Cubs star Kris Bryant has a chance to be a very unique MVP  —  Bryant's versatility makes him a rare breed.  —  Jonathan Daniel  —  Shall we call him Kris “The Man” Bryant?  —  Heaven forbid, it might offend the Best Fans in Baseball, who would consider it sacrilege to bestow upon Bryant …

Dave Dombrowski doesn't sound optimistic Jonathan Papelbon will be option for Red Sox  —  The Jonathan Papelbon Watch has lingered for most of August, and figures to continue to do so until the end of the month.  —  But with Papelbon still not choosing to sign with a team since his release …

Mondesi's triple keys big inning, Royals beat Red Sox 10-4 … BOSTON — The Kansas City Royals keep finding different sources for timely hits during a red-hot August.  —  Raul Mondesi hit a bases-loaded triple and Eric Hosmer added a two-run single during an eight-run sixth inning …

Hey, ump!  Why'd you eject that player or manager?  —  The pitch is called a strike, and suddenly a player or manager is in the umpire's face, gesturing and shouting ferociously.  How the ump reacts depends on several factors, including the exact verbiage used.

Drew Stubbs Rejects Outright Assignment From Rangers  —  The Rangers announced this afternoon that outfielder Drew Stubbs has rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A following his recent DFA.  The 31-year-old has been placed on irrevocable waivers and will be a free agent if he clears.

Arenado Homers Among 4 Hits to Power Rockies Past  —  WASHINGTON — If the Colorado Rockies faced contenders like the Washington Nationals more often, they might also be in the playoff race.  —  Nolan Arenado went 4 for 4, including his 35th home run and a triple, and drove in three runs …

Red Sox seeking base stealing threat off bench, Yoan Moncada in mix  —  One of the features of the Red Sox' September and October rosters in recent years has been having a player who can come off the bench and be a base stealing threat.  —  In 2004 that was Dave Roberts and in 2013 it was Quintin Berry.

Nationals To Add Mat Latos To Active Roster  —  The Nationals have struck a slightly modified agreement with righty Mat Latos that will result in him joining the major league roster, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets.  Though Latos could've opted out today if he was not promoted …

Kevin Cash frustrated by Rays' fundamental flaws  —  Chris Archer avoided tying the team record of 18 losses, and the Rays avoided a rare sweep that would have dropped them back under .500 post-All-Star break with a 10-4 win Sunday over the contending Astros.

MLB roundup: The maturation of Mookie Betts; Yanks' Sanchez homers again  —  Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts says that his first real conversations about taking advantage of hitters' counts started when he was in Class A, playing at Greenville, South Carolina, and working with hitting coach U.L. Washington.

Top prospect Brinson already turning heads  —  Having played only eight games at the Class AAA level for the Texas Rangers, and none this season, Lewis Brinson assumed he was ticketed for Class AA Biloxi after he learned he had been traded for Jonathan Lucroy on Aug. 1.  —  But the Milwaukee Brewers had a different idea.

Blue Jays Place Josh Thole On Irrevocable Waivers  —  The Blue Jays placed catcher Josh Thole on irrevocable waivers following Sunday's game, Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star reports.  The newly-acquired Dioner Navarro will be activated on Monday to take Thole's spot on the 25-man roster.

Baseball's minor leaguers pursue their dreams below the poverty line  —  AUGUSTA, Ga. — They trickled into the mid-July night, a rain-shortened loss beginning their Friday night early.  A 25-year-old catcher hung back.  —  Matt Paré chatted with teammates and underwent …