MLB REPORT
LITTLE LEAGUE CLASSIC
The Chicago Cubs will face the Pittsburgh Pirates in next year’s Little League Classic.
The game will be held Aug. 18, 2019, at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pa. The Cubs and Pirates will attend Little League World Series games earlier in the day.
The matchup was announced Sunday night during the MetsPhillies game in Williamsport. It will again be part of ESPN’s Sunday night schedule.
CHICAGO CUBS
RHP Yu Darvish had another setback in his injury-interrupted year, increasing speculation he might be done for the season. Darvish lasted just one inning in his rehab start with Class A South Bend on Sunday.
Darvish has been sidelined by triceps and elbow injuries, and shook his right arm as he left the field. The 32-year-old is 1-3 with a 4.95 ERA for Chicago and has made just eight starts since signing a $126 million, six-year contract.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Touted pitching prospect Michael Kopech will make his major league debut Tuesday night at home against Minnesota, the club announced.
Kopech, 22, is one of the top arms in Chicago’s loaded minor league system. The 6-3 righthander was acquired in the December 2016 trade that sent ace LHP Chris Sale to Boston.
Kopech is 7-7 with a 3.70 ERA in 24 starts with Class AAA Charlotte this season. He has 170 strikeouts in 1261⁄3 innings.
Kopech’s fastball is consistently clocked in the upper 90s and occasionally hits 100 mph. He is rated No. 13 among MLB.com’s top 100 prospects.
CLEVELAND INDIANS
OF Leonys Martin is being released from the Cleveland Clinic after being hospitalized because of a life-threatening infection.
Martin, 30, became ill following a game Aug. 8. Doctors determined he had a bacterial infection that entered his bloodstream and created toxins that damaged his internal organs, compromising their function.
MINNESOTA TWINS
The club placed RHP Ervin Santana on the 10-day disabled list and reinstated OF Robbie Grossman from the DL.
The Twins also recalled RHP Alan Busenitz from Class AAA Rochester before their 5-4 victory over Detroit. OF Johnny Field was sent down.
Santana, 35, who won 16 games last year, is scheduled to see a hand specialist Tuesday about recurring finger discomfort that has sidelined him for much of the season.
Santana opened the season on the DL after undergoing surgery on his right middle finger in February. He was reinstated July 25 and went 0-1 with an 8.03 ERA in 242⁄3 innings over five starts.
NEW YORK YANKEES
The club will see how shortstop Didi Gregorius is feeling, a day after he bruised his left heel in a collision while beating out an infield hit. Gregorius was hurt when he tumbled over Toronto first baseman Kendrys Morales.
Gregorius is batting .270 with 22 home runs and 74 RBIs, and has 48 extra-base hits this season.
“It’s something that we’ll monitor over the next 24 hours, could potentially be a DL thing,” manager Aaron Boone said.