Washington Nationals ink RHP Francisco Rodriguez  —  Veteran closer Francisco Rodriguez signed a minor league contract Monday with the Washington Nationals.  —  FanRagSports.com reported the signing Monday evening.  Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal confirmed the report.  —  The Detroit Tigers released ‘K-Rod’ on Friday.

Rays Acquire Adeiny Hechavarria  —  5:16pm: Both clubs have announced the deal, making it official.  —  2:26pm: The Rays and Marlins have reportedly agreed to a trade that will send shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria from Miami to Tampa Bay in exchange for minor league outfielder Braxton Lee and minor league right-hander Ethan Clark.

Appeals court dismisses minor league player suit against MLB  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) A federal appeals court upheld a ruling that dismissed a lawsuit filed by minor league baseball players accusing Major League Baseball of colluding to suppress wages.  —  The U.S. Court of Appeals …

MLB power rankings: Dodgers make a statement, Astros No. 1  —  Thanks to a 10-game winning streak, the Los Angeles Dodgers overtook first place in the National League West and the No. 2 spot in USA TODAY Sports' power rankings.  —  The Dodgers, led by rookie slugger Cody Bellinger …

Yankees' Starlin Castro leaves with strained hamstring  —  CHICAGO — The New York Yankees' growing list of injuries added another name on Monday as second baseman Starlin Castro was forced out of the team's game against the Chicago White Sox with a strained right hamstring.

San Francisco Giants find nothing is routine in troubled 2017 season  —  Things are different around the San Francisco Giants, and not simply because the three-time World Series champions are on pace to lose 100 games for the first time since 1985.  —  The clubhouse, once populated …

Matt Holliday out of lineup again in aftermath of allergic reaction  —  Yankees outfielder Matt Holliday remained out of the lineup Monday as New York began a series in Chicago against the White Sox.  —  Holliday has been dealing with issues stemming from an allergic reaction he had in Oakland on June 17.

Rick Renteria hopes this week will provide remedy for ‘fatigued’ White Sox  —  Derek Holland and Rick Renteria on the 5-3 White Sox loss to the A's on Sunday, June 25, 2017.  (Colleen Kane/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  White Sox manager Rick Renteria said Sunday evening …

Charlie Sheen puts Babe Ruth ring, Red Sox sale document up for auction  —  Charlie Sheen has revealed himself as the owner of two of the most coveted pieces of Babe Ruth memorabilia, which will be sold Friday.  —  Sheen told ESPN on Monday that it is he who consigned Babe Ruth's 1927 World Series ring …

Cardinals avoid sweep but are ‘not on a great path right now’  —  Photo by Chris Lee, clee@post-dispatch.com  —  The verb, usually reserved to describe a rescue of something that has been wrecked or left in disrepair, adopts a positive connotation around a ballpark because of the alternative.

Kris Bryant might wind up as Cubs' lone All-Star representative  —  Kris Bryant previews the upcoming series against the Nationals on June 25, 2017.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  From seven to one?  —  That could be the difference in the Cubs' All-Star representation from 2016 to 2017.

Rangers' Napoli shown love in Indians ring ceremony  —  CLEVELAND  —  Mike Napoli spent only one season with the Cleveland Indians, yet the impact he left on the city and the team's fan was truly felt Monday night.  —  The Indians presented Napoli with his American League championship ring …

Greinke in a groove, until ...  Since allowing two singles to the Phillies in the first inning, Diamondbacks starter Zack Greinke has been on a tear.  The right-hander retired 12 batters in a row until walking Brock Stassi with one out in the fifth.  —  A diving stop by shortstop Nick Ahmed enabled …

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/26/17  —  Here are the day's minor moves:  — Righty Keyvius Sampson has signed on with the Marlins on a minors deal, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter).  The 26-year-old threw 91 2/3 MLB innings for the Reds in the past two seasons …

Cubs' Willson Contreras leads off game with HR  —  The Cubs' Willson Contreras on batting leadoff vs. the Nationals on June 26, 2017.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Cubs 1, Nationals 0 (third inning)  —  Willson Contreras, batting leadoff for the first time in his career …

Royals place Nathan Karns on 60-day DL, reinstate Brian Flynn  —  The Royals reinstated left-handed reliever Brian Flynn from the 60-day disabled list Monday and optioned him to Class AAA Omaha.  To create space on the 40-man roster, the club placed starter Nathan Karns on the 60-day disabled list.