Free-agent relief pitcher Jesse Chavez and infielder Danny Mendick were among 11 to sign minor-league deals with invites to major-league spring training with the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. Chavez missed three months in 2023 due to a microfracture in his left shin, but when he was healthy, he was great despite being 40 years old. He posted a strong 1.56 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with 39 strikeouts and one save for the Atlanta Braves in 34 2/3 innings pitched. Given how weak the White Sox's bullpen is entering spring training, it would be a surprise if the veteran reliever wasn't pitching for the big-league club in 2024, but he won't be on the fantasy radar. Mendick, 30, spent the first four years of his career in Chicago. The utility man played in 33 games with the New York Mets last year and went 12-for-65 (.185) with a homer and four RBI.

New York Mets infielder Danny Mendick and outfielder Rafael Ortega have been placed on outright waivers on Friday. This comes as no surprise considering both players struggled during their time with the Mets last season. Ortega was an everyday outfielder in the second half of the season. However, he slashed .219/.341/.272 during that time, which wasn't enough to warrant keeping him around. It's likely that both players head into free agency this offseason.

The New York Mets and free-agent infielder Danny Mendick agreed to a one-year, $1 million deal on Wednesday, according to sources familiar with the deal. The 29-year-old was non-tendered by the Chicago White Sox after he hit a strong .289/.343/.443 in 106 plate appearances and 31 games for them in 2022. The Mets will get four years of control with Mendick, who underwent surgery on his right knee in June to fix a torn ACL. The 29-year-old may not be ready for the start of the 2023 season, but he'll provide the Mets with a strong utility infield bat once he's ready to return. In his four major-league seasons (all with the White Sox), Mendick has hit .251/.309/.366 with a .675 OPS, 10 home runs, 45 RBI, 53 runs scored and a stolen base in 151 games played.

The Chicago White Sox placed infielder Danny Mendick (knee) and outfielder Adam Engel (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list on Thursday. Mendick will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his right knee, while Engel is sidelined with a strained right hamstring. The White Sox selected infielder Lenyn Sosa's contract from Double-A Birmingham and moved outfielder Eloy Jimenez (hamstring) to the 60-day IL in corresponding moves. Mendick injured his knee during a collision on Wednesday, and it's a shame since he was hitting .289/.343/.443 with three home runs and 15 RBI in 31 games for the Pale Hose. With Engel sidelined, both AJ Pollock and Adam Haseley should see more playing time moving forward.

Chicago White Sox second baseman Danny Mendick (knee) is slated for an MRI. He exited Wednesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays early due to right knee discomfort. The 28-year-old went 1-for-1 before being removed from the game during a collision in the second inning. The White Sox utility player was finding his groove at the plate and had collected a hit in 11 of the last 12 games, including two home runs and nine RBI during that stretch. Mendick is considered day-to-day, and more if timeline will be known once the MRI results are in.

Chicago White Sox utility player Danny Mendick and relief pitcher Ryan Burr were optioned to Triple-A on Friday, the team announced on Twitter. The moves were made to open up space on the roster for newly acquired second baseman Cesar Hernandez and relief pitcher Ryan Tepera. Neither Mendick nor Burr had much in the way of fantasy value this year, as Mendick was slashing .195/.302/.266 over 58 games, while Burr was 2-1 with a 2.95 ERA, 1.078 WHIP and 20.2 percent strikeout rate over 21 1/3 innings of work. There's no reason either player should remain rostered in any format.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alcides Escobar homered in the eighth inning and hit a winning single in the ninth Sunday as the Washington Nationals wrapped up a disturbing weekend with an 8-7 win over the San Diego Padres. A day after the game was suspended in the sixth inning because of a shooting outside Nationals Park, the Padres completed a 10-4 victory. Washington then came back to end a six-game losing streak. Tres Barrera singled off Mark Melancon (2-2) with one out in the ninth and, after failing on a bunt attempt, Victor Robles was hit by pitch. Escobar hit a flyball that center fielder Trent Grisham couldn’t corral and Barrera scored. Brad Hand (5-2) earned the victory. Juan Soto joined Josh Harrison with three hits and added a two-run homer. Manny Machado, Eric Hosmer and Jackson Profar homered for the Padres. Nationals ace Max Scherzer allowed four runs on four hits in seven innings. He struck out eight. In the completion of Saturday's suspended game, Fernando Tatis Jr. had his third four-hit... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alcides Escobar homered in the eighth inning and hit a winning single in the ninth Sunday as the Washington Nationals wrapped up a disturbing weekend with an 8-7 win over the San Diego Padres. A day after the game was suspended in the sixth inning because of a shooting outside Nationals Park, the Padres completed a 10-4 victory. Washington then came back to end a six-game losing streak. Tres Barrera singled off Mark Melancon (2-2) with one out in the ninth and, after failing on a bunt attempt, Victor Robles was hit by pitch. Escobar hit a flyball that center fielder Trent Grisham couldn’t corral and Barrera scored. Brad Hand (5-2) earned the victory. Juan Soto joined Josh Harrison with three hits and added a two-run homer. Manny Machado, Eric Hosmer and Jackson Profar homered for the Padres. Nationals ace Max Scherzer allowed four runs on four hits in seven innings. He struck out eight. In the completion of Saturday's suspended game, Fernando Tatis Jr. had his third four-hit... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors today: ___ ENDLESS ROAD The beleaguered Arizona Diamondbacks have dropped 21 straight on the road, one short of the major league record. Arizona can match a dubious mark shared by the 1963 New York Mets and 1943 Philadelphia Athletics when it plays the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Merrill Kelly (2-6, 5.14 ERA) pitches for the Diamondbacks against Anthony DeSclafani (6-2, 3.09), who tossed a two-hit shutout versus Washington last Friday. Arizona hasn’t won on the road since April 25 at Atlanta. “It wears you down,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “At some point we’re going to understand why we’re walking through this. I don’t want things to creep into the guys' heads about feeling sorry for themselves." The Diamondbacks blew a seven-run lead Tuesday night in San Francisco and lost 9-8 when Mike Yastrzemski hit a go-ahead grand slam with two outs in the eighth inning. They've dropped 12 in a row overall. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Orioles will... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors Wednesday: ___ GET A GRIP Now that Major League Baseball has detailed the coming crackdown on illegal substances, pitchers must get prepared to command their stuff without the same sort of tacky aides. The commissioner’s office announced that pitchers will be ejected and suspended 10 games for using illicit sticky stuff to better their grip on the baseball. Increased enforcement begins Monday. Responding to record strikeouts and a league batting average at a more than half-century low, MLB said Tuesday that major and minor league umpires will start regular checks of all pitchers, even if opposing managers don’t request inspections. While suspensions would be with pay, repeat offenders would receive progressive discipline, and teams and club employees would be subject to discipline for failure to comply. “After an extensive process of repeated warnings without effect, gathering information from current and former players and others across the... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors Wednesday: ___ GET A GRIP Now that Major League Baseball has detailed the coming crackdown on illegal substances, pitchers must get prepared to command their stuff without the same sort of tacky aides. The commissioner’s office announced that pitchers will be ejected and suspended 10 games for using illicit sticky stuff to better their grip on the baseball. Increased enforcement begins Monday. Responding to record strikeouts and a league batting average at a more than half-century low, MLB said Tuesday that major and minor league umpires will start regular checks of all pitchers, even if opposing managers don’t request inspections. While suspensions would be with pay, repeat offenders would receive progressive discipline, and teams and club employees would be subject to discipline for failure to comply. “After an extensive process of repeated warnings without effect, gathering information from current and former players and others across the... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — White Sox second baseman Nick Madrigal will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery Tuesday to repair tears in his right hamstring. The AL Central leaders, who have already overcome significant injuries this season, said Madrigal was expected to be fully recovered by next spring. Madrigal was hurt last week trying to beat out a grounder. Chicago had put him on the 60-day injured list and held out hope he might recover to play again this year. The 24-year-old rookie had been a sparkplug for the White Sox, hitting .305 while scoring 30 runs and driving in 21 over 54 games. He was tied for the AL lead with four triples. Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa had frequently praised Madrigal for his aggressive, scrappy style. “The surgery went well,” La Russa said. "To have the surgery, I think in the long term for him and for us, it clears away some uncertainty,' he said. “This way he can take his time and make sure he's 100%," he said. Danny Mendick, who started Tuesday... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jacob deGrom was pulled from a do-it-all gem with right flexor tendinitis, a troubling diagnosis for the New York Mets that clouded a 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday night. DeGrom (6-2) faced the minimum over six innings and ripped a two-run single, giving him five RBIs this season — compared to four earned runs allowed. He struck out 10 in the abbreviated outing. DeGrom left after 80 pitches and extending his scoreless streak to 22 innings. He had a no-hit bid until Wil Myers beat the shift with a weak grounder in the fifth. Billy McKinney drove in a run with the first of his two doubles in the fifth, and deGrom followed with his two-run hit. San Diego dropped its third straight. Blake Snell (2-3) allowed three runs in four-plus innings, and the Padres couldn’t do enough damage against New York’s bullpen. CUBS 8, CARDINALS 5 CHICAGO (AP) — Anthony Rizzo hit a tying home run in the sixth inning on the 14th pitch of his at-bat against Daniel Ponce de Leon.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jacob deGrom was pulled from a do-it-all gem with right flexor tendinitis, a troubling diagnosis for the New York Mets that clouded a 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday night. DeGrom (6-2) faced the minimum over six innings and ripped a two-run single, giving him five RBIs this season — compared to four earned runs allowed. He struck out 10 in the abbreviated outing. DeGrom left after 80 pitches and extending his scoreless streak to 22 innings. He had a no-hit bid until Wil Myers beat the shift with a weak grounder in the fifth. Billy McKinney drove in a run with the first of his two doubles in the fifth, and deGrom followed with his two-run hit. San Diego dropped its third straight. Blake Snell (2-3) allowed three runs in four-plus innings, and the Padres couldn’t do enough damage against New York’s bullpen. CUBS 8, CARDINALS 5 CHICAGO (AP) — Anthony Rizzo hit a tying home run in the sixth inning on the 14th pitch of his at-bat against Daniel Ponce de Leon.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jacob deGrom was pulled from a do-it-all gem with right flexor tendinitis, a troubling diagnosis for the New York Mets that clouded a 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday night. DeGrom (6-2) faced the minimum over six innings and ripped a two-run single, giving him five RBIs this season — compared to four earned runs allowed. He struck out 10 in the abbreviated outing. DeGrom left after 80 pitches and extending his scoreless streak to 22 innings. He had a no-hit bid until Wil Myers beat the shift with a weak grounder in the fifth. Billy McKinney drove in a run with the first of his two doubles in the fifth, and deGrom followed with his two-run hit. San Diego dropped its third straight. Blake Snell (2-3) allowed three runs in four-plus innings, and the Padres couldn’t do enough damage against New York’s bullpen. CUBS 8, CARDINALS 5 CHICAGO (AP) — Anthony Rizzo hit a tying home run in the sixth inning on the 14th pitch of his at-bat against Daniel Ponce de Leon.... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — White Sox second baseman Nick Madrigal could miss the rest of the season after tearing his right hamstring, putting another key player on the team's injured list. Madrigal was helped off the field after he tried to beat out a grounder in the seventh inning of Wednesday night's 6-2 loss to Toronto. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft had been rounding into form of late, batting .365 (27 for 74) with two homers and 10 RBIs in his last 20 games. “The only positive I can think of is that we’ve proven how we’re going to handle it, which is play as hard as we can and as good as we can with the guys that we have,” manager Tony La Russa said. The 24-year-old Madrigal has a proximal tear of his right hamstring, and White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said the team is exploring options for treatment. Rest and rehabilitation is one option, but Madrigal also could be headed for season-ending surgery. “Regardless of which path we're on, he'll be inactive for a minimum of... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — White Sox second baseman Nick Madrigal could miss the rest of the season after tearing his right hamstring, putting another key player on the team's injured list. Madrigal was helped off the field after he tried to beat out a grounder in the seventh inning of Wednesday night's 6-2 loss to Toronto. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft had been rounding into form of late, batting .365 (27 for 74) with two homers and 10 RBIs in his last 20 games. “The only positive I can think of is that we’ve proven how we’re going to handle it, which is play as hard as we can and as good as we can with the guys that we have,” manager Tony La Russa said. The 24-year-old Madrigal has a proximal tear of his right hamstring, and White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said the team is exploring options for treatment. Rest and rehabilitation is one option, but Madrigal also could be headed for season-ending surgery. “Regardless of which path we're on, he'll be inactive for a minimum of... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — White Sox second baseman Nick Madrigal could miss the rest of the season after tearing his right hamstring, putting another key player on the team's injured list. Madrigal was helped off the field after he tried to beat out a grounder in the seventh inning of Wednesday night's 6-2 loss to Toronto. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft had been rounding into form of late, batting .365 (27 for 74) with two homers and 10 RBIs in his last 20 games. “It's a big blow, but the games still count and we have to go forward," manager Tony La Russa said. The 24-year-old Madrigal has a proximal tear of his right hamstring, and White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said the team is exploring options for treatment. Rest and rehabilitation is one option, but Madrigal also could be headed for season-ending surgery. “Regardless of which path we're on, he'll be inactive for a minimum of six weeks,” Hahn said. Madrigal was placed on the 60-day IL before Thursday's series finale against... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Randal Grichuk hit a long home run and the Toronto Blue Jays took advantage of a season-high four errors by Chicago as well as a bases-loaded walk to beat the AL Central-leading White Sox 6-2 on Wednesday night. Grichuk hit a 451-foot drive leading off the second inning. Toronto rookie Alek Manoah threw five solid innings in his third major league start and the Blue Jays won despite another strong start by Chicago’s Lance Lynn. The White Sox were sailing along with a 2-1 lead after Lynn struck out nine over seven innings. But a shaky bullpen and poor defense spoiled things for Chicago. Toronto scored three runs in the eighth and tacked on two more in the ninth. Aaron Bummer (0-4) walked Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with the bases loaded in the eighth to force in the tying run. Two more scored when shortstop Tim Anderson overthrew first trying to complete a double play on Teoscar Hernández’s grounder against Codi Heuer, giving the Blue Jays a 4-2 lead. Toronto tacked on two more... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit his major league-leading 13th home run and the Los Angeles Angels defeated the slumping Cleveland Indians 7-4 on Monday night after star outfielder Mike Trout was injured early. Trout strained his right calf in the first inning. The three-time AL MVP was limping after running to third on an inning-ending popup. Angels manager Joe Maddon said Trout was undergoing further evaluation, including an MRI, and the team would know more on Tuesday. Ohtani connected off Sam Hentges (1-1) during a five-run second to give the Angels a 6-1 lead. The Japanese superstar, who hit the go-ahead homer with two outs in the ninth inning Sunday at Boston, has gone deep in consecutive games twice this season. Tony Watson (2-1), the second of seven Los Angeles pitchers, earned the win and Raisel Iglesias picked up his seventh save. Cesar Hernandez, Franmil Reyes and Harold Ramirez homered for Cleveland, which has dropped four straight. DODGERS 3, DIAMONDBACKS 1 LOS ANGELES... [More]