Baseball Wiretap

Major League Baseball will eliminate the clock from its Home Run Derby next month, reverting to a swing-based format for the first time since 2014, people briefed on the decision told The Athletic Wednesday.

The event is scheduled for July 13 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, beginning at 8 p.m. ET, and marks Netflix's debut as the derby's television home after ESPN held the rights since the 1990s.

Under the new rules, hitters will receive 20 swings in the first round and 15 in each of the final two rounds. If a batter homers on his final swing of any round, he earns an additional attempt and may keep hitting until he fails to go deep.

Ties in the first round will be settled by longest home run. In the second and third rounds, tied competitors will receive three additional swings each.

Eight hitters will compete in the opening round, with the top four advancing. The second round shifts to a head-to-head format, with the top first-round finisher matched against the lowest qualifier and the second and third seeds squaring off.

Player feedback drove the format change. Under the previous clock-based system, hitters rushed through swings to maximize attempts in the closing seconds, leading to fatigue. The swing-based structure allows competitors to pause and build tension between attempts.

Netflix, which became an MLB broadcast partner this season on a three-year deal worth approximately $50 million annually, sought input from the league and players on ways to improve the viewing experience.

The previous format allotted three minutes or 40 pitches in the first round and two minutes or 27 pitches in subsequent rounds, with bonus periods for outs and long home runs.

Shohei Ohtani allowed multiple earned runs for the second consecutive start Wednesday, pitching through left knee soreness and a bleeding blister on his right middle finger in a 5-4 Los Angeles Dodgers victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Ohtani (7-2) cruised through four scoreless innings before surrendering four runs and five hits in a 26-pitch fifth inning. He recovered to retire the side in order in the sixth, finishing with the win as the Dodgers completed a sweep of Tampa Bay.

"It's just really that inning, that fifth inning, that I wasn't really too pleased," said Ohtani through an interpreter. "But aside from that the stuff was good and I felt pretty good overall."

Ohtani has now allowed eight runs, seven earned, across his last two outings after giving up just seven runs, five earned, in his first 10 starts. His ERA climbed to 1.47, still second-best in the majors among pitchers with at least 50 innings.

His knee forced him to miss a start in Chicago last week and ended a four-game winning streak on the mound with a no-decision at Pittsburgh.

Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing expressed little concern over the recent struggles.

"Obviously, we expect close to perfection out of Sho every time he goes out there. So does he," said Rushing. "But there's no reason to worry at all."

Ohtani also batted as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning, grounding out on one pitch after Freddie Freeman's two-run homer had given Los Angeles the lead. Ohtani had hit five home runs over his previous nine games entering Wednesday, batting .367 during that stretch.

The Toronto Blue Jays placed right-hander Max Scherzer on the injured list Wednesday with back spasms, hours before the 41-year-old was scheduled to start against the Boston Red Sox. It marks his second IL stint of the 2026 season.

Scherzer has posted a 10.23 ERA across 22 innings this year, surrendering nine home runs while dealing with four separate ailments: a thumb, forearm, back and ankle. He has made just one start in the past seven weeks, lasting 3 1/3 innings against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The spasms surfaced Monday morning in Boston, Scherzer said, and treatment over Toronto's off day was not enough to clear him for Wednesday's start. The Blue Jays recalled right-hander Chad Dallas to cover the rotation spot.

"I'm frustrated as heck," said Scherzer. "I wanted to get in that rhythm, I wanted to be out there pitching, get going, because my arm feels like it's in a really great spot right now."

Despite the struggles, Scherzer remains confident in his ability to contribute.

"I absolutely have the utmost belief that I can be out there," he said. "I can be pitching, I can be helping the team win. Nothing that has happened has changed any course of that. Just got to get through this."

Toronto is not facing an immediate decision with Scherzer sidelined. Shane Bieber, a former Cy Young winner, reached 80 pitches in a Triple-A rehab outing Wednesday and is expected to join the club in Chicago this weekend, with a strong chance of making his 2026 debut shortly after.

"I just have another thing I got to deal with and get over," Scherzer said. "These things happen when you're 41 years old and trying to pitch."

Pete Crow-Armstrong became the first player in Major League Baseball to hit for the cycle this season Monday, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 5-4 comeback victory over the Colorado Rockies at Wrigley Field.

The 24-year-old center fielder completed the feat in reverse order, opening with a leadoff home run before adding a triple in the third inning, a double in the fifth and a single in the seventh. His first three hits came against Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen, with the final knock off reliever Antonio Senzatela.

Crow-Armstrong is the 13th player in Cubs franchise history to hit for the cycle and the youngest to do so since Randy Hundley in 1966. He is only the fourth player in the divisional era to complete the cycle in reverse order.

"I'm proud of myself for the work I've been doing over the last few weeks, over the course of the year, really," Crow-Armstrong said.

Despite the individual milestone, Crow-Armstrong was critical of himself after getting picked off base immediately following his cycle-completing single.

"I did everything I could to help the team, but I also had a real lapse in focus, and that really could have hurt us tonight," said Crow-Armstrong. "I know it's a rare feat. Hard to answer questions like those when the game just ended, and I'm processing a lot."

Crow-Armstrong has been scorching lately, collecting 13 hits across his previous six games, eight of which went for extra bases. His OPS climbed to .845 following Monday's performance.

Chicago rallied from a 4-3 deficit in the ninth inning when Matt Shaw scored the winning run on a bases-loaded walk. It was the Cubs' ninth walk-off win, the most in the majors.

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers leads all players in the first balloting update for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game, while Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros tops American League voting, according to MLB.

Ohtani has received 1,165,133 total votes, the most among all players. The four-time unanimous MVP is batting .302 with 14 home runs and 41 RBI this season and is seeking his sixth career All-Star selection.

Phase 1 voting continues through 12 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 25. Fans can cast up to five votes daily through MLB platforms, with the option for a sixth vote through KONAMI's mobile game eBaseball MLB Pro Spirit.

The top two vote-getters at each position, along with the top six outfielders in each league, will be revealed Thursday on MLB Network at 6 p.m. ET. Those players advance to Phase 2, which determines the starters for each league.

Atlanta, which holds the best record in baseball at 46-25, placed three players among NL leaders. Drake Baldwin leads NL catchers with 972,813 votes, while Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna Jr. also rank among the top vote-getters at their positions.

Dodgers teammates Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy lead voting at first and third base in the National League. Andy Pages leads NL outfielders, while CJ Abrams of the Washington Nationals tops shortstops in a tight race over Mookie Betts and Elly De La Cruz.

Alvarez has totaled 1,015,768 votes, trailing only Ohtani across both leagues. He is followed by George Springer of the Toronto Blue Jays and Yandy Diaz of the Tampa Bay Rays among AL designated hitters.

Aaron Judge and Mike Trout lead AL outfield voting, followed by Cody Bellinger. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Ernie Clement lead at first and second base for the Blue Jays, while Bobby Witt Jr. tops AL shortstops and Junior Caminero leads at third base for Tampa Bay.

Phase 2 voting begins June 29 and runs through July 2, with vote totals resetting for that round. The full 2026 All-Star rosters will be announced July 4 during the MLB All-Star Game Selection Show.

The Atlanta Braves have shut down right-hander Spencer Strider for four weeks due to inflammation in his right elbow, the team announced Monday.

Strider visited with Dr. Keith Meister on Monday to determine next steps after having an MRI and was placed on the injured list Saturday. Strider will undergo a follow-up MRI after the four weeks of rest and -- if the scan is clear -- he'll begin throwing again.

The San Francisco Giants have begun testing the trade market on several players, signaling they may move toward selling ahead of the deadline, according to people briefed on the discussions.

The Giants have not fully committed to becoming sellers, but they are inching closer to that decision. The trade deadline remains more than seven weeks away, leaving time for the team to push toward contention.

San Francisco currently holds a 29-43 record, the second-worst in the National League ahead of only the Colorado Rockies. Their playoff odds sit at 2.5 percent, according to FanGraphs, with the team trailing by 16 games in the NL West and nine games back in the wild-card race.

Second baseman Luis Arraez and left-hander Robbie Ray, both potential free agents, are viewed as the most likely players to be moved. The Giants have no plans to trade ace right-hander Logan Webb, one source said, and quality offers for veterans Rafael Devers and Willy Adames are considered unlikely given their contracts and recent performance.

Third baseman Matt Chapman is another possible trade candidate, though he holds a full no-trade clause and is in the second year of a six-year, $151 million contract. Chapman, 33, has rebounded from a slow start to lead the team with 3.2 bWAR. Moving him would create payroll flexibility and clear a path for Casey Schmitt at third base.

Arraez, 29, has been the Giants' top performer this season, hitting .319 with a .787 OPS. He ranks second in Outs Above Average among second basemen, behind only the St. Louis Cardinals' JJ Wetherholt. Any acquiring team would owe him the remainder of his $12 million salary.

Ray, 34, projects more as a back-end rotation arm than a postseason starter at this stage. He has averaged just over five innings per start, and his 5.16 expected ERA exceeds his actual 4.42 mark. He is owed the balance of his $25 million salary, limiting his potential trade return.

San Francisco entered the season with a $197.1 million payroll, the 11th highest in MLB and third highest in franchise history, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. The team hired manager Tony Vitello from the University of Tennessee aiming to produce just its second winning season since 2016, but has fallen well short of that goal so far.

Spencer Strider's MRI revealed inflammation in his ailing right elbow, and the Atlanta Braves won't know the next step for their right-handed pitcher until the results are viewed by Dr. Keith Meister.

Strider was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday, less than 24 hours after he left his start against the New York Mets.

"You always expect to see inflammation when somebody's hurting," Braves manager Walt Weiss said before Sunday's series finale against the Mets. "So we just want to let Dr. Meister get a look at it and get his diagnosis."

Yoshinobu Yamamoto carried a no-hit bid into the ninth inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Chicago White Sox 7-1 on Saturday, snapping Chicago's eight-game home winning streak.

Yamamoto retired his first 23 batters before Chase Meidroth reached base on a two-out error by shortstop Mookie Betts in the eighth inning. Jacob Gonzalez followed with a groundout to second to end the frame.

Tristan Peters broke up the no-hitter with a leadoff home run in the ninth, driving a 96.6 mph fastball deep to right field for his third career homer. After Edgar Quero flied out to center, Yamamoto exited to a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 37,832 and was replaced by Alex Vesia.

Yamamoto improved to 7-4, striking out seven over 109 pitches, 74 for strikes, in his fourth consecutive victory.

Shohei Ohtani returned to the lineup after sitting out Friday with left knee inflammation and delivered a leadoff home run, his fifth of the season and 29th of his career. The 409-foot drive to right field left the bat at 109.6 mph.

Max Muncy homered twice and drove in four runs for Los Angeles. Betts singled in the first inning ahead of Muncy's two-run shot to right-center, his 15th homer of the season, and Muncy added another two-run blast in the eighth.

The Dodgers bounced back after an 8-2 loss in Friday's series opener. White Sox starter Sean Burke fell to 3-4, allowing four runs on six hits over four innings.

Cleveland Guardians star third baseman Jose Ramirez fractured his left hamate bone on a swing Saturday and will be sidelined indefinitely, a major setback for the two-time defending AL Central champions.

Ramirez was injured leading off the fifth inning of Cleveland's 3-1 win over the Detroit Tigers. Manager Stephen Vogt confirmed the break after the game, following imaging tests on the 33-year-old.

"He had a similar injury I think to his right hand a few years ago," said Vogt. "He tried to go back out. He knew the position we were in, grabbed his glove and said 'Maybe I can still play defense,' but he couldn't squeeze his glove. Hosey wanted to get back out there to help us win that game. He just couldn't."

Ramirez, a seven-time All-Star and the face of the Guardians' franchise, previously fractured his right hamate bone in 2019, the only other injured list stint of his career. He missed roughly one month following surgery after an initial timeline of up to seven weeks.

The switch-hitter entered Saturday batting .238 with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs this season. A career .274 hitter, Ramirez has finished in the top four of MVP voting five times and holds numerous franchise records.

Cleveland also lost outfielders Chase DeLauter and Angel Martinez to injuries in the first two innings. DeLauter suffered a bruised right rib cage colliding with the outfield wall, while Martinez sustained a foot bruise after fouling a ball off it.

With Ramirez out, Vogt shifted Rhys Hoskins from first base to left field, a position the veteran had not played since 2018 with the Philadelphia Phillies.

"We're working through the logistics and what the next steps are so we'll know more tomorrow or the next day," said Vogt. "These things can get complicated."

It remains unclear whether DeLauter and Martinez will also require injured list placements.

The Guardians are in first place in the AL Central with a 39-33 record.