Off the wire

BASEBALL

Red Sox shut down Sale

Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale is receiving treatment for inflammation in his elbow that will shut him down for the rest of the regular season. Orthopedist Dr. James Andrews gave Sale an injection of platelet-rich plasma Monday and said he will be re-evaluated in six weeks. The treatment could be good news for the Red Spx, who feared that Sale might need Tommy John surgery. That would likely have cost him all of the 2020 season. But losing Sale deals a blow to the defending World Series champions’ already slim hopes for a repeat. Sale went on the injured list Saturday, four days after facing the Cleveland Indians. If he does not pitch again this season, he will finish with a 6-11 record and 4.40 ERA — both by far the worst in his career. Sale signed a six-year, $160 million contract in March that includes $50 million in deferred money.

Braves pick up Hamilton

The Atlanta Braves have claimed outfielder Billy Hamilton off waivers from the Kansas City Royals to bolster their injury-plagued roster. The 28-year-old Hamilton is a five-time Gold Glove finalist and switch-hitter who gives Atlanta some defensive options and speed off the bench. He played in 93 games for the Royals, hitting .211 with 18 stolen bases. Hamilton spent six years with the Reds before signing with Kansas City as a free agent for this season. He is a career .242 hitter with 295 stolen bases, including four consecutive seasons with more than 50 steals in Cincinnati. The NL East-leading Braves announced the move during an off day Monday. They are short-handed because of injuries to outfielders Nick Markakis, Austin Riley and Ender Enciarte, as well as shortstop Dansby Swanson.

KC T-Bones evicted

The struggling Kansas City T-Bones baseball team is being evicted from its stadium in Kansas because of unpaid debts. The Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City Kansas announced Monday it is ending its management agreement with the T-Bones and has given the team until Sept. 13 to remove all its property from the publicly-owned stadium in Kansas City, Kan. The government said in a news release that the T-Bones owed a total of nearly $763,000 in current and past due utility bills, and past due payments for use of the stadium. The Unified Government said it intends to pursue all remedies to collect the debt. The T-Bones are part of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball and not affiliated with Major League Baseball. A team official didn’t immediately return a request for comment.

FOOTBALL Hurts named OU starter

No. 4 Oklahoma has named Jalen Hurts its starting quarterback for the Sept. 1 season opener against Houston. Hurts played in three national championship games for Alabama and helped the Crimson Tide win the 2017 national title. He transferred to Oklahoma in January and won the job over redshirt freshman Tanner Mordecai and true freshman Spencer Rattler. Hurts started the 2016 and 2017 seasons and led Alabama to a 26-2 record. He lost the starting job to Tua Tagovailoa in 2018 but still played in 13 games. He replaced the injured Tagovailoa in the fourth quarter of the 2018 SEC Championship Game and rallied the Crimson Tide to a 35-28 victory over Georgia.

Ohio State tabs Fields

Ohio State Coach Ryan Day said Georgia transfer Justin Fields will be the starting quarterback when the No. 5 Buckeyes open the season Aug. 31 against Florida Atlantic. As Ohio State’s newly minted coach, Day lured Fields — one of the topranked prep prospects nationally in the 2018 recruiting class — to Columbus in January to succeed quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr., who is now playing for the NFL’s Washington Redskins.

Gordon on non-football list

The New England Patriots have placed receiver Josh Gordon on the non-football injury list while he gets back into shape following his suspension. The move comes after the NFL conditionally lifted the suspension, saying Gordon could participate in team meetings, conditioning and individual workouts. Gordon made two brief appearances in the Patriots’ locker room before practice Monday but said he did not have time to talk to reporters. Gordon was suspended indefinitely in December for violations of the league’s substance abuse policy. He also had been suspended in 2012, and he missed the entire 2015 and 2016 seasons. The Cleveland Browns cut ties with him in September. He had 40 receptions for 720 yards and 3 touchdowns with the Patriots before the league suspended him.

BASKETBALL Blatt has multiple sclerosis

Former Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. In a statement posted Monday on the website of Greek club Olympiakos, Blatt said he was diagnosed with the condition, which attacks the central nervous system, “a few months ago” and has experienced fatigue, weakness in his legs and balance problems. “I am a coach and my job is to lead and teach and inspire a lot of people. Not being as agile or active doesn’t affect my ability to do those things,” Blatt said in the statement. “How could I possibly complain? I absolutely cannot and will not. It’s wasted effort and while I ask my players and staff to be the best version of themselves, I must ask and even demand from myself to do the same.” Blatt was appointed coach of Cleveland in June 2014 and took the team to the NBA Finals in his first season, losing to the Golden State Warriors. He was fired partway through the 2015-16 season, in which Cleveland won the NBA championship for the first time under coach Tyronn Lue. He has coached Olympiakos since June 2018.

GOLF

Barracuda needs new home

The PGA Tour’s Barracuda Championship is looking for a new home after the golf club that’s hosted the event since it began in Reno in 1999 pulled out. Montreux Golf & Country Club’s board of directors voted last week against holding the 2020 event at the mountain course between Reno and Lake Tahoe. Board member Tim Slapnicka said the decision was made after a months-long review based on the impact on club finances, facilities, members and homeowners. Next year’s event is scheduled to run the Fourth of July weekend for the first time, July 2-5, due to the Summer Olympics in Japan. Tournament director Chris Hoff told the Reno Gazette Journal that alternative venues in the market are being explored. He said Barracuda is close to finalizing a deal to return as title sponsor of the PGA Tour stop in Reno.

TENNIS Ahn moves on in Bronx

Kristie Ahn began the final preparation for her return to the U.S. Open with a first-round win Monday at the Bronx Open, where fellow American CoCo Vandeweghe and seeded players Zhang Shuai and Yulia Putintseva were upset. Ahn beat Jil Teichmann 6-3, 6-4. The American earned a wild card into the U.S. Open and will play in next week’s tournament for the first time since her lone appearance in 2008 as a 16-year-old qualifier. Vandeweghe, who recently returned from a lengthy absence caused by an ankle injury and like Ahn was given a wild card into this week’s new WTA tournament, lost 6-3, 6-0 to Anna Blinkova. Zhang, at No. 4 the highest-seeded player in action Monday, was beaten 6-3, 6-4 by Andrea Petkovic, while No. 7 Putintseva was knocked off by qualifier Zhu Lin 7-6 (2), 6-4. Seeded winners included fifth-seeded Katerina Siniakova, who beat Wang Yafan 6-3, 6-2; No. 9 Aliaksandra Sasnovich, who swept past Polona Hercog 6-3, 6-2; and No. 10 Karolina Muchova, who defeated Viktoria Kuzmova 7-5, 6-2.