Latest news with #AmericanLeagueAll-Star


Time of India
2 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Why was Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase placed on non-disciplinary paid leave?
Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave Monday, effective through August 31, as Major League Baseball ( MLB ) continues its investigation into sports gambling. Clase is now the second Guardians player sidelined in connection with the probe. Starting pitcher Luis Ortiz was placed on paid leave July 3, with his absence recently extended to the same August 31 timeline. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Healthcare Digital Marketing Data Science MBA CXO others Operations Management Project Management healthcare Degree MCA PGDM Technology Data Analytics Public Policy Cybersecurity Product Management Finance Others Management Data Science Artificial Intelligence Leadership Design Thinking Skills you'll gain: Financial Analysis in Healthcare Financial Management & Investing Strategic Management in Healthcare Process Design & Analysis Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Certificate Program in Healthcare Management Starts on Jun 13, 2024 Get Details Clase, a 27-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic, is in his fifth season with the Guardians. A three-time American League All-Star, he has led the league in saves each of the past three years. This season, he's recorded 24 saves with a 5–3 record, a 3.23 ERA, and 47 strikeouts over 47 1/3 innings in 48 appearances. Ortiz, also a Dominican right-hander, is 26 and joined the Guardians in a trade with Pittsburgh last December. He holds a 4–9 record this season with a 4.36 ERA and 96 strikeouts across 16 appearances. — CleGuardians (@CleGuardians) Live Events While both players remain on paid leave, they are allowed to maintain contact with the team but are barred from accessing club facilities. "Per an agreement with the MLBPA (players union), Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave through games on August 31 while MLB continues its sports betting investigation ," News agency AP quoted an MLB statement as saying. "We will not comment further until the investigation has been completed." The Guardians stated that no additional players or team personnel are expected to be affected by the ongoing investigation. "We have been informed that no additional players or club personnel are expected to be impacted," the team said in a statement. "The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time and will respect the league's confidential investigative process as we continue to fully cooperate." According to multiple reports, a firm that tracks unusual betting activity flagged two of Ortiz's starts - June 15 against Seattle and June 27 against St. Louis - for suspicious wagering patterns. However, the reason for Clase being under investigation remains unclear.


Reuters
6 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Orioles place closer Felix Bautista (shoulder) on IL
July 24 - The Baltimore Orioles placed closer Felix Bautista on the 15-day injured list Thursday due to right shoulder discomfort. The move is retroactive to Monday for the 30-year-old right-hander, who is 1-1 with a 2.60 ERA and 19 saves in 35 games this season. Bautista, who has been the subject of trade rumors with the July 31 deadline approaching, will have an MRI on Friday to determine the severity of the injury. Right-hander Seranthony Dominguez is expected to get most of the save chances in Bautista's absence. Bautista made the American League All-Star team in 2023, finishing with a 1.48 ERA and 33 saves in 56 games. He missed the entire 2024 season following Tommy John surgery. The Orioles recalled right-hander Kade Strowd from Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding transaction. Strowd, 27, made his MLB debut on May 18 and has no decisions and a 4.15 ERA in three relief appearances for Baltimore. --Field Level Media


Fox Sports
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Freeman and Helman get big-league 1sts on back-to-back pitches for Rangers against A's
Associated Press ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Cody Freeman and Michael Helman had big-league firsts on consecutive pitches for the Texas Rangers on Monday night. Freeman lined a tiebreaking RBI double into the right-center gap for his first big league hit in the fifth inning for the Rangers against the Athletics. On the very next pitch from rookie left-hander Jacob Lopez, leadoff hitter Helman's first career homer was a three-run shot — also his first RBIs — for a 5-1 lead. Those back-to-back firsts came about the same time the Rangers announced that they had come to terms with California high school shortstop Gavin Fien, their first-round pick in the Major League Baseball amateur draft eight nights earlier. They also came in the same game that third baseman Josh Jung homered in his first at-bat after his return to the major leagues. Jung, the first-round pick by Texas in 2019, was struggling when he was sent back to Triple-A Round Rock on July 2. He went deep leading off the third inning Monday night, then walked ahead of Freeman's double in the fifth. Freeman, a fourth-round pick by the Rangers in 2019, made his MLB debut as a pinch-runner Friday night, when he scored first on Corey Seager's two-run double in the eighth inning of a 2-0 win over Detroit. After going 0 for 3 in his first big league start Sunday night, when he played third base and his first two at-bats were against American League All-Star starting pitcher Tarik Skubal, Freeman was batting ninth as the designated hitter. His first big league hit and RBI came off A's rookie left-hander Jacob Lopez. Helman made his big league debut in nine games for Minnesota last season, going 3 for 10 at the plate, but is with his third organization this year. He went to St. Louis in spring training, was claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh on May 14, and five days later got claimed by the Rangers. Texas recalled Helman from Triple-A Round Rock earlier Monday for his second stint with the team. he was 0 for 6 in five games from June 26 to July 16. He added another RBI with a sacrifice bunt in the seventh inning. ___ AP MLB: recommended Item 1 of 1


Winnipeg Free Press
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Freeman and Helman get big-league 1sts on back-to-back pitches for Rangers against A's
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Cody Freeman and Michael Helman had big-league firsts on consecutive pitches for the Texas Rangers on Monday night. Freeman lined a tiebreaking RBI double into the right-center gap for his first big league hit in the fifth inning for the Rangers against the Athletics. On the very next pitch from rookie left-hander Jacob Lopez, leadoff hitter Helman's first career homer was a three-run shot — also his first RBIs — for a 5-1 lead. Those back-to-back firsts came about the same time the Rangers announced that they had come to terms with California high school shortstop Gavin Fien, their first-round pick in the Major League Baseball amateur draft eight nights earlier. They also came in the same game that third baseman Josh Jung homered in his first at-bat after his return to the major leagues. Jung, the first-round pick by Texas in 2019, was struggling when he was sent back to Triple-A Round Rock on July 2. He went deep leading off the third inning Monday night, then walked ahead of Freeman's double in the fifth. Freeman, a fourth-round pick by the Rangers in 2019, made his MLB debut as a pinch-runner Friday night, when he scored first on Corey Seager's two-run double in the eighth inning of a 2-0 win over Detroit. After going 0 for 3 in his first big league start Sunday night, when he played third base and his first two at-bats were against American League All-Star starting pitcher Tarik Skubal, Freeman was batting ninth as the designated hitter. His first big league hit and RBI came off A's rookie left-hander Jacob Lopez. Helman made his big league debut in nine games for Minnesota last season, going 3 for 10 at the plate, but is with his third organization this year. He went to St. Louis in spring training, was claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh on May 14, and five days later got claimed by the Rangers. Texas recalled Helman from Triple-A Round Rock earlier Monday for his second stint with the team. he was 0 for 6 in five games from June 26 to July 16. He added another RBI with a sacrifice bunt in the seventh inning. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. ___ AP MLB:


USA Today
15-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Best friends, All-Stars for life: Alejandro Kirk, Jonathan Aranda put on for Mexico
ATLANTA – In the lifelong friendship between Jonathan Aranda and Alejandro Kirk, it is Aranda who's theoretically the big brother. Born on May 23, 1998, Aranda came into this world nearly six months before Kirk followed. And they've been besties since Aranda, he says, 'knew how to speak,' while growing up in Tijuana. Yet in the winding path from the hardball fields of Mexico to Major League Baseball, it was Kirk who arrived first in the big leagues, Kirk who stuck as a regular, won a Silver Slugger, made the All-Star team. So it was no small thing when Kirk and Alejandro reported to Truist Park as teammates, two dreamers who all at once could claim the same honor: American League All-Star. They are putting on for their ballclubs, their families and perhaps most notably for Mexico, a land that gets overlooked when the Dominican Republic and Venezuela are so prolific at sending their sons onward to the big leagues. In this Midsummer Classic, though, there are four Mexican natives on the rosters: Aranda and Kirk, along with injured Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes and Seattle Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz. Additionally, Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena earned Mexican citizenship in 2022, seven years after defecting from Cuba. It is no small thing, says Kirk. 'Mucho. Mucho para el pais, para Mexico,' he says, confirming how important it is for the country. And yet no two connections in this game come close to Kirk and Aranda, whose families have converged on Atlanta for the game. 'I'm very happy to be here with him, my family, his family,' says Kirk via Blue Jays translator Hector Lebron. 'The year he's having right now is very special. I'm very happy for him.' It's a nice bit of timing that both are peaking for clubs in the throes of the American League East race. Kirk, a catcher, was an All-Star in 2022, when he batted .285 with a .372 OBP and was worth 4.0 WAR, yet tailed off the next two seasons. In the meantime, Aranda failed in his first three bids to stick with Tampa Bay, never playing in more than 34 games before this season. Yet at 27, it has all clicked. Aranda has posted a .324/.399/.492 line, his .892 OPS good for a 151 adjusted OPS. He has 31 extra-base hits. Despite his modest 11 home runs, he's the best-performing first baseman in the AL. And it's even better joining a pal in the festivities. 'It means a lot. He's my best friend since I was a kid,' says Aranda through Rays translator Eddie Rodriguez. 'It is something really amazing to share the diamond and playing with him here. 'He was a great example. I know and I saw from up close, his path to make it to the major leagues.' Aranda's journey has similarly inspired the Rays, whose plug-and-play ethos sometimes doesn't breed everyday players but rather platoon-oriented parts to a bigger machine. But Aranda has seized his role, his 358 plate appearances trailing only fellow All-Star Junior Caminero and veteran DH Yandy Diaz. His 2.9 WAR leads a team now 50-47 and 1 ½ games out of a wild card berth. 'It's all the recognition that he deserves. He's finally up there on the national stage for what he's able to do,' says Rays All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe. 'As consistent as he's been all year, it's fantastic to really kind of show him off a bit – this is our guy.' And for the more veteran Rays, Aranda's capabilities were probably more evident than the guy trying to stick for good. 'Just the confidence in himself, man,' says Lowe. 'We all knew what he had; we've all seen it before. The big leagues is harder than the minors, believe it or not. It just took him a little bit to get going. 'The biggest thing is him understanding and not faltering and stuck to who he was.' He'll reap the benefits this week. Aranda will be joined in Atlanta by his parents, sisters, brother, brother-in-law and nieces. And above all, will represent his country. Aranda says it will be something 'really good and amazing' to know he and Kirk's exploits will be beamed back home for a new generation. His buddy agrees. 'First of all, you've got to be proud,' says Kirk. 'Proud to represent my country, Mexico, and a bunch of Mexican players in the All-Star Game. 'We should all be proud of that.' The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.