CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have banned indefinitely from Wrigley Field the fan that used what appeared to be a racist hand gesture behind an African American television reporter during a game at their ballpark.The Cubs sent a letter Wednesday to the bearded man who flashed the offensive sign in back of former Cubs outfielder Doug Glanville, who was working for NBC Sports Chicago on Tuesday night. The team said it had been unable to contact the fan by phone, and didn't publicly identify him.President of Business Operations Crane Kenney said the fan could be prosecuted for criminal trespass if he tries to enter the stadium."The individual responsible will not be welcome back at Wrigley Field," Cubs spokesman Julian Green said.Green said the man purchased his ticket on StubHub. Another fan reported his gesture to the team by text during the game against the Miami Marlins — by the time security arrived, the man was gone.Glanville, who played three seasons for the Cubs, was standing beside... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs vowed Wednesday to indefinitely ban the fan who used what appeared to be a racist hand gesture behind an African American television reporter who was on the air."The individual responsible will not be welcome back at Wrigley Field," Cubs spokesman Julian Green said.The Cubs were still working to identify the fan following the incident Tuesday while the Cubs were facing the Miami Marlins. Green said the team had figured out the fan's seat location but he was not the season ticket holder and when security responded, the fan was no longer there.Doug Glanville of NBC Sports Chicago, a former major league outfielder who played three seasons for the Cubs, was standing beside a dugout discussing the Cubs' surging offense when the bearded fan seated in the background started gesturing.Wearing a gray Cubs sweatshirt and blue pants, he made an upside-down "OK" sign near Glanville's head during the broadcast. The gesture associated with the juvenile "circle game," where... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Major League Baseball is investigating racist messages sent to Chicago Cubs reliever Carl Edwards Jr. on Instagram this month.Edwards was optioned to Triple-A Iowa after he had trouble with his motion and got off to a tough start this season. Lee Long, Edwards' agent, said the messages came from a couple different people."I've known CJ for a long time and while he has mentioned being upset at social-media attacks in the past, the recent incidents are completely beyond normal fan frustration," Long said Tuesday in a statement. "No player should be expected to bear such personal attacks especially based on the color of their skin."Theo Epstein, the president of baseball operations for the Cubs, condemned the content of the messages and said the club supports MLB's investigation, which was first reported by The Athletic."In a sport that celebrates diversity and unites people from all backgrounds, we are appalled anyone claiming to be a fan would send divisive and bigoted insults... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Major League Baseball is investigating racist messages sent to Chicago Cubs reliever Carl Edwards Jr. on Instagram this month.Edwards was optioned to Triple-A Iowa after he had trouble with his motion and got off to a tough start this season. Lee Long, Edwards' agent, said the messages came from a couple different people."I've known CJ for a long time and while he has mentioned being upset at social-media attacks in the past, the recent incidents are completely beyond normal fan frustration," Long said Tuesday in a statement. "No player should be expected to bear such personal attacks especially based on the color of their skin."Theo Epstein, the president of baseball operations for the Cubs, condemned the content of the messages and said the club supports Major League Baseball's investigation, which was first reported by The Athletic."In a sport that celebrates diversity and unites people from all backgrounds, we are appalled anyone claiming to be a fan would send divisive... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Major League Baseball is investigating racist messages sent to Chicago Cubs reliever Carl Edwards Jr. on Instagram this month.Theo Epstein, the president of baseball operations for the Cubs, calls the language "reprehensible" and says it "cannot be tolerated in our game or society."Lee Long, Edwards' agent, says the racist messages came from a couple different people. He says no player "should be expected to bear such personal attacks especially based on the color of their skin." Edwards is African American.The Athletic first reported the investigation.Edwards was optioned to Triple-A Iowa after he had trouble with his motion and got off to a tough start this season. The 27-year-old right-hander went 3-2 with a career-low 2.60 ERA in 58 games last year.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — Major League Baseball is investigating a racist message sent to Chicago Cubs reliever Carl Edwards Jr. on social media this month.Theo Epstein, the president of baseball operations for the Cubs, calls the language "reprehensible" and says it "cannot be tolerated in our game or society." He says the team supports Major League Baseball's effort "to identify the person responsible." The Athletic first reported the investigation.Edwards was optioned to Triple-A Iowa after he had trouble with his motion and got off to a tough start this season. The 27-year-old right-hander went 3-2 with a career-low 2.60 ERA in 58 games last year.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Looking to end an early season funk, the Chicago Cubs shook up their struggling bullpen Saturday by demoting right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. to Triple-A and placing left-hander Mike Montgomery on the 10-day injured list.The Cubs called up relievers Allen Webster and Kyle Ryan from Triple-A Iowa. Chicago has dropped six straight since winning on opening day, and its bullpen entered Saturday with an 8.54 ERA.Edwards has a 32.40 ERA in four appearances this season. Eight of the 13 batters he's faced have reached safely, and three of them homered. That includes a two-run shot by Milwaukee's Orlando Arcia in the Brewers' 13-10 win Friday night.Manager Joe Maddon wants Edwards to clear his head in Iowa for a bit. The lanky righty had a 2.60 ERA in 58 appearances last season, and Maddon expects he'll be back at some point."We all know he wants to throw strikes," Maddon said. "It's more about developing his routine. ... What do you do when things go badly? That's what he needs."Montgomery... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Looking to end an early season funk, the Chicago Cubs have shaken up their struggling bullpen by demoting right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. to Triple-A and placing left-hander Mike Montgomery on the 10-day injured list.The Cubs called up relievers Allen Webster and Kyle Ryan from Triple-A Iowa in corresponding moves announced Saturday. Chicago has dropped six straight since winning on opening day, and its bullpen entered Saturday with an 8.54 ERA.Edwards has an ERA of 32.40 in four appearances this season. Eight of the 13 batters he's faced have reached safely, and three of them homered. That includes a two-run shot by Milwaukee's Orlando Arcia in the Brewers' 13-10 win Friday night.Montgomery hadn't fared much better, posting a 16.88 ERA in four appearances. He missed most of spring training because of shoulder soreness and was diagnosed with a strained left lat Saturday.Chicago also designated right-hander Jen-Ho Tseng for assignment to clear space for Webster on the 40-man roster.Webster, 29, had 1.50 ERA over 12 innings this spring. Ryan, 27, posted a 3.09 ERA in Cactus League play.Both were in Milwaukee on Saturday and available to pitch in Game 2 of the Cubs' series against the Brewers.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryce Harper homered deep into the second deck in right-center field for his first hit with Philadelphia and celebrated with an emphatic curtain call, highlighting the Phillies' 8-6 win over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.Hitless over five at-bats this season after signing a $330 million, 13-year deal, Harper crushed Jesse Biddle's fastball 465 feet with two outs in the seventh. Fans gave Harper a standing ovation and chanted "MVP! MVP!"After getting high fives in the dugout, Harper climbed out for a curtain call, throwing both fists in the air and shouting "Let's go!"Maikel Franco and J.T. Realmuto also went deep for Philadelphia. The game was tied at 4 in the fifth when Realmuto lined a two-run drive off Wes Parsons (0-1).Adam Morgan (1-0) faced one batter in the fifth inning.Dansby Swanson and Charlie Culberson homered, and Freddie Freeman had four hits and drove in two for the Braves.BREWERS 4, CARDINALS 2MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich became the first MVP to... [More]

Mike Trout is about to cash in.Big time.Trout and the Los Angeles Angels are close to finalizing a $432 million, 12-year contract that would shatter the record for the largest deal in North American sports history, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.The deal was disclosed Tuesday by a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been finalized. The contract was likely to be announced by the end of this week, the person said.Hours later, news broke that Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros have agreed on a $100 million, six-year deal that keeps the All-Star third baseman under contract with the team through 2024, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation.Trout would set a baseball record for career earnings at about $513 million, surpassing the roughly $448 million Alex Rodriguez took in with Seattle, Texas and the New York Yankees from 1994-2017.Trout's latest deal would... [More]

Mike Trout is about to cash in.Big time.Trout and the Los Angeles Angels are close to finalizing a $432 million, 12-year contract that would shatter the record for the largest deal in North American sports history, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.The deal was disclosed Tuesday by a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been finalized. The contract was likely to be announced by the end of this week, the person said.Trout would set a baseball record for career earnings at about $513 million, surpassing the roughly $448 million Alex Rodriguez took in with Seattle, Texas and the New York Yankees from 1994-2017.Trout's latest deal would top the new $330 million, 12-year contract between Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies, and Trout's $36 million average annual value would surpass pitcher Zack Greinke's $34.4 million in a six-year deal with Arizona that started in 2016. The contract... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — The Chicago Cubs received good news on closer Brandon Morrow and reliever Pedro Strop, who have both been slowed this spring by injuries.Morrow threw 20 pitches in a bullpen session Monday, his first time off the mound this spring. He was limited to 35 games last season with the Cubs and did not pitch past July 15. He underwent a debridement on his right elbow in November. Morrow was expected to miss the first month of the season."It's a big step to get back up and off the slope," Morrow said Tuesday. "To take that step, everything was good. There's nothing to report other than I felt great. It was just like a normal bullpen. I felt in rhythm mechanically after a few pitches. It was all good."Strop, who was projected to fill in as closer for Morrow, has been sidelined this spring because of a mild right hamstring strain. He threw a bullpen Tuesday for the first time since he was injured."There's a chance he may be ready (for the season opener)," Cubs manager Joe Maddon... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Cubs manager Joe Maddon has a lot of experience cobbling together bullpens from pitchers without defined roles.Until closer Brandon Morrow is mended and ready, Maddon will once again be faced with a juggling act of sorts in the late innings.Maddon said Sunday the Cubs bullpen is a "fluid" situation. While that's not ideal, it's nothing new for the three-time manager of the year. He's not so big on in-game guidelines, anyway."I think primarily the focus will be who's rested, who hasn't pitched a couple days in a row," Maddon said. "And work it that way until Brandon becomes available. And when he becomes available, it's still not going to be an everyday kind of thing. So, I will work off numbers, but I think with this particular group, a lot of it will have to do with who's most rested."Morrow had right elbow surgery in November after being shut down in mid-July, and he's unlikely to be ready for opening day. Without him, Chicago still had the NL's top bullpen last year,... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Suspended shortstop Addison Russell and the Chicago Cubs agreed Friday to a $3.4 million, one-year contract, a relatively small $200,000 raise for a player whose relationship with the team appeared strained after a domestic violence suspension.Russell accepted a 40-game suspension last October for violating baseball's domestic violence policy following allegations made by his ex-wife. He missed the final 11 regular-season games plus the wild-card playoff loss and will be eligible to return May 3, barring postponements.Russell will lose pay during the suspension. He can earn an additional $600,000 in roster bonuses based on days on the active roster: $100,000 each for 30, 60, 90 and 120, and $200,000 for 150.Kris Bryant agreed to a $12.9 million, one-year deal, a raise from $10.85 million. Also agreeing to one-year deals were Javier Baez ($5.2 million), Kyle Schwarber ($3.39 million) and pitchers Kyle Hendricks ($7.405 million), Carl Edwards Jr. ($1.5 million) and Mike Montgomery... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Suspended shortstop Addison Russell and the Chicago Cubs agreed Friday to a $3.4 million, one-year contract, a relatively small $200,000 raise for a player whose relationship with the team appeared strained after a domestic violence suspension.Russell accepted a 40-game suspension last October for violating baseball's domestic violence policy following allegations made by his ex-wife. He missed the final 11 regular-season games plus the wild-card playoff loss and will be eligible to return May 3, barring postponements.Russell will lose pay during the suspension. He can earn an additional $600,000 in roster bonuses if he is on the active roster for up to 150 days.Kris Bryant agreed to a $12.9 million, one-year deal, a raise from $10.85 million. Also agreeing to one-year deals were Javier Baez ($5.2 million), Kyle Schwarber ($3.39 million) and pitchers Kyle Hendricks ($7.405 million), Carl Edwards Jr. ($1.5 million) and Mike Montgomery ($2.44 million).The Cubs won 95 games... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Suspended shortstop Addison Russell and the Chicago Cubs have agreed to a $3.4 million, one-year contract, a relatively small $200,000 raise for a player whose relationship with the team appeared strained after a domestic violence suspension.Russell accepted a 40-game suspension last October for violating baseball's domestic violence policy following allegations made by his ex-wife. He missed the final 11 regular-season games plus the wild-card playoff loss and will be eligible to return May 3, barring postponements.Russell will lose pay during the suspension. He can earn an additional $600,000 in roster bonuses if he is on the active roster for up to 150 days.Kris Bryant agreed to a $12.9 million, one-year deal, a raise from $10.85 million. Also agreeing to one-year deals were Javier Baez ($5.2 million), Kyle Schwarber ($3.39 million) and pitchers Kyle Hendricks ($7.405 million), Carl Edwards Jr. ($1.5 million) and Mike Montgomery ($2.44 million).___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — Suspended shortstop Addison Russell and the Chicago Cubs have agreed to a $3.4 million, one-year contract, a relatively small $200,000 raise for a player whose relationship with the team appeared strained after a domestic violence suspension.Russell accepted a 40-game suspension last October for violating baseball's domestic violence policy following allegations made by his ex-wife. He missed the final 11 regular-season games plus the wild-card playoff loss and will be eligible to return May 3, barring postponements.Russell will lose pay during the suspension. He can earn an additional $600,000 in roster bonuses if he is on the active roster for up to 150 days.Kris Bryant agreed to a $12.9 million, one-year deal, a raise from $10.85 million. Also agreeing to one-year deals were Javier Baez ($5.2 million), Kyle Schwarber ($3.39 million) and pitchers Kyle Hendricks ($7.405 million), Carl Edwards Jr. ($1.5 million) and Mike Montgomery ($2.44 million).___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) — Cincinnati outfielder Scott Schebler and Texas pitcher Matt Bush just missed the cutoff for salary arbitration eligibility, while Chicago Cubs pitcher Carl Edwards Jr. and Toronto pitcher Joe Biagini earned the final spots.The Major League Baseball Players Association said Thursday the cutoff for eligibility this winter is 2 years, 134 days of major league service, up from 2 years, 123 days last year. The top 22 percent of players by service time with at least two years but less than three are eligible for arbitration as long as they had at least 86 days this year. They join the older group of 3- to 6-year players.Players and teams are scheduled to exchange proposed salaries on Jan. 11, and hearings for those lacking agreements will be scheduled for Jan. 28 to Feb. 15 in St. Petersburg, Florida.Twenty-five players are eligible as so-called super-2s. New York Yankees pitcher Luis Severino tops the list of service time at 2 years, 170 days, and the group also includes... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs left struggling reliever Carl Edwards Jr. off their roster for Tuesday night's NL wild-card game against the Colorado Rockies.Edwards had a 5.14 ERA in 11 September appearances. He walked 12 in seven innings.Manager Joe Maddon said Edwards also is dealing with a forearm strain."We wanted to be very careful right now, and we thought if we did not push him right now, he would be available for the next series," Maddon said.The Rockies had three catchers on their roster for the single-elimination game: Chris Iannetta, Drew Butera and Tony Wolters. They opted for 10 pitchers, including former Cubs closer Wade Davis, and 15 position players."Some other clubs might have a few more tough decisions based on the, maybe some of the experience and tenure of their roster, but in our case, it was pretty straightforward," Rockies manager Bud Black said.Reliever Pedro Strop, who has been out since Sept. 13 because of a hamstring injury, is one of 11 pitchers on Chicago's... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have left struggling reliever Carl Edwards Jr. off their roster for their NL wild-card game against the Colorado Rockies.Edwards had a 5.14 ERA in 11 September appearances. He walked 12 in seven innings.The Rockies had three catchers on their roster for the single-elimination game: Chris Iannetta, Drew Butera and Tony Wolters. They opted for 10 pitchers, including former Cubs closer Wade Davis, and 15 position players.Reliever Pedro Strop, who has been out since Sept. 13 because of a hamstring injury, is one of 11 pitchers on Chicago's roster for Tuesday night's game at Wrigley Field. Speedy outfielder Terrence Gore also is active.Chicago and Colorado each dropped tiebreaker games for their respective division titles on Monday. The Cubs lost 3-1 to Milwaukee, and the Rockies fell 5-2 to the Los Angeles Dodgers.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports