MIAMI (AP) — Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. will have season-ending surgery to repair a completely torn ACL in his right knee after he was injured during Atlanta’s 5-4 win over the Miami Marlins on Saturday. An MRI showed the severity of the injury and the Braves made the announcement shortly before midnight that their three-time All-Star will be out until at least next year. Acuña landed awkwardly on his right leg after jumping on the warning track in right field to try to catch a drive from Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the fifth inning. The 23-year-old slammed into the outfield wall and crumbled on the warning track, immediately grabbing his right knee while Chisholm sprinted out an inside-the-park homer. The 23-year-old Acuña did not put any weight on his right leg and had to be helped to a cart before being taken from the field. Freddie Freeman had a two-run homer and an RBI single, while Dansby Swanson and Austin Riley ripped doubles as the first three Braves reached base off All-Star pitcher... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. will have season-ending surgery to repair a completely torn ACL in his right knee after he was injured during Atlanta’s 5-4 win over the Miami Marlins on Saturday. An MRI showed the severity of the injury and the Braves made the announcement shortly before midnight that their three-time All-Star will be out until at least next year. Acuña landed awkwardly on his right leg after jumping on the warning track in right field to try to catch a drive from Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the fifth inning. The 23-year-old slammed into the outfield wall and crumbled on the warning track, immediately grabbing his right knee while Chisholm sprinted out an inside-the-park homer. The 23-year-old Acuña did not put any weight on his right leg and had to be helped to a cart before being taken from the field. Freddie Freeman had a two-run homer and an RBI single, while Dansby Swanson and Austin Riley ripped doubles as the first three Braves reached base off All-Star pitcher... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates will lead off the Major League Baseball draft for the fifth time, and first since they took pitcher Gerrit Cole in 2011. Here's a capsule look at some of the top players expected to go early when the draft begins Sunday night in Denver: WILL BEDNAR RHP, Mississippi St., 6-foot-2, 229 pounds, 21 years old. The ace of the national champions' pitching staff and the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series saw his draft stock rise through this season. Bednar, the younger brother of Pirates reliever David Bednar, flashed his mid-90s fastball and solid slider while allowing no hits over six innings in the title-clinching win over Vanderbilt. He finished the season 9-1 with a 3.12 ERA and 139 strikeouts and just 26 walks in 92 1/3 innings. COLTON COWSER OF, Sam Houston St., 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, 21. Bats: L, Throws: R Outstanding all-around hitter with a smooth lefty stroke and quick hands was selected the Southland Conference player of the year... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates will lead off the Major League Baseball draft for the fourth time, and first since they took pitcher Gerrit Cole in 2011. Here's a capsule look at some of the top players expected to go early when the draft begins Sunday night in Denver: WILL BEDNAR RHP, Mississippi St., 6-foot-2, 229 pounds, 21 years old. The ace of the national champions' pitching staff and the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series saw his draft stock rise through this season. Bednar, the younger brother of Pirates reliever David Bednar, flashed his mid-90s fastball and solid slider while allowing no hits over six innings in the title-clinching win over Vanderbilt. He finished the season 9-1 with a 3.12 ERA and 139 strikeouts and just 26 walks in 92 1/3 innings. COLTON COWSER OF, Sam Houston St., 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, 21. Bats: L, Throws: R Outstanding all-around hitter with a smooth lefty stroke and quick hands was selected the Southland Conference player of the year... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ OUT AT THE PLATE Giants catcher Buster Posey has been put on the 10-day injured list with a bruised left thumb, costing him his starting spot in next week’s All-Star Game. Posey has been out since July 4, when he was hurt by a foul tip. The 34-year-old Posey was chosen for his seventh All-Star team. After opting out of playing last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, the former NL MVP has been in top form this season, batting .328 with 12 home runs and a .968 OPS for the NL West leaders. NEW STARS The Mets' Taijuan Walker and Brewers' Freddy Peralta have been added to the National League All-Star team and will make their first Midsummer Classic appearances. Walker (7-3, 2.50) started New York's 13-4 win over Pittsburgh on Friday night and was informed after the game by manager Luis Rojas that he'd be replacing teammate Jacob deGrom, who is skipping the All-Star Game in Denver. Peralta is pitching Saturday against the Cincinnati... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Saturday: ___ OUT AT THE PLATE Giants catcher Buster Posey has been put on the 10-day injured list with a bruised left thumb, costing him his starting spot in next week’s All-Star Game. Posey has been out since July 4, when he was hurt by a foul tip. The 34-year-old Posey was chosen for his seventh All-Star team. After opting out of playing last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, the former NL MVP has been in top form this season, batting .328 with 12 home runs and a .968 OPS for the NL West leaders. NEW STARS The Mets' Taijuan Walker and Brewers' Freddy Peralta have been added to the National League All-Star team and will make their first Midsummer Classic appearances. Walker (7-3, 2.50) started New York's 13-4 win over Pittsburgh on Friday night and was informed after the game by manager Luis Rojas that he'd be replacing teammate Jacob deGrom, who is skipping the All-Star Game in Denver. Peralta is pitching Saturday against the Cincinnati... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Saturday: ___ OUT AT THE PLATE Giants catcher Buster Posey has been put on the 10-day injured list with a bruised left thumb, costing him his starting spot in next week’s All-Star Game. Posey has been out since July 4, when he was hurt by a foul tip. The 34-year-old Posey was chosen for his seventh All-Star team. After opting out of playing last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, the former NL MVP has been in top form this season, batting .328 with 12 home runs and a .968 OPS for the NL West leaders. BUMP BUDDIES Former teammates Gerrit Cole and Zack Greinke will square off when the Yankees face the Astros. The pair overlapped in Houston in 2019, when Greinke was acquired at the trade deadline for a club that lost Game 7 of that fall’s World Series. Cole (8-4, 2.91) has a 5.24 ERA for New York since it became clear in early June that Major League Baseball planned to crack down on pitchers’ use of illegal foreign substances. He had a 1.78... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani achieved a first in the near century history of baseball’s All-Star Game: selection as both a hitter and pitcher. The Los Angeles Angels’ two-way sensation was among the American League starting pitchers picked Sunday for the July 13 showcase at Denver’s Coors Field. Ohtani, who leads the majors in home runs, had already been elected by fans to start as the AL's designated hitter. Boston has the most All-Stars for the first time since 2009, sending five. Designated hitter J.D. Martinez, starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and reliever Matt Barnes were chosen to join a pair of starters: shortstop Xander Bogaerts and third baseman Rafael Devers. Houston and Toronto have four All-Stars each. Ohtani received 121 votes in balloting by players, managers and coaches announced three days after fan-elected starters were revealed. “The guy’s going to participate in Home Run Derby, pitch in the game and hit in the game. That doesn’t happen like, ever,” Angels manager Joe... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani achieved a first in the near century history of baseball’s All-Star Game: selection as both a hitter and a pitcher. The Los Angeles Angels’ two-way sensation was among the American League starting pitchers picked Sunday for the July 13 showcase at Denver’s Coors Field. Ohtani, who leads the majors in home runs, had already been elected by fans to start as the AL's designated hitter. Boston has the most All-Stars for the first time since 2009, sending five. Designated hitter J.D. Martinez, starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and reliever Matt Barnes were chosen to join a pair of starters: shortstop Xander Bogaerts and third baseman Rafael Devers. Houston and Toronto have four All-Stars each. Ohtani received 121 votes in balloting by players, managers and coaches announced three days after fan-elected starters were revealed. “The guy’s going to participate in Home Run Derby, pitch in the game and hit in the game. That doesn’t happen like, ever,” Angels manager Joe... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani achieved a first in the near century history of baseball’s All-Star Game: selection as both a hitter and a pitcher. The Los Angeles Angels’ two-way sensation was among the American League starting pitchers picked Sunday for the July 13 showcase at Denver’s Coors Field. Ohtani, who leads the majors in home runs, had already been elected by fans to start as the AL's designated hitter. Boston has the most All-Stars for the first time since 2009, sending five. Designated hitter J.D. Martinez, starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and reliever Matt Barnes were chosen to join a pair of starters: shortstop Xander Bogaerts and third baseman Rafael Devers. Houston and Toronto have four All-Stars each. Ohtani received 121 votes in balloting by players, managers and coaches announced three days after fan-elected starters were revealed. “The guy’s going to participate in Home Run Derby, pitch in the game and hit in the game. That doesn’t happen like, ever,” Angels manager Joe... [More]

Tuesday, July 13At Coors Field, Denverp-voted by players; m-selected by MLBAmerican LeagueManager — Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay StartersCatcher — Salvador Perez, Kansas City First Baseman — Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Second Baseman — Marcus Semien, Toronto Shortstop — Xander Bogaerts, Boston Third Baseman — Rafael Devers, Boston Outfield — Teoscar Hernandez, Toronto Outfield — Aaron Judge, N.Y. Yankees Outfield — Mike Trout, L.A. Angels Designated Hitter — Shohei Ohtani, L.A. Angels ReservesCatchersp-Mike Zunino, Tampa Bay Infieldersp-Matt Olson, Oakland p-Jose Altuve, Houston m-Bo Bichette, Toronto p-Jose Ramirez, Cleveland p-Carlos Correa, Houston m-Jared Walsh Outfieldersp-Michael Brantley, Houston m-Joey Gallo, Texas p-Adolis Garcia, Texas p-Cedric Mullins, Baltimore Designated Hittersm-Nelson Cruz, Minnesota p-J.D. Martinez, Boston PitchersStartersp-Shane Bieber, Cleveland p-Gerrit Cole, N.Y. Yankees m-Nathan Eovaldi, Boston m-Kyle Gibson, Texas m-Yusei Kikuchi, Seattle p-Lance Lynn,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani achieved a first in the near century history of baseball’s All-Star Game: selection as both a position player and a pitcher. The Los Angeles Angels’ two-way sensation was among the starting pitchers picked Sunday for the American League staff for the July 13 showcase at Denver’s Coors Field. Ohtani, who leads the majors in home runs, had already been elected by fans to start for the AL at designated hitter. Boston has the most All-Stars for the first time since 2009, sending five. Designated hitter J.D. Martinez, starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and reliever Matt Barnes were chosen to join a pair of starters: shortstop Xander Bogaerts and third baseman Rafael Devers. Houston and Toronto have four All-Stars each. Ohtani received 121 votes in balloting by players, managers and coaches announced three days after fan-elected starters were revealed. “The guy’s going to participate in Home Run Derby, pitch in the game and hit in the game. That doesn’t happen like... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today: PRIMED FOR PITCHERS Mets ace Jacob deGrom, Milwaukee’s Brandon Woodruff, Texas' Kyle Gibson and the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole are among those likely to picked as All-Stars when pitchers and reserves are announced at 5:30 p.m. EDT. Each roster will have 32 players for the July 13 game at Denver’s Coors Field. Of course, one pitcher was picked with the starting lineups — Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani, the Babe Ruth-like phenomenon who leads the majors in home runs AND is 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA in 12 starts with 83 strikeouts in 60 innings. Ohtani was elected by fans as the American League's designated hitter, and Angels manager Joe Maddon is in favor of Ohtani pitching in addition to hitting. HOBBLED HULK Big-hitting Kyle Schwarber is expected to be out of Washington’s lineup for a while with a significant hamstring strain. The Nationals put Schwarber on the 10-day injured list after he hurt himself running out a hit Friday night.... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors on Sunday: PRIMED FOR PITCHERS The Mets’ Jacob deGrom, Milwaukee’s Brandon Woodruff, Texas' Kyle Gibson and the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole are among those likely to picked as All-Stars when pitchers and reserves are announced at 5:30 p.m. EDT Sunday. Each roster will have 32 players for the July 13 game at Denver’s Coors Field. Of course, one pitcher was picked with the starting lineup — Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani, the Babe Ruth-like phenomenon who leads the major league in home runs AND is 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA in 12 starts with 83 strikeouts in 60 innings. Ohtani was elected by fans as a designated hitter, and Angels manager Joe Maddon is in favor of Ohtani pitching in addition to hitting. HOBBLED HULK Big-hitting Kyle Schwarber is expected to be out of Washington’s lineup for a while with a significant hamstring strain. The Nationals put Schwarber on the 10-day injured list after he hurt himself running out a hit Friday night. There... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Outfielder Brandon Nimmo was activated from the injured list by the New York Mets before Friday's Subway Series opener with the Yankees after missing two months because of a detached hand ligament. Nimmo was set to bat leadoff and play center field at Yankee Stadium. He hit .172 (5 for 29) with a double and no RBIs during a nine-game injury rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Syracuse. New York also reinstated Marcus Stroman from the bereavement list. He is scheduled to start Saturday, when the Yankees start ace Gerrit Cole. Right-hander Jeurys Familia and catcher Tomas Nido were activated from the 10-day injured list along with Nimmo. Left-hander David Peterson was placed on the 10-day injured list with right side soreness, a move retroactive to Thursday. He left Wednesday night's start at Atlanta after three innings because of pain. Right-hander Thomas Szapucki, catcher Patrick Mazeika, infielder Travis Blankenhorn were optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. New York also obtained left-hander Anthony Banda from San Francisco for minor league infielder Will Toffey. The 27-year-old Banda was assigned to Syracuse. He is 3-2 with a 6.86 ERA at Triple-A Sacramento this season and has a 4-3 record and 5.96 ERA in five major league starts and 13 relief appearances, with Arizona in 2017 and Tampa Bay from 2018-20. Toffey hit .178 with six homers and 16 RBIs this year for Double-A Binghamton. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ OFF TRACK The Yankees are in an unusual position entering their weekend Subway Series against the crosstown Mets — struggling underdog. The Bronx Bombers are coming off a stunning 11-8 defeat to the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night, when All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman allowed a tying grand slam to Jared Walsh during a seven-run ninth inning. New York had powered ahead with a seven-run first inning against Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani. The Yankees are 41-39, fourth in the AL East, nine games behind first-place Boston. Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenne r vowed Thursday to keep manager Aaron Boone, general manager Brian Cashman and the core of his team, but he did place the “majority of the responsibility” for the supbar play on the players. Left-hander Jordan Montgomery (3-2, 4.06 ERA) is set to pitch for the Yankees against Mets righty Taijuan Walker (6-3, 2.38). Gerrit Cole is slated to throw Saturday, while Jacob deGrom will miss... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ SUBWAY SERIES The Yankees are in an unusual position entering their weekend series against the crosstown Mets — struggling underdog. The Bronx Bombers are coming off a stunning 11-8 defeat to the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night, when All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman allowed a tying grand slam to Jared Walsh during a seven-run ninth inning. New York had powered ahead with a seven-run first inning against Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani. The Yankees are 41-39, fourth in the AL East, nine games behind first-place Boston. Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenne r vowed Thursday to keep manager Aaron Boone, general manager Brian Cashman and the core of his team, but he did place the “majority of the responsibility” for the supbar play on the players. Left-hander Jordan Montgomery (3-2, 4.06) is set to pitch for the Yankees against Mets righty Taijuan Walker (6-3, 2.38). Gerrit Cole is slated to throw Saturday, while Jacob deGrom will miss the Subway... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Friday: ___ SUBWAY SERIES The Yankees are in an unusual position entering their weekend series against the crosstown Mets — struggling underdog. The Bronx Bombers are coming off a stunning 11-8 defeat to the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night, when All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman allowed a tying grand slam to Jared Walsh during a seven-run ninth inning. New York had powered ahead with a seven-run first inning against Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani. The Yankees are 41-39, fourth in the AL East, nine games behind first-place Boston. Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenne r vowed Thursday to keep manager Aaron Boone, general manager Brian Cashman and the core of his team, but he did place the “majority of the responsibility” for the supbar play on the players. Left-hander Jordan Montgomery (3-2, 4.06) is set to pitch for the Yankees against Mets righty Taijuan Walker (6-3, 2.38). Gerrit Cole is slated to throw Saturday, while Jacob deGrom will miss the Subway... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gwen Goldman exchanged fist bumps with the New York Yankees she had been admiring for decades from afar, walked onto the field and waved to the crowd. She got to be a Yankees' bat girl on Monday night at age 70 — a full 60 years after she was turned down because of her gender. Shaking with excitement, she beamed while recounting how it felt to be at Yankee Stadium on this day for the game against the Los Angeles Angels. “I don’t know where to start, of which was the best, what did I enjoy the most?” she said during a news conference in the fourth inning. "The whole piece, from walking in the front door of the stadium at Gate 2, to coming up to a locker with my name on it that said Gwen Goldman, and suiting up, then walking out onto the field. It took my breath away. It’s obviously taking my words away also. “It was a thrill of a lifetime — times a million. And I actually got to be out in the dugout, too. I threw out a ball, I met the players. Yeah, it goes on and on. They... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gwen Goldman finally got to be a bat girl for the New York Yankees — 60 years after she was turned down because of her gender. At 70, Goldman worked at Yankee Stadium during the game against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night. She had been rejected by then-general manager Roy Hamey, who wrote her in a letter on June 23, 1961: “While we agree with you that girls are certainly as capable as boys, and no doubt would be an attractive addition on the playing field, I am sure you can understand that it is a game dominated by men a young lady such as yourself would feel out of place in a dugout.” Current Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said he had been forwarded an email written by Goldman's daughter, Abby. In a letter dated this June 23, Cashman wrote “it is not too late to reward and recognize the ambition you showed in writing that letter to us as a 10-year-old girl.” "Some dreams take longer than they should to be realized, but a goal attained should not dim with... [More]