Mets pitcher José Buttó goes on 15-day injured list with unspecified illness  —  NEW YORK — New York Mets reliever José Buttó was put on the 15-day injured list Friday with an unspecified illness, the team's 13th pitcher on the IL.

Cubs' Jameson Taillon to miss more than month with calf strain  —  CHICAGO — Chicago Cubs righty Jameson Taillon was placed on the injured list on Friday with a right calf strain, the team announced before its game against the St. Louis Cardinals.  He's expected to miss “more than a month,” according to manager Craig Counsell.

Phillies demote Mick Abel to Triple-A, move Taijuan Walker back to rotation  —  PHILADELPHIA — Mick Abel couldn't sustain his sublime major league debut and is headed to the minors.  —  Taijuan Walker is back in Philadelphia's rotation.  And anticipation that prized prospect Andrew Painter …

Royals add 3rd catcher to roster.  It came at the expense of a struggling outfielder  —  The Kansas City Royals shuffled their roster ahead of Friday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.  —  The Royals selected the contract of Luke Maile from Triple-A Omaha to operate as a third catcher.

If standings say buy at trade deadline, front office expects OK to spend: Cardinals Extra  —  CHICAGO — As the calendar pushes them toward the trade deadline and what could be a defining decision for the current club and the next few years, the Cardinals intend to let the results of the next few weeks be their guide.

Astros' Altuve homers twice, drives in five and gets booed in 18-1 historic rout of Dodgers  —  LOS ANGELES — Jose Altuve homered twice while reaching base five times and driving in five runs, and the Houston Astros routed the Los Angeles Dodgers 18-1 on Friday night in the series opener of a matchup between division leaders.

Diamondbacks Considering Pushing Zac Gallen Back a Day  —  The Sunday starter for Arizona is still TBA, as the D-backs look to get extra rest for their stating pitchers.  —  Heading into their series finale against the Giants on Thursday night, the Arizona Diamondbacks were still showing …

OHTANI, JUDGE AND THE BAT BRAND OWNED BY EX-MLB STAR CÉSPEDES  —  As the torpedo bat craze stormed Major League Baseball to start the 2025 season, Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge were both asked about making the switch.  “I'm very satisfied with my current bat,” Ohtani told the Japanese press after an April walk-off home run.

Sources: Guardians' Luis Ortiz subject of gambling investigation  —  Cleveland Guardians right-hander Luis Ortiz is under investigation by Major League Baseball after a betting-integrity firm flagged a pair of pitches that had received unusual gambling activity, sources told ESPN on Thursday.