9:08 PM ET Associated Press GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Shogo Akiyama gave Cincinnati Reds fans a small taste of what he can provide at the top of the batting order and in the outfield Sunday in his first spring training game with the team. Akiyama, hitting leadoff and playing center field, lined the second pitch he

1:04 PM ET As chance would have it, the Houston Astros‘ first exhibition game was a home game of sorts, with Houston playing host to the team that shares its West Palm Beach complex, the Washington Nationals. Because it’s still February and a lot of the veterans are relatively early in their preparation for the

9:03 PM ET ESPN News Services WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Fans hoping to heckle the sign-stealing Houston Astros at their spring opener were met with quite the coincidence. They got their signs taken. In the Astros’ first spring training game since their sign-stealing scandal rocked baseball, some fans brought signs jeering Houston, and ballpark

5:34 PM ET Associated Press JUPITER, Fla. — Jack Flaherty is getting the ball on opening day for the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis manager Mike Shildt said Saturday the 24-year-old Flaherty will start the season opener March 26 at Cincinnati. It will be the right-hander’s first opening day start and comes after he finished

10:00 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The 2017 Houston Astros were cheaters. They were selfish, unfair, wrong. Their actions influenced opponents’ careers. Their championship is tarnished. And with all that being true, they

6:37 PM ET Houston Astros players have gotten threats “every day” since the team’s 2017-18 sign-stealing scheme came to light in recent weeks, according to outfielder Josh Reddick, who said Friday that messages he has received also targeted his family. “You just see the first things in your suggested box and it just says, ‘I

3:00 PM ET ESPN Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print One big rumor circulating around spring training camp this week: The Phanatic — the Philadelphia Phillies‘ green and furry mascot — may be getting a new look. While the details won’t be revealed until Sunday when the team hosts the Pittsburgh Pirates in the

1:22 PM ET Associated Press PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Archie Bradley won the final salary arbitration case of the year, leaving teams with a 7-5 advantage over players. Bradley, a 27-year right-hander, was given a raise from $1.83 million to $4.1 million Friday by arbitrators Andrew Strongin, Steven Wolf and Jules Bloch. The Diamondbacks

3:34 PM ET Marly RiveraESPN Writer Close Marly Rivera is a writer for ESPNdeportes.com and ESPN.com. TAMPA, Fla. — The New York Yankees seem to have picked up where they left off last season on the injury front with pitcher Luis Severino joining the list of players dealing with ailments this spring training. Severino became

3:16 PM ET FORT MYERS, Fla. — As a catcher who spent parts of four seasons playing in the American League West between 2016 and 2019, Jonathan Lucroy found himself in a unique position to observe the sign-stealing tactics of the Houston Astros while needing to plan against the scheme. Lucroy, who is now with