Baseball Wiretap

Both dugouts and bullpens emptied onto the field Sunday after a Lucas Erceg pitch struck Baltimore Orioles infielder Blaze Alexander on the left hand during the seventh inning of Baltimore's 8-2 win over the Kansas City Royals. Alexander suffered a non-displaced fracture as a result.

Alexander took several steps toward first base and shouted at Erceg before Orioles manager Craig Albernaz restrained him from approaching the mound. Players and pitchers from both teams rushed onto the field during the commotion, though no punches were thrown and no one was ejected.

Albernaz addressed the injury's impact on his roster ahead of Baltimore's return from the All-Star break.

"Definitely a gut punch," said Albernaz, referencing the team's upcoming series against Houston on Friday without Alexander available.

Alexander leads the Orioles with a .312 batting average and was not made available to reporters following the game. Erceg maintained the pitch was unintentional, despite the fact that the previous batter, Samuel Basallo, had just homered to extend Kansas City's deficit to 8-2.

"There's no ill intent. That's baseball," said Erceg. "I mean, guys are going to get hit, and you have to, I guess, kind of understand the situation. I understand why he's mad. Obviously, you don't ever want to get hit, especially in the hand. So sorry about that."

Erceg acknowledged his own difficult season while addressing the incident.

"I've got like a 5-something ERA," said Erceg. "I mean, I'm not going out there to hit guys and put guys on and give up homers and this and that."

The loss dropped Kansas City to a season-high 21 games under .500 at 38-59, marking the team's eighth sweep of the season, the most in the majors. The Royals have now lost five straight games entering the All-Star break.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro described the mood surrounding his team's recent struggles.

"Frustration is one word. Disappointment, anger," said Quatraro. "You know, every emotion that you can think of we're battling, not getting any results and it stinks."

Cristopher Sanchez of the Philadelphia Phillies will start Tuesday's All-Star Game for the National League in his home ballpark, facing Dylan Cease of the Toronto Blue Jays for the American League. The Blue Jays confirmed Cease's start on Sunday, while Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who is managing the NL squad, named Sanchez as his starter.

Roberts explained the decision to hand Sanchez the honor in his home city.

"I think he deserves it. He's the hometown ballplayer and I think the city of Philly will enjoy watching him and supporting him," said Roberts. "I had a conversation with him this morning. ... He was very grateful. In a time when guys are not wanting to participate, this guy in the Midsummer Classic for fans, I think this is a good thing. He's very excited about pitching."

Sanchez enters the game with an 11-4 record and a 2.62 ERA, ranking third in the majors with 144 strikeouts. His 50 2/3-inning scoreless streak has been one of the season's top pitching storylines.

Cease is 6-4 with a 2.56 ERA for Toronto and nearly threw his second career no-hitter Wednesday against San Francisco before it was broken up in the ninth inning. He becomes the first Blue Jays pitcher to start the All-Star Game since Roy Halladay in 2009.

Cease learned of the assignment from Blue Jays manager John Schneider, who will lead the AL squad, during a team meeting Sunday.

"It's pretty surreal. I didn't know what to say. Everyone's saying, 'Give a speech,' and I'm like, I was pretty speechless, so it was just a really cool experience," said Cease. "It's really cool how all of these things have lined up, you know, even being able to pitch in it and having a good enough first half to be in the running for it and all that. And the fact that pretty much our entire staff is going, it's really a really great recipe."

Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler said he declined an invitation to be added to the National League All-Star roster, adding that he felt "disrespected" by being snubbed multiple times.

Wheeler did not make the initial NL All-Star roster, which was revealed last weekend, and also was not among several replacement additions announced Tuesday.

The veteran right-hander told reporters that he was invited Friday by Major League Baseball to join the NL roster as an injury replacement but refused, saying he was "not gonna be the fifth option.""They disrespected me, so I'm just not going to participate in that thing," Wheeler said Saturday, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski has been scratched from his scheduled start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday because of arm fatigue and will also miss the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Philadelphia.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy announced the decision Saturday after the NL Central leaders were swept by the Pirates in a doubleheader.

"He didn't recover well from his last start, and his throwing program was clunky today, so we're just going to give him some extra rest," Murphy said.

The Tampa Bay Rays selected shortstop Grady Emerson with the second overall pick in Saturday's MLB Draft. Emerson, out of Fort Worth Christian School in North Richland Hills, Texas, becomes the first high school player taken this year.

Emerson had been projected as the top overall prospect for most of the draft cycle before eventual No. 1 pick Roch Cholowsky surged late in the process. Emerson instead joins an organization known for its strong player development track record.

The left-handed hitter closed his prep career with a .532/.648/1.013 line, adding seven home runs, 50 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. He became just the second high schooler in 48 years to earn a Golden Spikes Award nomination, joining Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., whom Emerson has trained with and considers a mentor.

Emerson is widely viewed as the best pure hitter in this year's class, combining an advanced approach with elite contact skills. He became the first player to appear on multiple USA Baseball U-15 and U-18 national teams.

Keith Law of The Athletic offered a comparison for Emerson's offensive profile.

"(T)he descriptions I hear from scouts and execs make it sound like they're hoping he's the next Kevin McGonigle," wrote Law. "And maybe he is: Emerson does hit, making contact at a reasonably high clip last summer at showcases (13.3 percent strikeout rate, 23.3 percent whiff rate), while showing fringe-average power now that projects to above-average at his peak."

Defensively, evaluators believe Emerson can play shortstop, citing soft hands, a plus arm and strong instincts to go with above-average speed. He finished as runner-up in last year's high school home run derby at Truist Park during MLB All-Star weekend.

Emerson grew up a Texas Rangers fan and modeled his game after former second baseman Ian Kinsler.

The Chicago White Sox selected UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky first overall Saturday in the MLB amateur draft. The 6-foot-2 right-handed hitter posted a 1.088 OPS with 21 home runs and 60 RBIs during his junior season and was a Golden Spikes Award finalist.

Cholowsky becomes the second UCLA product taken with the No. 1 pick, joining pitcher Gerrit Cole, who went first overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2011.

White Sox general manager Chris Getz praised Cholowsky's leadership in a statement.

"A leader on the field as well as in the clubhouse," said Getz. "He has more than lived up to very high expectations, and we cannot wait to get him into our organization, get started and see him continue his growth and success."

The Tampa Bay Rays followed with the second pick, selecting shortstop Grady Emerson out of Fort Worth Christian High School in Texas. The Minnesota Twins took Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey third overall.

Saturday marked the White Sox's first time holding the top pick since selecting Harold Baines in 1977. Chicago earned the No. 1 selection after losing 102 games last season and winning the draft lottery.

The organization views Cholowsky as a future star who can help lead the franchise toward its first World Series title since 2005.

The Chicago White Sox acquired the No. 34 draft pick and a minor-league pitcher from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, sending infielder Jacob Gonzalez and left-handed pitcher Brandon Eisert in return. The move comes hours before the White Sox select first overall in Saturday's amateur draft.

Pittsburgh sent a competitive-balance pick to Chicago, the only type of draft selection permitted to change hands under current rules. The White Sox also received Triple-A left-handed reliever Jaden Woods in the deal.

Chicago optioned Gonzalez to Triple-A Charlotte earlier Friday after activating All-Star Munetaka Murakami off the injured list. Eisert carries a 2-1 record with a 5.93 ERA and 32 strikeouts across 27 1/3 innings this season. Woods has posted 51 strikeouts and a 4.84 ERA in 35 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A.

MLB ranked Gonzalez as Chicago's No. 22 prospect before the trade. He debuted in the majors May 31 after Murakami went on the injured list with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain, and mostly played first base at the major-league level despite spending most of his minor-league career at shortstop.

Murakami returned to Chicago's lineup Friday, going 1-for-5 with four strikeouts in a 14-1 win over the Athletics. Pirates rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin, who signed a nine-year, $140 million extension in April, is expected to miss eight to 10 weeks with a left ring finger injury.

The No. 34 pick carries a slot value of $2,897,400, pushing Chicago's bonus pool past $20 million to $20,489,500. The White Sox have not revealed their plans for the No. 1 overall selection, with UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey and Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson viewed as the top candidates.

Saturday marks Chicago's first time holding the draft's top pick since 1977, when the franchise selected Hall of Famer Harold Baines.

JJ Wetherholt and the St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to an eight-year, $112.5 million contract extension. The deal secures one of the largest guarantees in franchise history for the National League Rookie of the Year favorite.

Wetherholt, the Cardinals' first-round pick in 2024, quickly advanced through the farm system and earned an Opening Day roster spot this season. The 23-year-old left-handed hitter ranks eighth among all position players in FanGraphs wins above replacement, splitting time mainly at second base while also playing shortstop.

Wetherholt and the Cardinals discussed an extension during spring training but could not finalize terms at the time. Fellow rookie shortstops Kevin McGonigle, Konnor Griffin, Colt Emerson and Cooper Pratt all signed extensions in the interim, establishing a framework Wetherholt later followed.

Unlike those four players, Wetherholt attended college, giving his contract a different structure. The deal contains no club options, runs from 2027 through 2034, and includes performance bonuses that could push its total value to $132 million. It buys out three years of free agency, with Wetherholt reaching the open market just after turning 32.

The extension marks another step in St. Louis' willingness to increase spending after several seasons of payroll reduction. Wetherholt is batting .267 with a .362 on-base percentage and .411 slugging percentage this season, pairing strong defense at second base with elite baserunning.

The contract's length and value closely mirror the seven-year, $100 million deal Albert Pujols signed with the Cardinals in 2004. Wetherholt slipped to St. Louis at seventh overall in the 2024 draft after Cleveland considered him with the No. 1 pick, then signed for $6.9 million following three seasons at West Virginia.

Wetherholt becomes the first player under contract for the Cardinals in 2027. Before this extension, the team's only committed 2027 payroll was $13 million owed to Boston to cover the contracts of Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras.

Shohei Ohtani was scratched from his scheduled pitching start Friday because of continued irritation in his left knee, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced roughly six hours before first pitch. Ohtani will still serve as designated hitter for the weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Ohtani will not join his teammates at the All-Star Game following the series. The Dodgers said in a statement that he will instead undergo interventions on his knee to prepare for the second half of the season.

A source told ESPN that Ohtani is expected to have the knee drained and likely receive an injection. He will not undergo surgery, according to the source.

Ohtani first left a June 11 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates early because of irritation in the same knee, which underwent surgery in September 2019 to address a congenital condition called bipartite patella. He has managed the issue since taking the following day off.

Ohtani, who turned 32 five days ago, had also dealt with a blister on his pitching hand and tightness in his right bicep earlier this season. Both issues have since subsided.

Ohtani is slashing .290/.405/.534 with 20 home runs and six stolen bases. He has gone 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA across 14 starts on the mound.

The Dodgers will use a bullpen game Friday in Ohtani's absence.

Bryce Harper will compete in the Home Run Derby for the first time in eight years, this time representing the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Harper announced the decision Thursday via social media, captioning his post, "Derby at home? Sure why not?"

Harper previously won the event in 2018 while playing for the Washington Nationals, launching 45 home runs at Nationals Park. He topped future teammate Kyle Schwarber in that final.

Harper made this year's All-Star Game as a legend selection. He becomes the sixth player to join the Derby field, alongside Jordan Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals, Ben Rice of the New York Yankees, Willson Contreras of the Boston Red Sox, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays and Jac Caglianone of the Kansas City Royals.

Harper and Caminero are the only two competitors with prior Derby experience. Harper remains the lone past champion in the group, with two spots still open in the eight-player field.

Only four players in Derby history have won at their home ballpark. Harper is aiming to become the first to accomplish that feat twice, and the first to do it with two different franchises.

A win would also place Harper among an exclusive group of multiple-time Derby champions that includes Prince Fielder, Yoenis Cespedes, Pete Alonso and Ken Griffey Jr.

The Home Run Derby takes place Monday night at Citizens Bank Park.