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.

Four people, including Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy, have been suspended for their roles that led to a bench-clearing incident between the Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays in the eighth inning on Tuesday night.

Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta received a five-game suspension for intentionally throwing at Jose Siri during the top of the sixth inning, while reliever Abner Uribe received six games after he and Siri squared off against each other two innings later.

Siri received a three-game suspension -- that was later reduced to two games -- while Murphy will miss two games as a result of Peralta's actions in addition to his inappropriate conduct toward umpires.

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."

Byron Buxton left Wednesday's game against the Chicago White Sox in the second inning because of right knee soreness after an unsuccessful attempt to steal second base for the Minnesota Twins.

Buxton, who singled leading off the inning, didn't slide into second and was thrown out. Buxton walked off the field slowly and was replaced in the bottom half of the inning.

He was limited to 85 games as a designated hitter last season because of a right knee injury. Rocco Baldelli said Buxton would undergo imaging on the knee.

Jack Flaherty tied the American League record for strikeouts to begin a game on Tuesday, retiring seven consecutive St. Louis Cardinals in the Detroit Tigers' eventual 2-1 loss.

The right-hander had a career-high in strikeouts, notching 14 across 6 2/3 shutout frames.

Flaherty threw 93 pitches, allowing just two hits and a walk.

The start of Tuesday night's Los Angeles Dodgers-Arizona Diamondbacks game was delayed nearly two hours after a bee colony swarmed the top of the protective netting behind home plate.

Matt Hilton turned into the star of the night for removing the bees, earning the nod to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Chase Field.

"Minor leagues to the big leagues now," said Hilton, branch manager for Blue Sky Pest Control's Phoenix office. "It's pretty cool."

Bee swarms are common during the spring in Arizona and have caused numerous spring training delays through the years. Chase Field has a retractable roof that was open for Tuesday's game, so the bees had free rein.

An effort to lure the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs across the border to Kansas from Missouri has fizzled over concerns about how it might look to taxpayers.

Members of the Republican-controlled Legislature pushed a bill that would have allowed Kansas officials to authorize at least $1 billion in bonds to cover the entire cost of building each new stadium, paying the debt off with tax revenues generated in the area over 30 years.

However, GOP leaders didn't bring it up for a vote before lawmakers adjourned their annual session early Wednesday.

Legislators' work on a plan began in earnest behind the scenes after voters on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area refused earlier this month to extend a local sales tax used to keep up the complex housing the Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium and the Royals' Kauffman Stadium for more than 50 years.

The series of $500,000 payments Ippei Mizuhara sent from Shohei Ohtani's bank account to an illegal bookmaking operation were forwarded to casinos in California and Las Vegas, where the money was deposited in gambling accounts, converted to playing chips and cashed out to pay the bookie, according to multiple sources.

Mathew Bowyer, the California bookmaker who took Mizuhara's bets, was a frequent customer at Las Vegas casino Resorts World.

Mizuhara paid his losses to Bowyer's associate, who forwarded the money to his own "marker" accounts at Resorts World and Pechanga Resort Casino in Southern California. The men then withdrew chips from the marker account, gambled with them, and if they won, cashed out, according to sources.

Bowyer, 49, lost $7.9 million at Resorts World from June 2022 to October 2023, according to multiple sources. After Bowyer's home was raided by federal agents on Oct. 5, he was dubbed a known bookmaker and banned from entering casinos throughout the United States.

The Houston Astros will option Jose Abreu to their spring training facility to try to get the first baseman back on track.

The 37-year-old will report to the Astros complex in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Houston general manager Dana Brown said the decision was made after a meeting that included himself, Abreu, coaches and front-office personnel.

Abreu is in the second season of a $58.5 million, three-year contract. In 77 plate appearances across 22 games this season, he has seven hits.

Texas Rangers right-hander Max Scherzer was scratched from his second scheduled rehab start Tuesday because of thumb soreness.

The soreness is similar to what Scherzer experienced last year before being sidelined for the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs for the World Series champion Rangers.