Baseball

Clayton Kershaw will make his 2020 debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks.Kershaw was scratched just four hours before he was set to throw the first pitch of the Dodgers' season because of back stiffness.Kershaw's back originally stiffened up while he went about his normal routine in the weight room in the days leading up to the Dodgers' opener, but an MRI later that day came back clean. He received treatment over the next couple of days but couldn't get his back loose enough to make his first start.Walker Buehler will get the start on

ATLANTA -- New York Mets manager Luis Rojas wants to get Edwin Diaz back on the mound quickly.Rojas won't say if the next outing for Diaz will come in a save situation.Diaz's role as the Mets' closer again is being watched closely for the second straight season after the right-hander walked two batters, hit a batter and gave up a run while recording only one out in Thursday night's 4-2 loss to Boston."It was a little bit surprising, just kind of how the outing went," Diaz said through a translator before Friday night's game at the Atlanta Braves. "It had

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Chicago White Sox promoted second baseman Nick Madrigal on Friday, adding one of their top prospects to the roster.The 23-year-old Madrigal had been training at the team's auxiliary site in Schaumburg, Illinois. Veteran reliever Kelvin Herrera was designated for assignment.Madrigal was in the starting lineup for the opener of a three-game series at Kansas City, batting ninth in his big league debut.1 Related"It's been a long time coming. I've imagined this moment for a long time, since I was a little kid," he said. "It's a little different with the stadium empty, but it's still

It didn't take long for the reality of the coronavirus pandemic to affect the restart of the 2020 Major League Baseball season.In just five days, we've seen more than a dozen postponements or schedule shifts, affecting eight different teams.It can be difficult to keep track of, but here's how the week has gone down so far, starting with Sunday's prelude to the first postponements on Monday.SundayPostponed games: None.Ninety minutes before the first pitch of the finale of a season-opening series between the Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, the Marlins announce that right-hander Jose Urena has been

The St. Louis Cardinals have had two players test positive for COVID-19, resulting in Major League Baseball postponing Friday afternoon's game at the Milwaukee Brewers, a source told ESPN's Jeff Passan.MLB's quick decision to postpone Friday's game, which was scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET, comes after the outbreak within the Miami Marlins, who have had 20 positive tests -- 18 by players -- over the past eight days.Baseball reporter Craig Mish was first to report that two players for the Cardinals have tested positive.A source told ESPN's Jesse Rogers that if what is happening with the Cardinals had occurred before

Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association agreed Thursday to stage seven-inning doubleheaders starting Saturday, sources familiar with the situation told ESPN's Jeff Passan.With a number of doubleheaders expected to take place because of rescheduled games due to current and potential coronavirus outbreaks as well as weather-related postponements, shortening doubleheaders to seven innings was a compromise that came together quickly, sources said.However, there are no doubleheaders currently scheduled in the majors after Saturday's Toronto Blue Jays-Philadelphia Phillies twin bill was postponed because two Phillies staffers tested positive for COVID-19.MLBPA executive director Tony Clark called deputy commissioner Dan Halem during

The Los Angeles Dodgers were predictably displeased with the length of Joe Kelly's suspension, an eight-game punishment levied after Kelly's erratic pitches and demonstrative taunts sparked a benches-clearing situation at Minute Maid Park in Houston on Tuesday.Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who was suspended for Wednesday's series finale against the Houston Astros, called it "too aggressive" and said he "completely" agrees with Kelly's decision to appeal. Dodgers outfielder A.J. Pollock said he believed it to be "very, very harsh.""I don't think anyone's too happy about it," Pollock said. "It's not our call; it's obviously the commissioner's call. But I don't think

10:11 PM ETMarly RiveraESPN Writer CloseMarly Rivera is a writer for ESPNdeportes.com and ESPN.com.The New York Yankees found themselves in familiar territory Thursday night: worried about losing starting shortstop Gleyber Torres to injury.Torres was hit by a pitch in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles and left in the fourth because of what the team said was a right elbow contusion. X-rays were negative.Tyler Wade came in as a defensive replacement.Torres, the Yankees' new starting shortstop after Didi Gregorius left in free agency this offseason, was hit square on the elbow by a John Means pitch. He remained in

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers will be without closer Jose Leclerc for most of the pandemic-shortened season with a shoulder injury similar to the one that sidelined starter Corey Kluber earlier this week.Leclerc's muscle tear in his right shoulder is not as severe as Kluber's, but he will have the same injection and be out the same four weeks before any plan for throwing is considered, general manager Jon Daniels said Thursday.Kluber pitched just one inning in his Texas debut Sunday before reporting tightness in his shoulder and leaving the game. Leclerc stopped warming up for a save situation

ATLANTA, Ga. – The ASUN Conference announced the Baseball 2011-20 All-Decade Team as 36 student-athletes were named to the list across 11 programs. Stetson led the way with six student-athletes named to the All-Decade Team followed by five each from Kennesaw State and North Florida.Over the past 10 years, two programs have captured multiple ASUN Championship titles in Belmont (2) and Stetson (2), while FGCU, ETSU, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Lipscomb and Mercer have each captured one title. The Eagles won a conference-best three ASUN Regular Season crowns during the decade. Stetson captured a pair of regular-season crowns, while five teams