Cubs ace Justin Steele is just about ready to return to Chicago's rotation after being sidelined since the season opener because of a strained left hamstring.

Steele is on track to start Monday against San Diego, assuming he gets through one more bullpen session with no issues, manager Craig Counsell said Friday. The left-hander was hurt trying to field a bunt at Texas in his Opening Day start.

"We've missed him for a month, and it'll be good to get him going," Counsell said.

Major League Baseball is in "advanced talks" with the streaming company Roku about hosting Sunday morning broadcasts this season, according to a report.

It was reported last month that Roku was a potential option to carry the Sunday morning games.

MLB introduced the Sunday morning broadcast as part of a streaming deal with Peacock in 2022.

The NBC streaming service walked away from that agreement a few weeks ago. The report states that Peacock wanted to renegotiate the fee to pay the league roughly $10 million per season, well below the annual $30 million price it paid for the first two years.

Aaron Judge is struggling offensively, something that could lead the New York Yankees to flip Judge and Juan Soto in the batting order.

Soto has hit second every single game this season and is slashing .331/.441/.589 while Judge has been in the three-hole every single game and is hitting .197/.331/.393. 

When asked about shuffling the order, Aaron Boone said: "We'll see."

Despite Judge's struggles, the Yankees are 20-12 this season.

Major League Baseball has extended the MLB Draft League through the 2030 season and announced plans to expand by two teams to eight.

The Draft League launched in 2021 following the reorganization that trimmed the minor leagues, and it started play with six teams that had been in the Eastern, Carolina and New York-Penn Leagues.

This year's season starts June 4 with State College at Trenton, Frederick at West Virginia and Mahoning Valley at Williamsport. Each team is scheduled for 80 games.

Bally Sports channels carried by Comcast went dark at the start of May after Comcast and Bally's bankrupt operator, Diamond Sports Group, failed to agree on a new contract.

That left Major League Baseball fans throughout the country without the ability to watch their local teams.

Diamond Sports Group originally agreed to a six-month extension with Comcast in the fall but could not agree on a new multiyear contract by the time that deal expired on Tuesday night.

Diamond Sports Group has secured multiyear deals with its two largest distributors: Charter and, as of Wednesday, DirecTV. 

Texas Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi left Thursday's 6-0 win over the Washington Nationals with right groin tightness.

Eovaldi will get an MRI on Friday.

He threw a 94 mph fastball for strike one after issuing a one-out walk. Eovaldi then turned and faced the outfield. He was visited by Bruce Bochy and head trainer Matt Lucero and left for the dugout.

"I went to throw it, and I kind of felt it," Eovaldi said. "The initial thoughts that went through my head were I can call out the training staff, then maybe get the two warmup throws just to kind of check it out and stuff, but they wanted to play it safe and take me out of the game."

"We'll see how it feels (Friday). Just play it safe. Again just trying to be smart with this, not push it."

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor domestic battery charge tied to his September arrest on suspicion of domestic violence.

Urias was placed on 36 months of summary probation and ordered to complete 30 days of community labor as well as a 52-week domestic violence counseling course, a spokesperson for the L.A. City Attorney's Office said. 

The 27-year-old must also pay a domestic violence fund fee, not possess any weapons, not use any force or violence, pay restitution to the victim and abide by a protective order.

Urias was originally arrested Sept. 3 on suspicion of felony domestic violence for an incident that occurred in the parking lot of BMO Stadium after an LAFC soccer match, during which an eyewitness saw Urias get into a physical altercation with his wife. 

The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired bullpen depth Thursday, trading for Minnesota Twins right-handed reliever Matt Bowman in exchange for cash considerations.

Bowman, 32, was 0-0 through 7 2/3 innings with six strikeouts and a 2.35 ERA in five games for the Twins this season.

Walker Buehler is expected to make his return to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday after missing nearly two full years following Tommy John surgery in 2022.

"The plan is Walker's going to start on Monday," Dave Roberts said. "We're excited about that. Everything checked out. It'll be good."

The Dodgers play at home against the Miami Marlins.

Buehler hasn't thrown in a Major League game since June 10, 2022.

Microsoft executive Brad Smith and wife Kathy Surace-Smith have purchased a stake in the Seattle Mariners, becoming just the third additions to the team's ownership group since 1992.

They are the first additions to the ownership structure since Ken Griffey, Jr. joined in 2021.

"Since this group formed in 1992, it has always been a priority to identify partners who both love baseball and are passionate about public service," Mariners chairman John Stanton said in a statement.

"Adding Kathy and Brad to our partnership strengthens our commitment to the Mariners mission of winning championships, creating unforgettable experiences and serving our communities."