Play ball — and mask up, too.Protective face coverings won't be out of sight when Major League Baseball resumes in less than two weeks. Some players and coaches are planning to wear them on the field.MLB's safety protocols require masks in clubhouses to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and coaches and managers are required to wear them in dugouts, but they're optional on the field. Some are going to wear them during games as well.Among those encouraging masks: Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen.Jansen said he recently tested postive for COVID-19, causing him to report late to summer camp. He took part Sunday and said he’s “doing great and better now.”Jansen expects to be ready for the season opener on July 23, when San Francisco visits Dodger Stadium.New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier has been experimenting with various masks during intrasquad scrimmages. He says it's not only a matter of safety but setting an example during televised games.“We have a big platform,” Frazier... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen was late arriving to summer camp after he tested positive for COVID-19.The three-time All-Star closer said Sunday on a video conference call that he believes he contracted the virus from his 4-year-old son Kaden. He said the child had a fever, among other symptoms, which led his wife to suggest everyone in the family get tested.Jansen said his first test was negative, but a day later he tested positive. The couple has another son, Kyrian, who turns 2 in August. The family has been quarantining at their home in Los Angeles. Jansen's 7-year-old daughter, Natalia, lives with her mother and was not affected. Jansen said he's “doing great and better now.”“It is real,” he said of the pandemic. “Everyone in the world, take it serious. Wear your mask at all times, if you can. Because, trust me, it happens so fast. Once my son got it, I’ve seen how fast it can spread. We tried to do everything, but we all got it in the house.”Jansen said... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen was late arriving to summer camp after he tested positive for COVID-19.The three-time All-Star closer said Sunday on a video conference call that he believes he contracted the virus from his 4-year-old son Kaden. He said the child had a fever, among other symptoms, which led his wife to suggest everyone in the family get tested.Jansen said his wife, Gianni, and 7-year-old daughter Natalia tested positive, but that his first test was negative. A day later, he also tested positive. The couple has another son, Kyrian, who turns 2 in August. The family has been quarantining at their home in Los Angeles. Jansen said he's “doing great and better now.”“It is real,” he said of the global pandemic. “Everyone in the world, take it serious. Wear your mask at all times, if you can. Because, trust me, it happens so fast. Once my son got it, I’ve seen how fast it can spread. We tried to do everything, but we all got it in the house.”Jansen said... [More]

Play ball — and mask up, too.Protective face coverings won't be out of sight when Major League Baseball resumes in less than two weeks. Some players and coaches are planning to wear them on the field.MLB's safety protocols require masks in clubhouses to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and coaches and managers are required to wear them in dugouts, but they're optional on the field. Some are going to wear them during games as well.Among those encouraging masks: Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen.Jansen said he recently tested postive for COVID-19, causing him to report late to summer camp. He took part Sunday and said he’s “doing great and better now.”Jansen expects to be ready for the season opener on July 23, when San Francisco visits Dodger Stadium.New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier has been experimenting with various masks during intrasquad scrimmages. He says it's not only a matter of safety but setting an example during televised games.“We have a big platform,” Frazier... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was held out of action for a second straight day Sunday due to a stiff neck.The 2017 AL Rookie of the Year was scratched from a simulated game Saturday after waking up with a sore neck, and the right fielder was not included in either lineup for an intrasquad scrimmage Sunday.New York manager Aaron Boone said Judge got treatment at Yankee Stadium on Sunday and was improving.“Just thought it was better not to push through it today,” Boone said. The Yankees are set to open a pandemic-shortened season July 23 at Washington.New York is planning just a light workout Monday, and Judge will get more treatment with hopes of returning to intrasquad action Tuesday. “I don’t think it's something that’s going to keep him down too long," Boone said. The club is scheduled to play its first exhibition game against the New York Mets on Saturday.Judge was diagnosed with a broken rib in March and used the coronavirus hiatus to recover. He had been swinging at full... [More]

Play ball — and mask up, too.Protective face coverings won't be out of sight when Major League Baseball resumes in less than two weeks. Some players and coaches are planning to wear them on the field.MLB's safety protocols require masks in clubhouses to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and coaches and managers are required to wear them in dugouts, but they're optional on the field. Some are going to wear them during games as well.New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier has been experimenting with various masks during intrasquad scrimmages. He says it's not only a matter of safety but setting an example during televised games.“We have a big platform,” Frazier said.Safety is a concern, too. Teammates Aroldis Chapman, DJ LeMahieu and Luis Cessa are all sidelined due to the virus.Frazier won't be alone.“I’m masking up, too,” Atlanta third base coach Ron Washington said.At 68, Washington has seen fellow Braves coach Eric Young Sr. and Mets hitting coach Chili Davis opt out this season.“I know... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was held out of action for a second straight day Sunday due to a stiff neck.The 2017 AL Rookie of the Year was scratched from a simulated game Saturday after waking up with a sore neck, and the right fielder was not included in either lineup for an intrasquad scrimmage Sunday.New York manager Aaron Boone said Judge got treatment at Yankee Stadium on Sunday and was improving.“Just thought it was better not to push through it today,” Boone said. The Yankees are set to open a pandemic-shortened season July 23 at Washington.Judge was diagnosed with a broken rib in March and used the coronavirus hiatus to recover. He had been swinging at full strength for at least a couple of weeks before camp opened and had been a full-go in intrasquad action over the past week. The 6-foot-7 star has missed time each of the past two seasons. He broke his right wrist on a hit-by-pitch in 2018 and went on the injured list for two months last year with a left oblique... [More]

July 131896 — Philadelphia’s Ed Delahanty hit four home runs in a losing effort, a 9-8 loss to Chicago.1934 — Babe Ruth hit his 700th home run in a 4-2 victory over Tommy Bridges and the Detroit Tigers. Lou Gehrig left in the first with a severe case of lumbago, the most serious threat to his streak. He returned for one at bat the next day.1943 — The first night game in All-Star history, at Philadelphia’s Shibe Park, went to the AL, 5-3, despite a single, triple and home run by NL center fielder Vince DiMaggio of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The big blow was a three-run homer by Bobby Doerr of the Boston Red Sox, which gave the AL the lead for good.1945 — Chicago’s Pat Seerey hit three home runs, a triple and drove in eight runs to lead the White Sox in a 16-4 win over New York at Yankee Stadium.1954 — Pitcher Dean Stone did not retire a batter but received credit for the AL’s 11-9 All-Star victory at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium. Red Schoendienst tried to steal a run for the NL after Stone... [More]

July 131896 — Philadelphia’s Ed Delahanty hit four home runs in a losing effort, a 9-8 loss to Chicago.1934 — Babe Ruth hit his 700th home run in a 4-2 victory over Tommy Bridges and the Detroit Tigers. Lou Gehrig left in the first with a severe case of lumbago, the most serious threat to his streak. He returned for one at bat the next day.1943 — The first night game in All-Star history, at Philadelphia’s Shibe Park, went to the AL, 5-3, despite a single, triple and home run by NL center fielder Vince DiMaggio of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The big blow was a three-run homer by Bobby Doerr of the Boston Red Sox, which gave the AL the lead for good.1945 — Chicago’s Pat Seerey hit three home runs, a triple and drove in eight runs to lead the White Sox in a 16-4 win over New York at Yankee Stadium.1954 — Pitcher Dean Stone did not retire a batter but received credit for the AL’s 11-9 All-Star victory at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium. Red Schoendienst tried to steal a run for the NL after Stone... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman has tested positive for the coronavirus and is experiencing mild symptoms.New York manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Chapman “overall is doing well” but “will not be here for the foreseeable future.”The AL East champions are scheduled to start the virus-delayed season on July 23 at Washington.Hours after Chapman's diagnosis, Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was scratched from a simulated game with a stiff neck. The 2017 AL Rookie of the Year was set to bat second and play right field at Yankee Stadium but was taken out of the lineup shortly before first pitch.Judge declared himself “game ready” earlier this week after being diagnosed with a broken rib in March. The 6-foot-7 slugger used the coronavirus shutdown to get healthy and had been swinging at full strength for at least a couple of weeks before reporting for preseason camp last week.Boone said Judge's neck “locked up" but he doesn't expect it to be a long-term issue.“Hopefully he can... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman has tested positive for the coronavirus and is experiencing mild symptoms.New York manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Chapman “overall is doing well” but “will not be here for the foreseeable future.”The AL East champions are scheduled to start the virus-delayed season on July 23 at Washington.Hours after Chapman's diagnosis, Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was scratched from a simulated game with a stiff neck. The 2017 AL Rookie of the Year was set to bat second and play right field at Yankee Stadium but was taken out of the lineup shortly before first pitch.Judge declared himself “game ready” earlier this week after being diagnosed with a broken rib in March. The 6-foot-7 slugger used the coronavirus shutdown to get healthy and had been swinging at full strength for at least a couple of weeks before reporting for preseason camp last week.Chapman threw a bullpen session Tuesday, and Boone wouldn't comment on whether the left-hander had been... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman has tested positive for the coronavirus and is experiencing mild symptoms.New York manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Chapman “overall is doing well” but “will not be here for the foreseeable future.”The AL East champions are scheduled to start the virus-delayed season on July 23 at Washington.Chapman threw a bullpen session Tuesday, and Boone wouldn't comment on whether the left-hander had been at Yankee Stadium since. Boone said the team had done contact tracing, and no other players or personnel would be forced to isolate because of Chapman's positive test.“We’re following all protocols,” Boone said. "We have not had any other positive tests. We adhere to all the contact tracing things. We feel like we’ve handled it and are handling it. “Again, you know, this is something that even moving forward, a positive test is probably going to come our way. It's about doing all the things that hopefully as a whole keep us safe and healthy,” he... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman has tested positive for the coronavirus and is experiencing mild symptoms.New York manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Chapman “overall is doing well” but “will not be here for the foreseeable future.”The AL East champions are scheduled to start the virus-delayed season on July 23 at Washington.Chapman threw a bullpen session Tuesday, and Boone wouldn't comment on whether the left-hander had been at Yankee Stadium since. Boone said the team had done contact tracing, and no other players or personnel would be forced to isolate because of Chapman's positive test.“We’re following all protocols,” Boone said. "We have not had any other positive tests. We adhere to all the contact tracing things. We feel like we’ve handled it and are handling it. “Again, you know, this is something that even moving forward, a positive test is probably going to come our way. It's about doing all the things that hopefully as a whole keep us safe and healthy,” he... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Derek Shelton needs his freedom. Maybe now more than ever. Fortunately for the first-year Pittsburgh Pirates manager, bench coach Donnie Kelly made it a point to provide it.Each day Kelly puts together a meticulous schedule designed to find a way for separate groups of players to get their work in during the most unusual training camp in major league history. Shelton's name isn't on it. While Shelton jokes it's because Kelly doesn't want him to “screw anything up,” the truth is Shelton's omission is Kelly's way of doing his boss a favor.Rather than be tied to being in a certain place at a certain time, Shelton instead can float from spot to spot as he tries to play catch up on the kind of relationship building that was supposed to happen organically during the languid days of spring training.When Major League Baseball shut down for three-plus months in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it forced Shelton and his fellow rookie managers to get creative when it came... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Giants star catcher Buster Posey decided to opt out of the 2020 season Friday out of health concerns for his newly adopted twin baby girls during the coronavirus pandemic.The babies were born about eight weeks prematurely last Friday and Posey and his wife, Kristen, finalized the adoption on Thursday. Ada and Livvi are healthy but will need to spend time in neonatal intensive care and will have weakened immune systems for the next few months.“In the current state that we are right now and these babies being as fragile as they are for the next four months, at minimum, this ultimately wasn’t that difficult a decision for me,” Posey said. “From a baseball standpoint, it was a tough decision. From a family standpoint and feeling like I’m making a decision to protect our children, I think it was relatively easy.”Posey is one of the most prominent players to opt out of the season as a six-time All-Star, the 2012 NL MVP and a three-time World Series champion with San Francisco.... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Giants star catcher Buster Posey became the latest big-name player to skip this season because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, announcing his decision Friday.The six-time All-Star said his family finalized the adoption of identical twin girls this week. The babies were born prematurely and Posey said after consultations with his wife and doctor he decided to opt out of the season.Posey had missed three San Francisco practices while dealing with a personal issue.The 2012 NL MVP and three-time World Series champion joined Dodgers pitcher David Price, Washington first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, Colorado’s Ian Desmond, Arizona pitcher Mike Leake and other in deciding not to take part in the 60-game season this year.The 33-year-old Posey said it was difficult to miss an entire season but that this was the best decision for his family.“These babies, being as fragile as they are for the next four months minimum, this wasn’t ultimately that difficult a decision for me,” he said.Posey hit .455 in exhibition games this year before spring training was halted March 12 because of the virus outbreak.Major League Baseball is scheduled to start the season with July 23. There were two games set for opening day, including the Giants taking on Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw at Dodger Stadium.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The tools are there. They always have been from the moment Gregory Polanco crashed into the big leagues six years ago as a raw jangly mix of power and potential. The looping swing that can occasionally send baseballs to the banks of the Allegheny River that flows beyond the right-field stands at PNC Park. The long stride that makes it seem like he can get from first to second in a handful of steps. For six seasons the 28-year-old right fielder has tantalized, to the point where the Pirates signed him to a contract extension in 2016 that could be worth $35 million through 2023 if the club chooses to hold on to him.An “if” Polanco is well aware of. When the Pirates traded center fielder Starling Marte in January, it left Polanco as the last member of the group that led the Pirates to three straight playoff appearances from 2013-15. Polanco wants to be a part of the group that returns the club to contention. Yet he might be just as valuable as a trade chip for an organization... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — J.T. Realmuto isn’t worried about his contract situation. The All-Star catcher and the Philadelphia Phillies had preliminary discussions about a long-term deal before the coronavirus pandemic but talks between the two sides haven’t progressed since baseball returned last week.Realmuto is eligible for free agency after the season unless the Phillies sign him before he can test the market. He's expected to seek at least $20 million per season.Last week, Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said the pandemic has changed the landscape of baseball. Lost revenue could affect salaries around the league going forward.“It definitely concerns me, not necessarily for myself, but for the free agency class as a whole,” Realmuto said Thursday. “The top guys usually find a way to get their dollars. Teams are going to want them. Maybe it’s not 20 teams in on you, maybe five or 10. A lot of teams will be able to look at this as a time to take advantage and actually go for it instead... [More]

July 111914 — Babe Ruth made his major league debut for the Boston Red Sox and received credit for a 4-3 victory over Cleveland. He was removed for a pinch hitter in the seventh, and Duffy Lewis’ single led to the winning run.1944 — Phil Cavaretta set an All-Star game record by reaching base safely five straight times — triple, single, three walks — to lead the NL to a 7-1 victory over the AL at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.1950 — The All-Star game returned to Comiskey Park, the site of the first game, and was won by the NL 4-3 on Red Schoendienst’s 14th-inning home run off Ted Gray. It was the first extra-inning All-Star game, the first time the NL won at an AL park and the first All-Star game shown on network television.1961 — Despite a record seven errors and pitcher Stu Miller getting blown off the Candlestick Park mound by a gale wind, the NL edged the AL 5-4 in the first of two All-Star games played that year.1967 — Tony Perez’s home run off Catfish Hunter in the 15th inning gave the... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Giants first baseman Brandon Belt has been using a walking boot as he nurses a sore right heel that will keep him out at least a week. San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler said Belt will be re-evaluated in five to seven days but it's too soon to know whether the injury could affect his status for the season opener July 23 at Dodger Stadium. “I think making an assessment for the opening series against the Dodgers is probably a little bit premature as it relates to Brandon's heel,” Kapler said. “I talked to him today, he was feeling pretty good. We walked across the field and then up the stairs to the clubhouse together. He was feeling fairly confident. I think more than anything else it's probably smart to be patient and take a look at where he is in a couple of days.” The 32-year-old Belt has dealt with heel pain previously and aggravated it this time doing agility work in a ladder drill. He played in 156 games last year following two injury-plagued seasons and batted... [More]