for 10 days unless there had been a false positive. Lovullo added that Locastro feels good and currently has