Giants' Justin Verlander wants to pitch at age 43 in 2026  —  Justin Verlander, who went a team-record 16 starts this season for the San Francisco Giants before registering a win, has fixed whatever wasn't working, is riding a hot streak and reiterated that he wants to return …

Nick Castellanos hits 250th homer, criticizes ‘questionable’ communication over changing role with Phillies  —  PHOENIX — Nick Castellanos came off the bench Friday night and popped his 250th career home run.Then, he popped off about his manager.In a five-minute interview at his locker …

What we're hearing about the Mets' pitching plans into the postseason  —  NEW YORK — The New York Mets enter the weekend two games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks for the final wild-card spot in the National League.  Though New York's focus is on getting to the postseason …

MLB orders down period for teams' monitoring of amateur players  —  Major League Baseball is banning team officials from watching amateur players or collecting data on them for a monthslong period over the winter, warning executives that “the amateur baseball calendar is putting young players …

Brewers' Christian Yelich reaches major milestone in his successful comeback from back surgery  —  MILWAUKEE — Christian Yelich always believed he could get back to hitting the way he had earlier in his career, even as he encountered skepticism about his chances of making a successful comeback from back surgery.

Struggling Charlie Morton on future with Detroit Tigers: ‘Not expecting anything’ … Right-hander Charlie Morton might have thrown his last pitch for the Detroit Tigers.  —  He summarized his contributions.  —  “It's heartbreaking,” Morton said.  “It's really disappointing.”

Yankees ace Max Fried makes winning fun for Aaron Boone and New York teammates  —  BALTIMORE — There's nothing like watching Max Fried pitch to alleviate some of the angst and pressure associated with managing the New York Yankees in the midst of a pennant race.

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 …

'I'm at peace with it.' Clayton Kershaw announces retirement after 18 seasons with Dodgers  —  Last year, in the middle of a World Series celebration he had spent two decades dreaming about, Clayton Kershaw took the mic at Dodger Stadium and made a declaration.

MLB labor: How fight over salary cap will shape negotiations  —  OF ALL THE things to cause outrage, to intensify the bleating that baseball is broken and the Los Angeles Dodgers are the culprit, the signing that generated the most consternation was that of a relief pitcher.

Machado the man for bases-loaded moments as his 14th grand slam powers Padres past Mets  —  NEW YORK — With the bases loaded, the last man any opposing pitcher wants to see at the plate is Manny Machado.  —  The seven-time All-Star once again showed why Wednesday night.

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