Commissioner says no Olympics for MLB

Don’t expect to see big- league baseball players at the 2020 Olympics, even if the IOC reinstates the sport for the Tokyo Games. And new Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says the sport’s international governing body should demand a long- term pledge from the International Olympic Committee before agreeing to return.

Manfred is maintaining the stance of his predecessor, Bud Selig, who repeatedly said MLB will not interrupt its schedule for the Olympics.

“The Olympics are a challenge because of the calendar,” Manfred said Thursday during a meeting with the Associated Press Sports Editors in New York. “They are particularly a challenge when the site is halfway around the world and the date falls in the middle of our regular season.”

Baseball was an Olympic medal sport from 1992- 2008, then was dropped after the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The World Baseball Softball Confederation hopes both sports will be reinstated for the Tokyo Olympics. The inclusion of new sports for 2020 will be voted on at the IOC session in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

On other topics:

Pace of Game: Manfred said he is pleased with the initiatives to speed the pace of game, such as the clocks timing pitching changes and between- inning breaks, and the requirement for hitters to keep at least one foot in the batter’s box in many instances. Through Wednesday, the average time of a nineinning game was 2 hours, 55 minutes, according to Stats, down 6 minutes for the similar period at the start of last season.

Pete Rose: Manfred says he will allow the all- time hits king to participate in activities surrounding this summer’s All- Star Game in his hometown of Cincinnati. Rose submitted an application for reinstatement after Manfred succeeded Selig in January.

MLB has spoken with Rose’s representatives about how the process for Manfred’s evaluation will go forward. Briefly: Tigers closer Joe Nathan, 40, will miss the rest of the season with a torn ligament in his pitching elbow, but says he is not retiring. ... The Blue Jays placed catcher Dioner Navarro on the 15- day disabled list ( strained left hamstring) and recalled catcher Josh Thole from Triple- A Buffalo. ... Rays right- hander Alex Cobb, originally scheduled to start Opening Day, is set to throw his first bullpen session since being sidelined during spring training by forearm tendinitis.