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4:05 PM ET, July 8, 2026

Ballbug

 Top News: 
MLB.com:
2026 Draft starts Saturday!  Here's what you need to know  —  Once again, the MLB Draft will coincide with All-Star Week, which makes it easy to draw a connection between the two tentpole events.  Look at the initial All-Star rosters, and you'll notice 20 first-round picks and another 16 players selected in the first five rounds.
RELATED:
David Schoenfield / ESPN:
Handing out 2026 midseason grades for all 30 MLB teams  —  It's time for first-half grades, so let's just get right to it — especially since we've technically passed the halfway point, as teams are reaching the 90-game mark of the 2026 Major League Baseball season.  —  After all, we had a World Cup game to watch!
Discussion: Yahoo Sports
MLB.com:
Rangers eager to strengthen org teeming with top Draft picks
Discussion: The Athletic and Yahoo Sports
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Royals speedster ties MLB record with hit in 12 straight plate appearances  —  NEW YORK — After scoring 15 runs against the Phillies on Monday, the Royals had their hitting shoes on once again Tuesday — this time against the Mets — and won a slugfest, 16-12, at Citi Field.
Jackson Roberts / Sports Illustrated:
Francisco Lindor to Red Sox?  Mets Superstar Reportedly on Trade Block  —  Let's discuss this purely hypothetical trade proposition...  It's not something nearly anyone would have considered before the season.  But we now have a report of the New York Mets trying to trade their five …
The Athletic:
Manchester United reach agreement to sign Andrey Santos from Chelsea  —  Manchester United have reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign Andrey Santos.  —  United will pay a fee worth £48million plus £2m in easily achievable bonuses, with Chelsea set to retain a 10 per cent sell-on clause for the midfielder.
Justin Verlander / The Detroit News:
Justin Verlander announces retirement plans.  Read his message to fans  —  I want to thank the Commissioner for the incredible honor of being selected to the All-Star game.  The opportunity to attend once again is something I'll cherish, and it will be an incredibly special moment for me and my family.
Sonja Chen / MLB.com:
Shohei hits another milestone with 300th HR, but there are loftier goals in mind  —  LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani's very existence is in rarefied air.  With every career milestone he reaches, the two-way superstar establishes that he is a player unlike any we've seen in baseball.
Broderick Turner / Los Angeles Times:
Lakers land their backup center in veteran Kevon Looney  — 2 min Click here to listen to this article … The Lakers got their backup big man when Kevon Looney signed a one-year, $3.9-million deal on Tuesday, people not authorized to speak publicly told The Times.
The Athletic:
Mets injury notes: Austin Warren to the IL, Marcus Semien's regret and optimism  —  NEW YORK — The New York Mets' beleaguered pitching staff is taking another hit.  —  The Mets are putting right-handed reliever Austin Warren on the 15-day injured list, according to people familiar …
Aiden Stepansky / MLB.com:
3 homers, 10 RBIs ... by the 6th inning!?  What a night for O'Hearn  —  PITTSBURGH - Thirty-two-year-old Ryan O'Hearn never experienced a curtain call before.  He was always hesitant to do it in the past, only considering the honor “if the fans really wanted it.”
ESPN:
Yankees strike out 17 times vs. Rays for 2nd straight game  —  The New York Yankees can't stop striking out.  —  In a 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, Florida, New York whiffed 17 times to become the first team in American League history whose batters hit that mark in consecutive nine-inning games.
Pete Caldera / NorthJersey.com:
Ben Rice will represent Yankees at 2026 Home Run Derby  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Ben Rice will be swinging for the fences in Philly.  —  Via a social media post, the Yankees' lefty-hitting first baseman/DH confirmed his participation for Monday's Home Run Derby during All-Star week at Philadelphia.
 
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 More News: 
Lance Brozdowski / Lance's Pitcher Notes:
2026 MLB Draft College Pitching Preview
Discussion: Federal Baseball
Baseball America:
MLB Farm System Midseason Talent Rankings For July 2026
Discussion: Yahoo Sports and MLB Trade Rumors
Brandon Day / Bless You Boys:
Third base coach Joey Cora and the Tigers part ways
Iterable:
1. OF Owen Caissie (No. 47)  —  One of the questions that will hover over the Cubs this offseason …
Discussion: Bleed Cubbie Blue and Yahoo Sports
Fabian Ardaya / The Athletic:
How a mental skills coach helped Max Muncy emerge as an All-Star again
Discussion: Yahoo Sports
 Earlier Picks: 
Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times:
Adou Thiero sidelined by wrist injury before Lakers win summer league game with Spurs
The Athletic:
Rogers signs agreement to become 100 percent owner of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
Discussion: HoopsHype
 

 
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TMZ.com:
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Kaitlin Simpson / Us Weekly:
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