MLB

7:00 AM ET MLB InsidersESPN Among all of the unknowns heading into the shortened 2020 campaign for Major League Baseball, one of the biggest is this: How much of an encore will even a 60-game season be on last season, the Year of the Home Run? With memories of 2019’s exploding scoreboards and record rates

7:00 AM ET Marly RiveraESPN Writer Close Marly Rivera is a writer for ESPNdeportes.com and ESPN.com. Freddie Freeman approached his minor league teammate Jason Heyward as they ran off the field after a game in 2008. Freeman had tears in his eyes. “Jay, did you hear the stuff people were saying to you?” he asked.

7:24 PM ET ESPN News Services Toronto Blue Jays infielder Travis Shaw apologized for recent tweets that criticized his team’s plan to have players stick to the Rogers Centre and connecting hotel if games are played in Canada. On Friday, he tweeted: “All summer isn’t gonna happen. Not an option.” During a video conference call

1:45 PM ET There is a beachhead of hope and a mountain of uncertainty among teams these days as they attempt to play baseball amid the surge of coronavirus infections around the country. After the sport’s first waves of testing results, just about everybody in the game has no more than one degree of separation

8:00 AM ET A small army of third basemen was on the move last winter. Anthony Rendon got the biggest deal ever doled out by Arte Moreno and signed with the Angels. Josh Donaldson signed with the Twins for $92 million. The Cubs made it known they were open to dealing Kris Bryant for the

2:50 PM ET New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman has tested positive for the coronavirus, manager Aaron Boone told reporters on Saturday. Chapman has mild symptoms, according to Boone. “[Zack Britton] naturally could fill the [closer] role,” Boone said. “Britt would be a natural guy [to close games] if Chappy is not able to go.”

4:36 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Yoenis Cespedes is sure he’ll be ready to start the pandemic-delayed season with the New York Mets. Out of the lineup for almost two years, the 34-year-old slugger said Saturday he finally is close to fully recovered from a string of injuries to his feet and legs.

8:00 AM ET Before we get to the ranking of baseball’s best shortstops, a story about an All-Star second baseman. A few years ago, the Houston Astros‘ staff encouraged batting champion Jose Altuve to be more patient at the plate. The staffers assured Altuve they weren’t asking him to hunt walks, but they believed if

7:00 AM ET Marly RiveraESPN Writer Close Marly Rivera is a writer for ESPNdeportes.com and ESPN.com. One thing that will be unmistakable for fans in the National League when games in the 2020 season get played: Pitchers won’t be hitting, thanks to the adoption of the universal DH for this campaign. Whether it’s just a

7:00 AM ET The day-to-day changes Major League Baseball players are dealing with might become routine in time, many players said after the first full week of workouts at summer camp. But the new normal amid the coronavirus pandemic has already had an effect on one aspect of the game that is part of the

8:00 AM ET If you’d like a peek into the future of catching once the electronic strike zone is implemented, just consider how quickly second base has changed since the rules against aggressive slides was adopted in 2016. Back then, one skill separated good second basemen from the bad ones — the ability to take

8:25 PM ET ESPN.com staff The 2020 MLB season is nearly here — four months later than originally planned. While this season will be reduced to 60 games, and there will be no fans in attendance at least initially, because of the shutdown forced by the coronavirus pandemic, teams are in camp preparing for Opening

9:00 AM ET The inaugural Most Valuable Player Award, bestowed by the American League in 1922, was won by a first baseman, George Sisler, who hit .420 for the St. Louis Browns. Nine years later, in 1931, the baseball writers jumped into the awards business, and since then, first basemen have been preeminent in the

7:00 AM ET Major League Baseball’s plan to play through a public health crisis is outlined in a handbook that encompasses more than 100 pages, every single one of which emphasizes the notion that professional baseball in 2020 will be unlike anything anybody has ever experienced. Players are advised to wear sandals in the shower

7:30 AM ET To find Bruce Maxwell‘s America, you first have to leave it, as he did, by crossing over into another country, into an exile both self-imposed and voluntary. It is to journey 165 miles southwest of the U.S. border at Laredo, Texas, into the Mexican city of Monclova, and look back at the

7:00 AM ET Despite a global pandemic and a contentious labor fight, Major League Baseball is, in fact, on track to return this year, in one form or another. But baseball’s reach is far greater than its highest level. Countless other people — in high schools and throughout college campuses, from youth teams and travel

8:00 AM ET Major League Baseball is scrambling to get the 2020 season off the ground, with considerable concerns about travel, safety and logistics during the coronavirus pandemic. Also hovering over the game is the question of how it will face a new sensibility about race in America. Being neutral is no longer an option.

10:17 PM ET Marly RiveraESPN Writer Close Marly Rivera is a writer for ESPNdeportes.com and ESPN.com. Gerrit Cole once again showed a glimpse of what New York Yankees fans can expect this season out of their $324 million ace. In his first intrasquad scrimmage Tuesday night, Cole threw five innings of one-hit ball, which required