Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow (elbow) threw off a mound on Friday while in Texas during an already scheduled visit with the doctors regarding his elbow. The 27-year-old has been sidelined since mid-June with a flexor strain and a partial tear of his UCL. Glasnow was electric before landing on the injured list, posting a (5-2) record along with a 2.66 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and a 123:27 K: BB across 88 innings in 2021. Fantasy managers should continue to stash Glasnow if they can as he continues to progress from his elbow injury.

A look at what’s happening around the majors today: START IT UP The second half begins with one game when Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers and the AL East-leading Red Sox visit Yankee Stadium. Left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez (6-5, 5.52 ERA) starts for Boston, which holds a 1 1/2-game edge over Tampa Bay. New York and Toronto are eight games behind the Red Sox. J.D. Martinez and the Red Sox have wrecked the Yankees lately, going 6-0 against their longtime rivals this season and outscoring them 36-17 in those matchups. The Yankees, who haven’t announced their rotation for this three-game series, face Boston eight times in their first 10 games coming out of the All-Star break. The stretch could decide whether New York is a buyer or seller heading into the July 30 trade deadline. TRADE WINDS The clock is ticking -- two weeks for contenders to make deals before the deadline. Need some home runs? Nelson Cruz keeps connecting at age 41, hitting 18 this year while batting .304 for Minnesota. The Target... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Across the globe, everybody is watching Shohei Ohtani in awe and intrigue. Major League Baseball can only love the attention from around the world surrounding the Angels' two-way star and the spotlight he's brought to the sport. Can Ohtani keep this up? An encore to a sensational first half? He leads the majors with 33 home runs and has shown no signs of slowing down or slumping — and should soon have a healthy Mike Trout back in the lineup with him. Pitchers across the big leagues are doing their part so far, too. There have already been seven no-hitters in the majors this season, matching the mark for most in one year during the modern era. The record of eight was set in 1884, the first season overhand pitching was allowed. Will Jacob deGrom, Walker Buehler and Gerrit Cole join the list soon? And will the uproar over sticky substances tamp down? Manager Torey Lovullo and the Arizona Diamondbacks are eager for a fresh start, determined to forget that record 24-game... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors on Thursday: START IT UP The second half begins with one game when Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers and the AL East-leading Red Sox visit Yankee Stadium. Left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez (6-5, 5.52 ERA) starts for Boston, which holds a 1 1/2-game edge over Tampa Bay. New York and Toronto are eight games behind the Red Sox. J.D. Martinez and the Red Sox have wrecked the Yankees lately, going 6-0 against their longtime rivals this season and outscoring them 36-17 in those matchups. The Yankees, who haven’t announced their rotation for this three-game series, face Boston eight times in their first 10 games coming out of the All-Star break. The stretch could decide whether New York is a buyer or seller heading into the July 30 trade deadline. TRADE WINDS The clock is ticking -- two weeks for contenders to make deals before the deadline. Need some home runs? Nelson Cruz keeps connecting at age 41, hitting 18 this year while batting .304 for Minnesota.... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Across the globe, everybody is watching Shohei Ohtani in awe and intrigue. Major League Baseball can only love the attention from around the world surrounding the Angels' two-way star and the spotlight he's brought to the sport. Can Ohtani keep this up? An encore to a sensational first half? He leads the majors with 33 home runs and has shown no signs of slowing down or slumping — and should soon have a healthy Mike Trout back in the lineup with him. Pitchers across the big leagues are doing their part so far, too. There have already been seven no-hitters in the majors this season, matching the mark for most in one year during the modern era. The record of eight was set in 1884, the first season overhand pitching was allowed. Will Jacob deGrom, Walker Buehler and Gerrit Cole join the list soon? And will the uproar over sticky substances tamp down? Manager Torey Lovullo and the Arizona Diamondbacks are eager for a fresh start, determined to forget that record 24-game... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Across the globe, everybody is watching Shohei Ohtani in awe and intrigue. Major League Baseball can only love the attention from around the world surrounding the Angels' two-way star and the spotlight he's brought to the sport. Can Ohtani keep this up? An encore to a sensational first half? He leads the majors with 33 home runs and has shown no signs of slowing down or slumping — and should soon have a healthy Mike Trout back in the lineup with him. Pitchers across the big leagues are doing their part so far, too. There have already been seven no-hitters in the majors this season, matching the mark for most in one year during the modern era. The record of eight was set in 1884, the first season overhand pitching was allowed. Will Jacob deGrom, Walker Buehler and Gerrit Cole join the list soon? And will the uproar over sticky substances tamp down? Manager Torey Lovullo and the Arizona Diamondbacks are eager for a fresh start, determined to forget that record 24-game... [More]

Ever since Terry Francona took over as manager, the Cleveland Indians have been playoff contenders. This year has been no different, so far — even after the Indians traded their star shortstop. Cleveland sent Francisco Lindor to the New York Mets during the offseason, yet as of Monday morning, the Indians (41-33) have actually been a half-game better than the Mets (40-33) on the year. Cleveland isn't in first place like Lindor's new team, but the Indians are just 2 1/2 games behind the AL Central-leading White Sox. Shane Bieber leads the American League in strikeouts, showing that last season's Cy Young Award wasn't some two-month fluke. Aaron Civale leads the league with 10 wins, and José Ramirez has 16 home runs. The question now is whether the Indians can stay close to the White Sox despite mounting injuries. Bieber, Civale and right-hander Zach Plesac are on the injured list, and in Sunday's game, outfielder Josh Naylor was taken off on a stretcher after a collision with second baseman... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole hardly expects a smooth transition when Major League Baseball ups its efforts against sticky substances. Then again, the Yankees ace — like many around the game — isn't entirely sure what's going to happen. “I don’t have a lot of expectations, to be honest,” Cole said. “I think I’m in the same boat as everyone else, just waiting for this to play out.” Beginning Monday, pitchers will be ejected and suspended for 10 games if caught using foreign substances to doctor baseballs. Such grip aids — ranging from a tacky mix of rosin and sunscreen to heavy duty concoctions designed for use in strongman competitions — have long been illegal, but the ban has rarely been enforced. That changes this week. Major and minor league umpires will make regular checks of all pitchers, even if opposing managers don't request inspections — a shift ordered by the commissioner's office and shared with teams via memo on Tuesday. Umpires will check all starters multiple times and all relievers... [More]

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — His spin rate down, Yankees ace Gerrit Cole said he had difficulty gripping baseballs on a windy night as he beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2. Cole’s fastball spin rate averaged 2,342 revolutions per minute Wednesday, according to the MLB Statcast, down from 2,496 on June 9; 2,439 on June 3; 2,529 on May 28 and 2,544 on May 22. His curveball averaged 2,695, down from 2,838 on June 9; 2,763 on June 3; 2,807 on May 28 and 2,825 on May 22. Major League Baseball started talking June 3 of a crackdown on use of illegal foreign substances to doctor baseballs and told teams on Tuesday that pitchers will be ejected and suspended for 10 games for violations starting Monday. “It’s so hard to grip the ball,” Cole said. “I mean, for Pete’s sake, it’s part of the reason why almost every player on the field has something, regardless if they’re a pitcher or not, to help them help control the ball. I don’t have a solution, but again, we are aligned in a lot of areas with the commissioner’s... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — First baseman Mike Ford was traded by the New York Yankees to the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday for $100,000 and a player to be named. Ford was designated for assignment Saturday when reliever Zack Britton was activated from the injured list. The money in the trade is payable July 1. Ford, who turns 29 on July 4, had a strong rookie season with the Yankees in 2019, hitting .259 with 12 homers and 25 RBIs in 143 at-bats over 50 games. But he slumped to a .135 average with two homers and 11 RBIs in 74 at-bats during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. With first base time available this year because of Luke Voit's injuries, Ford batted .133 with three homers and five RBIs in 60 at-bats. A rare left-handed hitter on the current Yankees, Ford had a .199 average with 17 homers and 41 RBIs in parts of three major league seasons. Ford hit .083 (2 for 24) with one RBI in seven games this season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He was optioned to Triple-A Durham by the Rays. Tampa Bay activated right-hander Collin McHugh from the COVID-19 related injured list, transferred right-hander Tyler Glasnow (sprained right elbow) to the 60-day injured list and optioned right-hander Chris Mazza to Durham. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — His spin rate down, Yankees ace Gerrit Cole said he had difficulty gripping baseballs on a windy night as he beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2. Cole’s fastball spin rate averaged 2,342 revolutions per minute Wednesday, according to the MLB Statcast, down from 2,496 on June 9; 2,439 on June 3; 2,529 on May 28 and 2,544 on May 22. His curveball averaged 2,695, down from 2,838 on June 9; 2,763 on June 3; 2,807 on May 28 and 2,825 on May 22. Major League Baseball started talking June 3 of a crackdown on use of illegal foreign substances to doctor baseballs and told teams on Tuesday that pitchers will be ejected and suspended for 10 games for violations starting Monday. “It’s so hard to grip the ball,” Cole said. “I mean, for Pete’s sake, it’s part of the reason why almost every player on the field has something, regardless if they’re a pitcher or not, to help them help control the ball. I don’t have a solution, but again, we are aligned in a lot of areas with the commissioner’s... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Veteran Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Rich Hill says the players' union “dropped the ball” when it came to this week’s announcement from Major League Baseball about grip-enhancing substances. MLB said pitchers will be ejected and suspended for 10 games starting Monday for using illegal foreign substances to doctor baseballs. “I think this falls on the PA, the players' association," the 41-year old Hill said before Wednesday’s game at the Chicago White Sox. “I think that this is where something should have been done. The players' association had the opportunity to work with MLB, and MLB used their strong hand to put it on the players, and that's unfortunate that this is what happened.’’ Hill said it’s a little disheartening that the action was taken without the OK of the players or the union. "I feel like they should have come together and settled this, and handled it like professionals,” Hill added. “I feel like a rule change in the middle of the season is very difficult for everybody... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Pitchers will be ejected and suspended for 10 games for using illegal foreign substances to doctor baseballs in a crackdown by Major League Baseball that will start Monday. The commissioner’s office, responding to record strikeouts and a league batting average at a more than half-century low, said Tuesday that major and minor league umpires will start regular checks of all pitchers, even if opposing managers don’t request inspections. While suspensions would be with pay, repeat offenders would receive progressive discipline, and teams and club employees would be subject to discipline for failure to comply. “After an extensive process of repeated warnings without effect, gathering information from current and former players and others across the sport, two months of comprehensive data collection, listening to our fans and thoughtful deliberation, I have determined that new enforcement of foreign substances is needed to level the playing field," baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors today: ___ ENDLESS ROAD The beleaguered Arizona Diamondbacks have dropped 21 straight on the road, one short of the major league record. Arizona can match a dubious mark shared by the 1963 New York Mets and 1943 Philadelphia Athletics when it plays the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Merrill Kelly (2-6, 5.14 ERA) pitches for the Diamondbacks against Anthony DeSclafani (6-2, 3.09), who tossed a two-hit shutout versus Washington last Friday. Arizona hasn’t won on the road since April 25 at Atlanta. “It wears you down,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “At some point we’re going to understand why we’re walking through this. I don’t want things to creep into the guys' heads about feeling sorry for themselves." The Diamondbacks blew a seven-run lead Tuesday night in San Francisco and lost 9-8 when Mike Yastrzemski hit a go-ahead grand slam with two outs in the eighth inning. They've dropped 12 in a row overall. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Orioles will... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors Wednesday: ___ GET A GRIP Now that Major League Baseball has detailed the coming crackdown on illegal substances, pitchers must get prepared to command their stuff without the same sort of tacky aides. The commissioner’s office announced that pitchers will be ejected and suspended 10 games for using illicit sticky stuff to better their grip on the baseball. Increased enforcement begins Monday. Responding to record strikeouts and a league batting average at a more than half-century low, MLB said Tuesday that major and minor league umpires will start regular checks of all pitchers, even if opposing managers don’t request inspections. While suspensions would be with pay, repeat offenders would receive progressive discipline, and teams and club employees would be subject to discipline for failure to comply. “After an extensive process of repeated warnings without effect, gathering information from current and former players and others across the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Pitchers will be ejected and suspended for 10 games for using illegal foreign substances to doctor baseballs in a crackdown by Major League Baseball that will start Monday. The commissioner’s office, responding to record strikeouts and a league batting average at a more than half-century low, said Tuesday that major and minor league umpires will start regular checks of all pitchers, even if opposing managers don’t request inspections. While suspensions would be with pay, repeat offenders would receive progressive discipline, and teams and club employees would be subject to discipline for failure to comply. “After an extensive process of repeated warnings without effect, gathering information from current and former players and others across the sport, two months of comprehensive data collection, listening to our fans and thoughtful deliberation, I have determined that new enforcement of foreign substances is needed to level the playing field," baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors Wednesday: ___ GET A GRIP Now that Major League Baseball has detailed the coming crackdown on illegal substances, pitchers must get prepared to command their stuff without the same sort of tacky aides. The commissioner’s office announced that pitchers will be ejected and suspended 10 games for using illicit sticky stuff to better their grip on the baseball. Increased enforcement begins Monday. Responding to record strikeouts and a league batting average at a more than half-century low, MLB said Tuesday that major and minor league umpires will start regular checks of all pitchers, even if opposing managers don’t request inspections. While suspensions would be with pay, repeat offenders would receive progressive discipline, and teams and club employees would be subject to discipline for failure to comply. “After an extensive process of repeated warnings without effect, gathering information from current and former players and others across the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Pitchers will be ejected and suspended for 10 games for using illegal foreign substances to doctor baseballs in a crackdown by Major League Baseball that will start Monday. The commissioner’s office, responding to record strikeouts and a league batting average at a more than half-century low, said Tuesday that major and minor league umpires will start regular checks of all pitchers, even if opposing managers don’t request inspections. While suspensions would be with pay, repeat offenders would receive progressive discipline, and teams and club employees would be subject to discipline for failure to comply. “After an extensive process of repeated warnings without effect, gathering information from current and former players and others across the sport, two months of comprehensive data collection, listening to our fans and thoughtful deliberation, I have determined that new enforcement of foreign substances is needed to level the playing field," baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Pitchers will be ejected and suspended for 10 games for using illegal foreign substances to doctor baseballs in a crackdown by Major League Baseball that will start Monday. The commissioner’s office, responding to record strikeouts and a league batting average at a more than half-century low, said Tuesday that major and minor league umpires will start regular checks of all pitchers, even if opposing managers don’t request inspections. While suspensions would be with pay, repeat offenders would receive progressive discipline, and teams and club employees would be subject to discipline for failure to comply. “After an extensive process of repeated warnings without effect, gathering information from current and former players and others across the sport, two months of comprehensive data collection, listening to our fans and thoughtful deliberation, I have determined that new enforcement of foreign substances is needed to level the playing field," baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays ace Tyler Glasnow has a partially torn elbow ligament, the team said Tuesday, putting in doubt his future for the rest of this season and beyond. An MRI showed Glasnow had a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament and also a flexor strain. The test was done after the right-hander exited Monday night's game in Chicago against the White Sox after four innings. Glasnow said he won't have surgery for now, and instead will try to strengthen the area. He plans to see another doctor on Friday. If Glasnow chose to undergo Tommy John surgery, that would sideline this season and could prevent him from pitching next year, too. The Rays, who reached the World Series last season and own the best record in the majors this year, put Glasnow on the 10-day injured list and recalled infielder Mike Brosseau from Triple-A Durham. Glasnow is 5-2 with a 2.66 ERA in 14 starts, tied for the most in the majors. The 27-year-old has struck out 123 in 88 innings. Though he is just 20-20... [More]