The reason why the Royals have considered trading Yordano Ventura  —  Recently, inside the Kansas City Royals' clubhouse, Yordano Ventura was talking about how he planned on hitting Jose Bautista with a pitch the next time he faced him.  The people around Ventura rolled their eyes …

Votto's blast negates Cardinals' rally  —  Cardinals third baseman Jhonny Peralta doubles off Cincinnati starter John Lamb in the fourth inning Tuesday.  Peralta doubled twice and drove in two runs in his first game off the disabled list.  (AP Photo)  —  CINCINNATI

Mets Acquire Kelly Johnson  —  The Mets have officially struck a deal to acquire utilityman Kelly Johnson from the Braves, as Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com first reported on Twitter.  Minor league righty Akeel Morris heading back in return.  —  New York and Atlanta are division rivals …

What Are Baseball Managers Actually Doing?  —  The skipper's role has never had less to do with actual baseball strategy as field managers have largely transformed into middle managers  —  On May 19, with his team starving for offense, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons decided to shake things up.

Rangers get creative to keep Jurickson Profar's hot bat in lineup  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — Jurickson Profar had never taken a ground ball at first base at any level of baseball until Monday afternoon.  —  Well, he's starting at first base Tuesday night against the Houston Astros.

Dozier's 2-Run HR in 11th Gives Twins 6-4 Win Over Marlins  —  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSJUNE 7, 2016, 11:42 P.M. E.D.T.  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Brian Dozier's two-out, two-run home run in the 11th inning gave Minnesota a 6-4 victory Tuesday night over the Miami Marlins, the third game-ending homer …

Scouts Get Defensive Projecting Future Roles  —  When scouting amateur catchers, bring in the man who wrote the book on catchers.  —  The Rockies were able to do that this spring, including at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Durham, N.C., in late May.

Harper Drives in 3 Runs, Nationals Beat White Sox 10-5  —  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSJUNE 8, 2016, 12:15 A.M. E.D.T.  —  CHICAGO — Bryce Harper drove in three runs, Anthony Rendon homered and the Washington Nationals handed the White Sox their 19th loss in 25 games, beating Chicago 10-5 on Tuesday night.

Will the rising Blue Jays end up buyers at the trade deadline?  —  Will Toronto go all in?  A big position change in St. Louis.  Will the Twins stay the course?  That and much more in Ken Rosenthal's latest notes.  —  Toronto is coming together at the right time to make another run in the American League.

Jose Fernandez's historic return and the interesting looming decision for Marlins; Canes, Dolphins  —  WEDNESDAY BUZZ COLUMN  —  Pitchers returning from Tommy John surgery this century, on average, experienced a slight drop in fastball velocity and declines in several other tangible measures.

Padres Rally Behind Norris, Myers to Beat Braves 4-3  —  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSJUNE 8, 2016, 1:09 A.M. E.D.T.  —  SAN DIEGO — Derek Norris tied the game with a home run leading off the ninth and Wil Myers singled in the winning run to give the San Diego Padres a 4-3 victory against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.