RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Players have been altering bats for decades in a bid to improve their grip — adding pine-tar or some specialized grip tape, maybe shaving the handle slightly to make it thinner.Gradually, some players have started gravitating to a more revolutionary option offered by a company that set up shop deep in a warehouse in Renton, Washington. As the company's name suggests, Axe Bat has developed a bat that fundamentally changes the shape of the bat's handle so you hold it like an axe.Some major leaguers like the feel. Others have turned to the axe handle as an option after hand or forearm injuries.Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts and Astros outfielder George Springer are the biggest proponents and the only two paid endorsers by the company. But there are many others — Jake Lamb, Dustin Pedroia, Carlos Correa, even Kris Bryant this season — who have used the bat handle at one time or another.Each has a different reason for turning to this style of bat, whether it's a desire... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:___RISING RONALDTop outfield prospect Ronald Acuna is set to join the Atlanta Braves in Cincinnati. The 20-year-old teased Braves fans with a monster spring training, batting .432 with four homers, four stolen bases and a 1.247 OPS in 16 games. By delaying his promotion a few weeks past opening day, the Braves pushed back Acuna's free-agent eligibility until after the 2024 season. Acuna and 21-year-old second baseman Ozzie Albies will give Atlanta the two youngest players in the majors.HOBBLINGThe Texas Rangers will see how Adrian Beltre is feeling, a day after he exited a game with a strained left hamstring. Beltre limped most of his way to first base after his 3,075th career hit. The team says the 39-year-old third baseman is set for further evaluation.MISS HIMSan Diego first baseman Eric Hosmer is out of the lineup for a couple days. He's been put on family medical leave and the Padres hope to have him back Friday."He had some things... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — Curtis Granderson hit a walk-off homer in the 10th inning to give the Toronto Blue Jays a 4-3 win over Boston on Tuesday night and hand the Red Sox their season-worst third straight defeat.Boston (17-5) still owns the best record in the majors.Granderon's his third home run of the season came off Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel (0-1), a towering solo blast off the facing of the third deck in right field. He went 3 for 5 with three RBIs in the Blue Jays' first game since a deadly van attack in Toronto a day earlier. The victims of the attack, which killed 10 and injured 14, were honored along with first responders before the game.Tyler Clippard (3-0) worked a scoreless 10th for the win.Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna was handed a 3-1 lead in the ninth but allowed the Red Sox to tie it, his first blown save in seven chances. Left fielder Granderson threw out Eduardo Nunez at the plate to prevent Boston from taking the lead.REDS 9, BRAVES 7, 12 INNINGSCINCINNATI (AP) — Tyler Mahle... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Wednesday:___REMEMBER HIM?The Tampa Bay Rays face former teammate Alex Cobb when they play at Camden Yards. They had been set to meet up Tuesday night, but the game in Baltimore was rained out. The 30-year-old Cobb spent his entire career with the Rays before joining the Orioles in late March. Over six years with Tampa Bay, the right-hander was 48-35 and one of the leaders of the staff.Cobb signed a $57 million, four-year deal with Baltimore. He got off to a late start because he missed most of spring training, and since his return has gone 0-2 with a 15.43 ERA.LOOKS ODDDodgers ace Clayton Kershaw has a 2.45 ERA after five starts, not far off his career mark of 2.36. But his won-loss record this season looks unusual — he's 1-3. The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner was a combined 67-18 over the previous four years. He'll try to get back in the victory column when he starts against Miami at Dodger Stadium.NEED A DOME!There have been 28 postponements... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers left a game against Oakland with a strained left hamstring after pulling up on his way to first base on a hit in the gap in right-center field.Beltre limped most of the way to first on a single that scored Shin-Soo Choo from first in the eighth inning Tuesday night. He immediately went to the locker room and was replaced by pinch-runner Drew Robinson.The Rangers say the veteran third baseman will be re-evaluated Wednesday.The 39-year-old Beltre is in his 21st season and is one of two active players with 3,000 hits, along with Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki. The single that scored Choo was the Beltre's second hit of the game and 3,075th of his career, 23rd on the all-time list.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Walker Buehler, the Dodgers' prized pitching prospect, has been optioned to Class A Rancho Cucamonga, although the right-hander could be back in the majors this weekend.Buehler made his first big league start on Monday night against Miami. The 23-year-old allowed four hits over five scoreless innings and struck out five, but didn't factor in the decision in the Dodgers' 2-1 win.Manager Dave Roberts said the team wanted to keep Buehler in the same time zone and nearby so it would have the option of starting him on Saturday at San Francisco.In a related move, the Dodgers selected the contract of right-hander Daniel Hudson from Triple-A Oklahoma City, bringing the big-league roster to 40.Hudson spent last season with the Pirates, making a career-high 71 appearances. He was 2-7 with a 4.38 ERA. He signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers on March 30. Hudson has yet to allow a hit in 4 2/3 innings in five relief appearances with Oklahoma City.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tags/MLBbaseball

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Walker Buehler, the Dodgers' prized pitching prospect, has been optioned to Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, although the right-hander could be back in the majors this weekend.Buehler made his first big league start on Monday night against Miami. The 23-year-old allowed four hits over five scoreless innings and struck out five, but didn't factor in the decision in the Dodgers' 2-1 win.Manager Dave Roberts said the team wanted to keep Buehler in the same time zone and nearby so it would have the option of starting him on Saturday at San Francisco.In a related move, the Dodgers selected the contract of right-hander Daniel Hudson from Triple-A Oklahoma City, bringing the big-league roster to 40.Hudson spent last season with the Pirates, making a career-high 71 appearances. He was 2-7 with a 4.38 ERA. He signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers on March 30. Hudson has yet to allow a hit in 4 2/3 innings in five relief appearances with Oklahoma City.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tags/MLBbaseball

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Washington Nationals have put right-handed reliever Shawn Kelley on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday because of ulnar nerve irritation in his pitching elbow.Kelley, who turns 34 on Thursday, has a history of elbow trouble and has twice come back from Tommy John surgery. He is scheduled to undergo an MRI test on his elbow when the Nationals return to Washington later this week."Same as yesterday," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. "Hopefully he gets better soon. He's sore but he feels better."Kelley felt some irritation in his elbow shortly after relieving starter Gio Gonzalez during the sixth inning of Monday night's 4-2 loss to the Giants.Mac Williamson hit Kelley's first pitch 464 feet for a two-run homer. Kelley was pulled a few pitches later after bouncing a slider well in front of the plate.Kelley said after the game that he didn't think it was anything serious, but Martinez said the Nationals were being cautious."He's had two surgeries so we want to make sure we don't do any more damage and just give him a little breather," Martinez said.The Nationals also optioned infielder/outfielder Matt Reynolds to Triple-A Syracuse and called up outfielder Rafael Bautista and infielder Adrian Sanchez.

DENVER (AP) — The San Diego Padres have placed first baseman Eric Hosmer on the family medical leave list.The Padres hope to have him back in the lineup Friday, manager Andy Green said before Tuesday's game against the Colorado Rockies.Green said only that Hosmer "had some things he needed to go home and take care of. Respecting his privacy and his family's wishes, we'll just kind of leave it at that right now."In addition, the team selected the contract of left-hander Eric Lauer from Triple-A El Paso. He will start Tuesday.To make room for Lauer, San Diego designated lefty Buddy Baumann for assignment.Lauer was a first-round pick of the Padres in 2016. He was 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts for El Paso.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Brewers activated catcher Manny Pina from the disabled list and put him into the starting lineup for Tuesday night's series opener against the Kansas City Royals.They cleared roster space by optioning catcher Jacob Nottingham to Triple-A Colorado Springs.Pina, who spent his first two big league seasons with the Royals, was hitting .219 with a homer and three RBIs when he went on the DL retroactive to April 13 with a strained left calf.In other news, shortstop Orlando Arcia got the day off because of stomach pain, though his ailing ankle was fine. Left-hander Boone Logan also threw a simulated game without any trouble from his left triceps strain, and is expected to join Double-A Biloxi on a rehab assignment.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

NEW YORK (AP) — Pitcher Tyler Duffey has been brought up from the minor leagues by the Minnesota Twins.The 27-year-old right-hander allowed three hits and a pair of unearned runs in 11 innings over four relief appearances for Triple-A Rochester this season.He is 16-16 with a 5.29 ERA in 36 starts and 56 relief appearances for the Twins over the past three seasons. He was 2-3 with a 4.94 ERA in 56 relief appearances with Minnesota last year.Duffey was recalled Tuesday and took the roster spot of right-hander Alan Busenitz, who was optioned to Rochester after allowing two runs in two-thirds of an inning in the Twins' 14-1 loss to the New York Yankees on Monday night.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

DENVER (AP) — The San Diego Padres have placed first baseman Eric Hosmer on the family medical leave list.In addition, the team selected the contract of left-hander Eric Lauer from Triple-A El Paso. He will start Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies.To make room for Lauer, San Diego designated lefty Buddy Baumann for assignment.Lauer was a first-round pick of the Padres in 2016. He was 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts for El Paso. Lauer tied a career high with 10 strikeouts on April 15 against Las Vegas.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez carried his own suitcase up the stairs when he arrived home from a stint at Triple-A Omaha, never once thinking about how perilous the trek was the last time he tried it.The Royals' All-Star catcher was toting his bags up the stairs after returning from spring training last month when he slipped awkwardly on a step. He wound up straining ligaments in his left knee and has spent nearly a month on the disabled list.Perez was activated along with outfielder Alex Gordon before Tuesday night's game against the Brewers. Perez was behind the plate and batting cleanup while Gordon was in left field and hitting seventh."I'm excited to be back on the field. It's time to go," Perez said. "They asked how I was feeling. I'm feeling great. You know me. I like to play hard. I like to compete. I like to help my team win."The Royals have had a hard time with that lately. They were just 5-15 heading into their game against Milwaukee, all of those games with fill-ins... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Sean Manaea's father is from American Samoa, where he grew up playing cricket and rugby and didn't really know anything about baseball.The younger Manaea was born in Indiana, loved baseball from an early age and blossomed into a hard-throwing 6-foot-5 lefty who in his last start for the Oakland Athletics threw a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox ."My parents never played baseball," Manaea said. "They just signed me up one day, and I was like, 'All right, let's do that.' ... From then on, something grabbed me and just kept pulling me toward it. It's just been my first love since I started playing."While Oakland's first no-hitter since 2010 is certainly the highlight so far for Manaea, the 26-year-old is off to an impressive start overall in his third big league season.Manaea has a 3-2 record — the A's scored only one run total in his two losses — with a 1.23 ERA. His 36 2/3 innings matched the major league lead going into Tuesday night's games. Opposing teams are... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant is out of the lineup against the Cleveland Indians two days after being hit on the head by a pitch.Cubs manager Joe Maddon said before Tuesday night's game that the 2016 National League MVP has a cut above his left eye but no concussion after being hit Sunday by Colorado's German Marquez."I think he's fine, but getting hit in the head is a pretty traumatic experience," Maddon said. "Fortunately, it never happened to me, but it happened to him."The pitch hit the underside of the flap on Bryant's helmet, and he was helped off the field. Bryant is batting .319 with two homers and 11 RBIs this season.Tommy La Stella started at third base and batted fifth Tuesday. Second baseman Javier Baez batted second, in Byrant's usual spot in the lineup.Shortstop Addison Russell was in the lineup after experiencing an allergic reaction to a postgame meal Sunday in the Cubs' clubhouse. Russell, who is allergic to shellfish, began eating what he thought... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant is out of the lineup against the Cleveland Indians two days after being hit on the head by a pitch.Cubs manager Joe Maddon said before Tuesday night's game that the 2016 National League MVP has a cut above his left eye but no concussion after being hit Sunday by Colorado's German Marquez.The pitch hit the underside of the flap on Bryant's helmet, and he was helped off the field. Bryant is batting .319 with two homers and 11 RBIs this season.Shortstop Addison Russell was in the lineup after experiencing an allergic reaction to a postgame meal Sunday. He spent the night in Denver after being hospitalized briefly and rejoined the team Monday.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals activated All-Star catcher Salvador Perez and outfielder Alex Gordon from the disabled list and put them in the lineup for Tuesday night's series opener against the Brewers.Perez has been out all season after straining a ligament in his left knee while carrying bags up a flight of stairs in his home. He was behind the plate and batting cleanup against Milwaukee.Gordon tore the labrum in his left hip on April 9. He was in left field and batting seventh.The Royals also recalled left-hander Eric Stout from Triple-A Omaha to provide bullpen help. They cleared roster space by putting right-hander Justin Grimm on the DL with lower back stiffness and sending catcher Cam Gallagher and outfielder Paulo Orlando to the Storm Chasers.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles have claimed utility infielder Jace Peterson after he was placed on waivers by the New York Yankees.Peterson, a left-handed hitter, is expected to report Wednesday.He provides depth to an infield that is without injured second baseman Jonathan Schoop and could potentially lose Tim Beckham, who left Monday's game against Cleveland with a groin injury.The 27-year-old Peterson played in three games with the Yankees this season, going 3 for 10 with a walk.Selected by San Diego in the first round of the 2011 draft, Peterson broke into the big leagues with the Padres in 2014 before playing for Atlanta the past three years.Peterson has 386 games of major league experience, primarily as a second baseman. He also plays third base, shortstop and all three outfield positions.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox have placed outfielder Avisail Garcia on the 10-day disabled list because of a strained right hamstring.Garcia was hurt Monday night while running out a grounder in the second inning of a 10-4 victory over Seattle. He attempted to pull up a few steps short of first base then fell. He was assisted off the field and left the game.White Sox manager Rick Renteria says the injury is considered "mild to moderate" and will be reassessed in a few days.Garcia was an All-Star a year ago but is off to a sluggish start, hitting .233 with one homer and four RBIs in 18 games.To take his roster spot, the White Sox called up outfielder Daniel Palka from Triple-A Charlotte. He's hitting .286 with seven RBIs in 17 games.

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees have acquired pitcher A.J. Cole from the Washington Nationals, hoping the once-promising righty can find his rhythm in a new place.The Yankees got Cole for $75,000, a move they announced Monday night following a 14-1 win over Minnesota. Right-hander David Hale was designated for assignment after pitching two scoreless innings to finish off the rout.The 26-year-old Cole was cut by the Nationals on Friday. He was 1-1 with a 13.06 ERA in four games.Cole won the fifth spot in the rotation out of spring training but was tagged by Atlanta for 10 runs in 3 2/3 innings in his first start. He made one more start, then was shifted to the bullpen when Jeremy Hellickson joined the Nationals.The 6-foot-5 Cole is 5-8 with a 5.32 ERA in parts of four seasons with Washington.Hellickson was signed less than two weeks before opening day. Once he became available after an extended spring, he was added to Washington's roster and Cole became expendable.Hellickson has made two starts for the Nationals and kept them in the game both times.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball