Mets’ Cespedes opts out
Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes opted out of the 2020 season over ‘‘COVID-related issues’’ after he didn’t report to Truist Park in Atlanta for the team’s game Sunday against the Braves, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said.
Van Wagenen addressed Cespedes’ decision with reporters after the Mets’ 4-0 loss. He said the team hadn’t previously known of the possibility Cespedes would opt out.
‘‘We support everybody and every player’s right to make this type of decision,’’ Van Wagenen said. ‘‘This is a challenging time for everyone. It was surprising, without question.’’
Van Wagenen said he learned about Cespedes’ decision from his agent during the game. When the Mets sent security to Cespedes’ hotel room, he wasn’t there and his belongings were gone, Van Wagenen said.
Cespedes was 5-for-31 (.161) with 15 strikeouts this season.
Marlins finally leave Philly
The Marlins finally left Philadelphia, where they had been stranded in isolation for a week after their season-opening series against the Phillies because of a coronavirus outbreak that sidelined half the team.
With the affected players already bused back to Miami to quarantine, the healthy Marlins traveled to Baltimore, where they are set to resume play Tuesday against the Orioles.
Neither the Marlins nor the Phillies have played since July 26 because of the outbreak, but neither team reported a new positive result from testing conducted Saturday.
Reds sweep seven-inning doubleheader
The visiting Reds swept the first seveninning doubleheader in major-league history with 4-3 and 4-0 victories against the Tigers. Nick Castellanos hit two home runs in the opener, and Trevor Bauer pitched a two-hit shutout in the nightcap.
Major League Baseball last week said doubleheaders would be seven innings this season to help teams alleviate an expected crush of games caused by weather- and coronavirus-related postponements.
Judge hits 2 HRs; homer streak at 5 games
Aaron Judge hit his second homer of the game, a tiebreaking two-run blast in the eighth inning, to lift the host Yankees to a 9-7 victory against the Red Sox. The Yankees swept the three-game series and extended their winning streak to six games.
Judge, who also hit a three-run shot in the second, has homered in five consecutive games. The last Yankees player to do that was Alex Rodriguez in September 2007.
This and that
The Angels said two-way star Shohei Ohtani will have an MRI exam on his right (pitching) arm after walking five batters and failing to get out of the second inning against the visiting Astros.
Brewers bench coach Pat Murphy suffered a heart attack Saturday at Miller Park, but the team said he was resting comfortably and should be out of the hospital this week.