DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies say left-handed pitcher Tim Collins has opted out of the 2020 season.He's the second player within the organization who has withdrawn. In late June, Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond announced he wouldn't play this season in part because of the coronavirus pandemic.Collins was with the team when training started again, but didn’t make the club’s 30-man opening day roster. The 30-year-old Collins had a 3.12 ERA for the Chicago Cubs last season over 8 2/3 innings. He's also appeared in games for Kansas City and Washington since signing as an amateur free agent with Toronto in 2007. The list of baseball players who have opted out of the season also includes: Joe Ross, Ryan Zimmerman and Welington Castillo of Washington; Félix Hernández and Nick Markakis of Atlanta; Jordan Hicks of St. Louis; Michael Kopech of the Chicago White Sox; Mike Leake of Arizona; Héctor Noesí of Pittsburgh; Buster Posey of San Francisco; and David Price of the Los Angeles Dodgers.___ More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/MLBbaseball

MIAMI (AP) — Two major league games scheduled for Monday night were postponed after more than a dozen Miami Marlins players and staff members tested positive for the coronavirus in an outbreak that stranded the team in Philadelphia.The Marlins’ home opener against Baltimore was called off, as was the New York Yankees’ game at Philadelphia. The Yankees would have been in the same clubhouse the Marlins used last weekend.Nine Marlins players on the 30-man roster, two taxi squad players and two staff members tested positive, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the results hadn’t been publicly disclosed.The Yankees are staying in Philadelphia for now, and have their own clubhouse staff with the team there, the person said. The Marlins postponed their flight home Sunday night after their series finale against the Phillies.The Marlins' outbreak was the talk of baseball Monday, and Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Two major league games scheduled for Monday night were postponed after more than a dozen Miami Marlins players and staff members tested positive for the coronavirus in an outbreak that stranded the team in Philadelphia.The Marlins’ home opener against Baltimore was called off, as was the New York Yankees’ game at Philadelphia. The Yankees would have been in the same clubhouse the Marlins used last weekend.Nine Marlins players on the 30-man roster, two taxi squad players and two staff members tested positive, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the results hadn’t been publicly disclosed.The Yankees are staying in Philadelphia for now, and have their own clubhouse staff with the team there, the person said. The Marlins postponed their flight home Sunday night after their series finale against the Phillies.Major League Baseball announced the postponement of both games about eight hours before the scheduled... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Two major league games scheduled for Monday night were postponed after more than a dozen Miami Marlins players and staff members tested positive for the coronavirus in an outbreak that stranded the team in Philadelphia.The Marlins' home opener against Baltimore was called off, as was the New York Yankees' game at Philadelphia. The Yankees would have been in the same clubhouse the Marlins used last weekend.Nine Marlins players and five staff members received positive results in tests conducted Friday, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the results hadn't been publicly disclosed.The Yankees are staying in Philadelphia for now, and have their own clubhouse staff with the team there, the person said. The Marlins postponed their flight home Sunday night after their series finale against the Phillies.Major League Baseball announced the postponement of both games about eight hours before the scheduled first pitch,... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Two major league games scheduled for Monday night were postponed after more than a dozen Miami Marlins players and staff members tested positive for the coronavirus in an outbreak that stranded the team in Philadelphia.The Marlins' home opener against Baltimore was called off, as was the New York Yankees' game at Philadelphia. The Yankees would have been in the same clubhouse the Marlins used last weekend.Nine Marlins players and five staff members received positive results in tests conducted Friday, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the results hadn't been publicly disclosed.The Yankees are staying in Philadelphia for now, and have their own clubhouse staff with the team there, the person said. The Marlins postponed their flight home Sunday night after their series finale against the Phillies.Major League Baseball announced the postponement of both games about eight hours before the scheduled first pitch,... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez said he is awaiting results of additional testing after doctors recently discovered an issue with his heart they believe is a result of his recent bout with COVID-19. The 27-year-old left-hander tested positive for the coronavirus before the start of summer camp, but was cleared and returned to workouts on July 18. He hasn’t had another positive coronavirus test, but said an MRI revealed a condition called myocarditis, that the team’s medical staff felt was serious enough to shut him down for at least a week. He's been restricted from baseball activities since July 23. “That's why the doctors tell me to just take a week, just rest, don't let your heart get too much heart rate,” he said. “If it goes away, just go back to work.” According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle that is usually due to a viral infection. The inflammation can lead to arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy or heart failure. Rodriguez's... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Max Muncy homered twice and doubled, Ross Stripling pitched seven neat innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 9-1 on Friday night.A day after beating the Giants 8-1 on opening day, the NL West champion Dodgers scored in every inning except the third and outhit the Giants 13-4.NL MVP Cody Bellinger raised his arms as if encouraging the fake crowd cheers when the game ended.“They're doing their best with the crowd noise but it's not the same,” Muncy said. “There’s not that adrenaline rush.”Mookie Betts notched his first RBI for Los Angeles in going 1 for 6. He went 1 for 5 in the opener, having signed a 12-year, $365 million contract the previous day.Muncy hit solo shots in the first off Tyler Anderson (0-1) and in the sixth off Kevin Gausman. He and Justin Turner doubled back-to-back in the fourth.Corey Seager added three hits for the Dodgers.Jaylin Davis, who knelt during the national anthem, homered leading off the third. The Giants remained... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Max Muncy homered twice and doubled, Ross Stripling pitched seven neat innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 9-1 on Friday night.A day after beating the Giants 8-1 on opening day, the NL West champion Dodgers scored in every inning except the third and outhit the Giants 13-4.NL MVP Cody Bellinger raised his arms as if encouraging the fake crowd cheers when the game ended.Mookie Betts notched his first RBI for Los Angeles in going 1 for 6. He went 1 for 5 in the opener, having signed a 12-year, $365 million contract the previous day.Muncy hit solo shots in the first off Tyler Anderson and in the sixth off Kevin Gausman. He and Justin Turner doubled back-to-back in the fourth.Corey Seager added three hits for the Dodgers.on Thursday.Jaylin Davis, who knelt during the national anthem, homered leading off the third. The Giants remained winless under new manager Gabe Kapler.Stripling (1-0) allowed four hits, walked none and struck out seven.At... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mookie Betts singled in the seventh inning for his first hit as a Los Angeles Dodger, then signaled for the ball. That, along with the lineup card, is headed for a display in his house. “This is something I’ll always remember,” he said Thursday night after scoring the go-ahead run in an 8-1 opening victory over the San Francisco Giants in a fan-less stadium. “It's just a new chapter in life.”Betts went 1 for 5 with two strikeouts, a day after signing a $365 million contract covering 2021-32.Betts spoke without his bat when he kneeled during the national anthem. Teammates Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy stood resting a hand on each of his shoulders. Giants manager Gabe Kapler, in his first game as Bruce Bochy's successor, kneeled, too.“It was just unity,” Betts said. “We’re all on the same team, we’re all here for change, even the Giants.”Betts' perspective on kneeling has changed since 2016, when he said he wouldn't take such action. His father, Willie, served in Vietnam... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kiké Hernández homered and drove in five runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the rival San Francisco Giants 8-1 in a fan-less ballpark as baseball’s shortened season opened on Thursday night.Mookie Betts, who took a knee during the national anthem, went 1 for 5 in his Dodgers debut. Betts struck out swinging in his first at-bat a day after signing a $365 million deal over 12 years. Justin Turner grounded into a fielder's choice and Betts beat a throw to the plate to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the seventh. The Giants lost their appeal of the call after Betts slid head-first.Betts struck out with the bases loaded to end a five-run inning that made it 6-1.Adam Kolarek (1-0) got the victory with 1 2/3 innings of relief.Dustin May became the first Dodgers rookie to start on opening day since Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 when Clayton Kershaw couldn’t go because of a back issue. It was similar to when Valenzuela was a late replacement for the injured Jerry Reuss back then.May... [More]

Mookie Betts will not receive all of his money from his $365 million, 12-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers until he is approaching his 52nd birthday in 2044, according to contract details obtained by The Associated Press.He has a $65 million signing bonus that is guaranteed against work stoppages and shortened seasons such as this one, but the Dodgers don’t have to start paying the signing bonus for more than a year.His deal includes $115 million in deferred payments. If he is traded, though, the deferrals would be eliminated and the money would be due in each season the contract covers. He does not have a no-trade provision.Betts, who agreed to the deal Wednesday, already had a $27 million, one-year contract he agreed to with Boston in January and would have been eligible for free agency after this season. The Red Sox dealt him to the Dodgers in February along with pitcher David Price, who decided to sit out this season due to the coronavirus. Because of the shortened season,... [More]

Mookie Betts will not receive all of his money from his $365 million, 12-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers until he is approaching his 52nd birthday in 2044, according to contract details obtained by The Associated Press.He has a $65 million signing bonus that is guaranteed against work stoppages and shortened seasons such as this one, but the Dodgers don’t have to start paying the signing bonus for more than a year.His deal includes $115 million in deferred payments. If he is traded, though, the deferrals would be eliminated and the money would be due in each season the contract covers.Betts, who agreed to the deal Wednesday, already had a $27 million, one-year contract he agreed to with Boston in January and would have been eligible for free agency after this season. The Red Sox dealt him to the Dodgers in February along with pitcher David Price, who decided to sit out this season due to the coronavirus.The 2018 AL MVP gets his signing bonus in annual installments each Nov. 1... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez will be shut down from all baseball activities for at least a week after he experienced a setback in his return from COVID-19.Manager Ron Roenicke said Thursday that Rodriguez, who tested positive for the coronavirus before the start of summer camp, hasn’t had another positive test. But he said the left-hander did experience some “minor complications” that the team's medical staff felt were serious enough to restrict him from activities for now.“It’s nothing to mess around with as we’ve seen,” Roenicke said. “We want to win as many ballgames as we can, but the health of our players comes first.”With David Price gone to Los Angeles as part of the Mookie Betts trade and ace Chris Sale sitting out the season following Tommy John surgery, Rodriguez had been in line to be Boston’s opening day starter. He posted career-best numbers in 2019 with 19 wins and a 3.81 ERA.But he didn’t arrive in Boston for summer camp until Saturday, leaving him well... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors today:OPENING DAYWashington ace Max Scherzer is set to throw the first pitch of the coronavirus-delayed season when he faces Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees at Nationals Park. Later, Los Angeles lefty Clayton Kershaw takes on the rival San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium.This opening day doubleheader begins the most unusual year in the history of Major League Baseball. Teams will play 60 games in ballparks without fans, with a whole new set of rules and safety protocols. Sound effects will be piped into stadiums and cardboard cutouts will occupy many seats.To start a season so deeply affected by the virus outbreak, the World Series champion Nationals will have Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, toss out the ceremonial first ball.SOCIAL JUSTICENew San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler and several of his players knelt during the national anthem before an exhibition game this week. He said everyone on the Giants would... [More]

Opening day, at last.A baseball season that was on the brink before it ever began because of the virus outbreak is set to start Thursday night when excitable Max Scherzer and the World Series champion Washington Nationals host prized ace Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees.When it does get underway — the DC forecast calls for thunderstorms, the latest rocky inning in this what-can-go-wrong game — it’ll mark the most bizarre year in the history of Major League Baseball.A 60-game season, stars opting out. Ballparks without fans, players wearing masks. Piped-in sound effects, cardboard cutouts for spectators. Spray-painted ads on the mound, pitchers with personal rosin bags.And a rack of strange rules. DHs in the National League, well, OK. An automatic runner on second to start the 10th inning? C’mon, now.“Gosh, it’s going to be fun,” Cole said. “It’s going to have fake crowd noise, and going to be 2020 coronavirus baseball.”Plus, a poignant reminder of the world we live in. A Black Lives... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Even before Mookie Betts played his first game in Dodger Blue, the superstar outfielder decided his future is in Los Angeles.Betts and the Dodgers have struck baseball's first big-money deal since the coronavirus pandemic decimated the sport's economics, with Betts agreeing Wednesday to a $365 million, 12-year contract through 2032.The massive deal removes the top offensive player from next offseason's free-agent class and puts the longtime Boston Red Sox slugger in the middle of LA's lineup for what he thinks will be the rest of his career. The Dodgers only acquired Betts in a trade Feb. 10, but he eagerly bypassed the uncertainties of free agency for a secure future with an organization that already feels like home.“I just love being here,” Betts said in a video conference call from Dodger Stadium, where he will make his Dodgers debut Thursday against San Francisco. “I love everything about here. I’m here to win some rings and bring championships back to LA. That’s... [More]

Opening day, at last.A baseball season that was on the brink before it ever began because of the virus outbreak is set to start Thursday night when excitable Max Scherzer and the World Series champion Washington Nationals host prized ace Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees.When it does get underway — the DC forecast calls for thunderstorms, the latest rocky inning in this what-can-go-wrong game — it’ll mark the most bizarre year in the history of Major League Baseball.A 60-game season, stars opting out. Ballparks without fans, players wearing masks. Piped-in sound effects, cardboard cutouts for spectators. Spray-painted ads on the mound, pitchers with personal rosin bags.And a rack of strange rules. DHs in the National League, well, OK. An automatic runner on second to start the 10th inning? C’mon, now.“Gosh, it’s going to be fun,” Cole said. “It’s going to have fake crowd noise, and going to be 2020 coronavirus baseball.”Plus, a poignant reminder of the world we live in. A Black Lives... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors Thursday:OPENING DAYWashington ace Max Scherzer is set to throw the first pitch of the coronavirus-delayed season when he faces Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees at Nationals Park. Later, Los Angeles lefty Clayton Kershaw takes on the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium.This opening day doubleheader begins the most unusual year in the history of Major League Baseball. Teams will play 60 games in ballparks without fans, with a whole new set of rules and safety protocols. Sound effects will be piped into stadiums and cardboard cutouts will occupy many seats.To start a season so deeply affected by the virus outbreak, the World Series champion Nationals will have Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, toss out the ceremonial first ball.SOCIAL JUSTICENew San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler and several of his players knelt during the national anthem before an exhibition game this week. He said everyone on the Giants would... [More]

Opening day, at last.A baseball season that was on the brink before it ever began because of the virus outbreak is set to start Thursday night when excitable Max Scherzer and the World Series champion Washington Nationals host prized ace Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees.When it does get underway — the DC forecast calls for thunderstorms, the latest rocky inning in this what-can-go-wrong game — it’ll mark the most bizarre year in the history of Major League Baseball.A 60-game season, stars opting out. Ballparks without fans, players wearing masks. Piped-in sound effects, cardboard cutouts for spectators. Spray-painted ads on the mound, pitchers with personal rosin bags.And a rack of strange rules. DHs in the National League, well, OK. An automatic runner on second to start the 10th inning? C’mon, now.“Gosh, it’s going to be fun,” Cole said. “It’s going to have fake crowd noise, and going to be 2020 coronavirus baseball.”Plus, a poignant reminder of the world we live in. A Black Lives... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers struck baseball's first big-money deal since the coronavirus pandemic decimated the sport's economics, a $365 million, 12-year contract on Wednesday through 2032 that removes the top offensive player from next offseason's free-agent class.The outfielder, who turns 28 in October, was acquired by the Dodgers from the Boston Red Sox on Feb. 10 along with pitcher David Price for three players.Betts had agreed to a $27 million, one-year deal with the Red Sox, a salary that has been reduced to $10 million in prorated pay because of the shortened season.His deal is baseball's second-largest in total dollars behind the $426.5 million, 12-year contract for Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout covering 2019-30. Betts' average salary of $30.42 million trails Gerrit Cole ($36 million), Trout ($35.5 million), Stephen Strasburg and Anthony Rendon ($35 million each), Zack Greinke ($34.4 million), Justin Verlander $31.3 million), and new teammates... [More]