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 …

Stanton's 450th homer helps Yankees close gap in AL East and conjures Hall of Fame talk  —  BALTIMORE — Giancarlo Stanton hopes his 450th home run won't be the last milestone he celebrates before calling it a career.  —  “It's a nice round number,” the New York Yankees slugger said Saturday night …

Angles star Mike Trout hits his 400th career home run in win over Rockies  —  DENVER — A difficult season for Mike Trout and his Los Angeles Angels team came with a historical benchmark Saturday.  —  The three-time American League most valuable player and 11-time all-star hit …

Cal Raleigh breaks Ken Griffey Jr.'s single-season home run record for Mariners  —  HOUSTON — Seattle's Cal Raleigh hit his 57th home run of the season Saturday night against the Houston Astros to pass Ken Griffey Jr. for the single-season franchise record.

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 …

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.”

Wilyer Abreu expects to be activated Sunday, and Red Sox can't wait to get his bat back into the lineup  —  TAMPA — Wilyer Abreu rejoined the Red Sox on Saturday and, after working out with the team before the Sox' 6-3 win over the Rays at Steinbrenner Field, expects to be activated on Sunday.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

'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.