Yankees All-Star Judge returns from COVID-19 IL
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. » New York Yankees star outfielder Aaron Judge and backup catcher Kyle Higashioka have been reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced the moves before Tuesday’s game at Tampa Bay. Judge started in right field and batted second against the Rays.
“It’s huge, obviously,” Boone said of Judge’s return. “Really excited to have him back. Has been feeling really strong the last few days.”
Both went on the IL on July 16. The Yankees started Tuesday 9½ games behind AL East-leading Boston and eight back of the secondplace Rays.
First baseman Luke Voit, on the IL with left knee inflammation, took batting practice and defensive drills. He is expected back in the next couple days.
“I would say he’s very close,” Boone said. “We’ll have a decision here in the next day or two.”
Outfielder Clint Frazier, out since July 1 with vertigo, is undergoing neurological tests in Michigan. There may be an update on his status Wednesday,
“It’s a whole battery of neurological testing where he’s hitting and throwing and doing all these things,” Boone said. “I think there’s some vision things that they’re trying to work through. How he responds to different things.” CARDINALS 4, INDIANS 2 » Adam Wainwright won in his first appearance at Progressive Field, Paul DeJong hit a go-ahead homer and St. Louis beat Cleveland.
DeJong’s two-out, tworun drive in the seventh inning put St. Louis in front 3-2. Harrison Bader homered,
doubled twice and stole a base as the Cardinals moved back over .500 at 51-50.
MARLINS 7, ORIOLES 3 »
Sandy León hit a three-run homer in the second inning and Sandy Alcantara pitched into the seventh, helping Miami to a victory over Baltimore.
Lewin Diaz and Brian Anderson added solo shots for Miami, which has won three straight.
BREWERS 9, PIRATES 0 »
Omar Narvaez homered and had four RBIs, Brett Anderson pitched six strong innings and Milwaukee scored eight runs in the first two innings to roll past Pittsburgh.
Astros, Mariners pull off odd trade
SEATTLE » The Astros have landed one of the top relievers in baseball, acquiring right-hander Kendall Graveman from Seattle in an odd intra-division trade while the teams were preparing to play each other.
Graveman and Rafael Montero are going to the AL West-leading Astros with infielder Abraham Toro and reliever Joe Smith going back to Seattle.
A teary Graveman said he was shocked by the
trade, and had assumed he would be sticking with the Mariners, who’d won four straight against divisional opponents in gritty fashion.
Graveman is 4-0 with a 0.82 ERA and 10 saves in 30 appearances this year.
Graveman said his former teammates took news of the trade hard and there was immediate confusion among players, fans and observers about Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto’s move.
“It probably doesn’t (make sense) as a standalone, but it’s part of a context that’s going to be an ongoing story over the next couple of days” as the trade deadline nears, Dipoto said.
Bauer’s leave extended
NEW YORK » Trevor Bauer’s administrative leave was extended by 10 days through Aug. 6 by Major League Baseball and the players’ association while the sport’s investigators check into allegations of sexual misconduct against the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher.
Bauer was placed on seven days’ paid leave on July 2 under the joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy adopted by MLB and the players’ union in 2015.