Dodgers considering Shohei Ohtani helping as reliever  —  LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani has proved to be a viable starting pitcher as the postseason approaches, but Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged Wednesday that the organization has considered whether he might …

Raleigh hits HRs No. 55, 56 to pass Mantle, tie Mariners' mark  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cal Raleigh broke Mickey Mantle's record for homers by a switch-hitter and tied the Mariners record set by Ken Griffey Jr. when the Seattle star hit his 55th and 56th of the season in consecutive at-bats against the Royals on Tuesday night.

Astros' Yordan Alvarez out ‘a while’ with left ankle sprain  —  Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has a “pretty significant” left ankle sprain and will be out of the lineup indefinitely as Houston battles for a division title and an American League playoff spot as the season winds down, manager Joe Espada said Tuesday.

Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: Last call for saves as end of season nears  —  In this week's Closer Report, we run down the last week in saves around the league and examine every team's closer situation as we come down to the final week of baseball.  —  Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings  —  Tier 1

MLB drops plan for London games in 2026, says nearing TV deals with NBC, ESPN, Netflix  —  Major League Baseball has abandoned plans to play two games in London next season because of scheduling issues with West Ham's Olympic Stadium and the sport's television partner.

Tests OK on Bo Bichette's knee; he could return for playoffs  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette will miss the remainder of the regular season with a sprained left knee, but the AL East leaders hope to get him back during the playoffs.  —  Bichette has been sidelined since Sept. 7.

Four rivals, 13 days: Five things we learned about Yankees  —  With his New York Yankees in the thick of a 12-game gauntlet against four American League playoff contenders, manager Aaron Boone divulged his sleep strategy to manage the stress.  —  “Melatonin makes sure it doesn't keep me up,” Boone said last week.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Trey Yesavage, Bryce Eldridge, and Josh Smith  —  We are officially in the fantasy baseball championship push.  —  While the rest of your leaguemates are focused on their fantasy football waiver wires, paying a little extra attention to some recent activity around …

Which Teams Have Suffered the Most From Injuries?  —  Major League Baseball's injured list is the sport's unofficial 31st team, one that never makes the playoffs but always plays spoiler.  In the last week, 22 players were placed on the IL.  The biggest name was Will Smith …

Giants calling up top prospect Bryce Eldridge to help their playoff bid  —  With 13 games left in the season and the team still in the pennant race, the San Francisco Giants are calling up their top prospect, first baseman Bryce Eldridge, the Chronicle has learned.

MLB Power Rankings: Brewers, Phillies clinch playoff spots, Mariners surging, races galore  —  Featured in this week's MLB Power Rankings, we've officially entered clinching season, the Mariners surge into first place, the final spot in the NL Wild Card race is up for grabs …

Odds by Looking for a pesky spoiler?  The Athletics just swept the Reds — and have been above .500 since the break  —  It won't exactly make up for the 1990 World Series — won by Cincinnati in a sweep over Oakland — but the Athletics played the role of spoiler to perfection after they won three straight over the Reds.