ANAHEIM — Anthony Rendon remains out with an oblique issue, and although he’s still listed as day to day, Joe Maddon isn’t ready to assume his star third baseman will be ready for next Friday’s opener. “I want to believe he’s gonna be ready (for opening day) but if not, we’re gonna have to have…
Angels’ new slugger Anthony Rendon still dealing with oblique issue — Press Telegram
The Rays are slowly getting healthy and getting some key pieces back with the season opener less than one week away. Outfielder Austin Meadows who has been seen at Tropicana Field the last few days was put on the DL by the Rays as he recovers from COVID. Meadows is just waiting to be cleared […]
Morton will start opening day against the Blue Jays — Tampa Bay Pro Sports
Kevin Cash also announced today that Charlie Morton will get the opening day start. Morton went 16-6 a year ago with a 3.05 ERA. Morton finished third in the voting for the Cy Young award.
Cash also the Rays will start with 16 pitchers on the roster while they build up their endurance and will go with 14 position players.
One strike and Toronto is out as a home for the Blue Jays in the 2020 Major League Baseball season. Read More
Blue Jays strike out in bid to have home games played in Toronto — Toronto SunOne strike and Toronto is out as a home for the Blue Jays in the 2020 Major League Baseball season.
In a statement on Saturday afternoon, federal Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino announced that the government has rejected the Jays return to play proposal, denying the club the opportunity to have 30 home games hosted at the Rogers Centre.
“Unlike preseason training, regular season games would require repeated cross-border travel of Blue Jays players and staff, as well as opponent teams into and out of Canada,” Mendicino said in a statement revealed by the Associated Press. “Of particular concern, the Toronto Blue Jays would be required to play in locations where the risk of virus transmission remains high.”
The Jays had previously received clearance from the Ontario provincial government and the City of Toronto but the feds have the final say on border issues.
“Based on the best-available public health advice, we have concluded the cross-border travel required for MLB regular season play would not adequately protect Canadians’ health and safety,” Mendicino said. “As a result, Canada will not be issuing a National Interest Exemption for the MLB’s regular season at this time.”
The Jays had put together an exhaustive protocol plan that went above and beyond MLB’s thorough guidelines but ultimately the federal government denied the press.
The frontrunner for 30 home games remains Sahlen Field in Buffalo, home of the Jays triple A affiliate Bisons.
The announcement comes less than a week before the Jays begin the 2020 season next Friday against Tampa Bay. The home opener, wherever that will be, is scheduled for July 29.
Previously, the team had been granted permission from the feds to conduct training camp at the Rogers Centre where it has been for the past two weeks. The Jays players and staff have been quarantined in the Marriott Hotel attached to the Rogers Centre.
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SAN FRANCISCO — When Mike Yastrzemski steps into the batter’s box to face Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw on Opening Night in Los Angeles, it won’t be the first time Yastrzemski will have seen the future Hall of Famer on the mound this summer. Yastrzemski didn’t spend his quarantine working out with the Los Angeles left-hander,…
SF Giants use virtual reality, video game simulations to prepare for Opening Day — Times-Standard
LOS ANGELES — As A.J. Pollock and his wife, Kate, prepared for the birth of their first child, they no doubt heard what a roller-coaster ride parenthood could be, filled with unexpected dips and dives, joys and fears deeper than you can imagine. They had no idea. The Pollocks welcomed their daughter, Maddi Mae, to…
A.J. Pollock enduring ‘wild ride’ with premature baby then COVID-19 — Press Telegram
Puig just announced his positive test result on Twitter
Yasiel Puig has tested positive for COVID-19 — HardballTalk | NBC Sports
By Craig CalcaterraJul 17, 2020, 3:02 PM EDT1 Comment
Next up on your 2020 bingo card: Yasiel Puig tests positive for COVID-19. And, Ken Rosenthal reports, he will not be signing with the Atlanta Braves as a result.
Puig, who was reported to be in agreement with the Braves on a deal, but whose signing had not yet been officially announced, tweeted moments ago that, while he is asymptomatic, he has tested positive for COVID-19. He said “I feel absolutely fine. I will be quarantined until I receive two negative test results, which I hope will arrive shortly.”
Puig goes on to say, “I am sad that this has happened, but I believe that everything is in God’s timing and that my return to MLB will happen in His perfect plan and timing for me. When I return to the field I will do so knowing that I will have one less hurdle to overcome.”
Puig hit .252/.302/.475 (92 OPS+) for the Reds last year before being traded to the Indians at the deadline. Once in Cleveland his performance improved, as he hit .297/.377/.423 (109 OPS+). His reported deal with the Braves comes on the heels of Braves outfielder Nick Markakis opting out of the 2020 season and after Braves star first baseman Freddie Freeman was laid up with fairly serious symptoms of COVID-19 himself.
Yasiel Puig tests positive for COVID-19, according to Puig:
— Yasiel Puig (@YasielPuig) July 17, 2020
Earlier today Major League Baseball announced that it had collected 10,548 samples over the past week, but just six (0.05 percent) returned as new positives. Whether that includes Puig or not is not clear. This could be a new one that came in after the report was issued.
To date, the league has collected 17,949 monitoring samples and 23 new positives (18 players, five staff members), which equals 0.1 percent. When combining ongoing monitoring testing and intake screening that began June 27, there have been 93 positive tests (80 players) among 21,701 samples, which translates to 0.4 percent. Twenty-eight of the league’s 30 teams have had at least one positive. Again, whether that includes Puig is not known.
Follow @craigcalcaterraTags: Freddie Freeman, Nick Markakis, Yasiel Puig
A self-confessed homebody, Ryan Borucki loves baseball in a bubble. The Blue Jays left-hander says he has thrived during the team’s two-week training camp here and believes the close confines with his teammates could create a competitive advantage when the 60-game MLB season gets underway next week. “I think this bubble is really going to […]
Baseball bubble may have its advantages for quarantining Blue Jays — Toronto Sun
On Thursday evening, the Padres acquired lefty reliever Tim Hill from the Royals in exchange for outfielder Franchy Cordero and pitcher Ronald Bolaños.
Padres send pair of players to Royals for pitcher Tim Hill — HardballTalk | NBC Sports
SAN FRANCISCO — In a season that’s already been shortened by more than 100 games due to the coronavirus pandemic and labor disagreements between owners and the MLB Players Association, simply getting to the finish line will be an accomplishment. Players, coaches, team staffers and executives across the sport all share the same goal of…
SF Giants explain when they’ll wear face masks on field, push umpires to mask up — Times-Standard
Rays outfielder Austin Meadows has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been placed on the injured list. His status for Opening Day is unknown.
Austin Meadows tests positive for COVID-19 — HardballTalk | NBC Sports
Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports that Rays outfielder Austin Meadows has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been placed on the injured list. Meadows, who gave the Rays permission to disclose his test results, hadn’t been with the team for their workouts after initially passing intake testing.
Meadows, 25, broke out in a big way for the Rays last season, batting .291/.364/.558 with 33 home runs, 89 RBI, 83 runs scored, and 12 stolen bases in 591 plate appearances. He was named to the AL All-Star roster and received a handful of down-ballot votes for the AL MVP Award.
To replace Meadows on the 40-man roster, the Rays added lefty reliever Aaron Loup. Loup missed most of the 2019 season due to an elbow injury, registering just 3 1/3 innings with the Padres.
It is not known how the virus has impacted Meadows specifically, so it is still unknown whether or not he will be ready to rejoin the Rays in time for Opening Day on July 24. The Rays open the season hosting the Blue Jays. In the event Meadows isn’t ready to start the season, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo could play in left field regularly. Manuel Margot could also be considered.
Tony Taylor, who spent 15 of his 19 seasons with the Phillies, died on Thursday as a result of complications from a 2019 stroke.
Former Phillies infielder Tony Taylor dies at 84 — HardballTalk | NBC Sports
By Bill BaerJul 16, 2020, 4:05 PM EDT2 Comment
Longtime Phillies infielder Tony Taylor died on Thursday morning at the age of 84 due to complications following a stroke suffered in 2019, the club announced.
Taylor played 19 seasons in the majors from 1958-76, 15 of them with the Phillies. He was one of the most popular players in Philadelphia, even though he wouldn’t reach the postseason with the Phillies until his final year with the team in 1976.
The Phillies originally acquired Taylor from the Cubs in May 1960 along with Cal Neeman, sending Ed Bouchee and Don Cardwell to Chicago. Taylor was traded from the Phillies to the Tigers in June 1971 for a pair of minor leaguers. The Tigers released him in the offseason after the 1973 season and he re-signed for a second stint with the Phillies.
Across his 19 years in the big leagues, Taylor hit .261/.321/.352 with 298 doubles, 75 home runs, 598 RBI, 1,005 runs scored, and 234 stolen bases. He was also well-regarded for his defense. Taylor was a two-time All-Star, making it twice in 1960, during the brief period MLB played two All-Star Games in the same season.
Taylor was inducted into the Phillies’ Wall of Fame in 2002. A native of Cuba, Taylor was also inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame in 2004.
Gregorius has a chronic kidney condition which makes him high risk.
Didi Gregorius will wear a mask during games — HardballTalk | NBC Sports
The view from left field 