PLAY BALL IN PITTSBURGH: Blue Jays land home away from home for 2020  —  The Blue Jays have firmed up plans for their summer retreat not far from the banks of the Allegheny River.  —  Late Tuesday, a source close to the negotiations said that the displaced Major League Baseball team …

Rays Trade Dylan Covey To Red Sox  —  The Red Sox announced Tuesday that they've acquired right-hander Dylan Covey from the Rays.  Covey is not on the 40-man roster but has been added to Boston's 60-man player pool.  In a corresponding move, left-hander Bobby Poyner was dropped from the 60-man pool …

Twins GM Thad Levine says front-office hiring practices are ‘flawed’ in his organization and MLB  —  During a Minnesota Twins front-office diversity roundtable on Tuesday, general manager Thad Levine said front-office hiring practices in Major League Baseball and his own organization are …

Dodgers Option Gavin Lux  —  The Dodgers have optioned talented young infielder Gavin Lux,.  Lux had recently returned to Summer Camp after an unexplained absence that may or may not have been related to the coronavirus.  —  It's not immediately clear why the Dodgers decided against carrying Lux to open the season.

Jacob deGrom honored to be Mets' Opening Day starter for second straight year  —  For Jacob deGrom, Opening Day is still Opening Day, even if it takes place in an empty ballpark on a sweltering July afternoon instead of a packed and buzzing one in chilly late March.

Giants players and coaches, including manager Gabe Kapler, take knee during national anthem  —  SportsPulse: Baseball is finally here.  For real.  It's MLB's opening week, and USA TODAY Sports' Mackenzie Salmon breaks down the top story lines that will define this unprecedented season.  —  CONNECT

Eloy Jiménez, White Sox mercy-rule Cubs' Yu Darvish with five-run first inning  —  By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's  —  White Sox offense was so potent Monday night, it ended the bottom of the first inning with only two outs.  —  Call it the “mercy rule” if you'd like.

Yankees Option Jordan Montgomery, Select Contracts Of Avilan, Iannetta, Hale  —  In a surprising move, the Yankees announced Tuesday that they've optioned lefty Jordan Montgomery to the team's alternate site in Scranton.  The Yanks also selected the contracts of non-roster veterans Luis Avilan, Chris Iannetta and David Hale.

Dodgers Sign Jake McGee  —  The Dodgers have announced the signing of lefty Jake McGee.  McGee is signing right onto the 40-man roster and will presumably have a spot on the active roster to open the season.  —  Injured righty Jimmy Nelson has been placed on the 45-day injured list, thus freeing a roster spot.

Rule 5 Outfielder Mark Payton Returned to Athletics by Reds  —  Outfielder Mark Payton, claimed by the Cincinnati Reds from Oakland in the Rule 5 draft last December, is back with the A's.  —  The Reds returned him to the A's Tuesday after it became clear he wasn't going to make the Reds' opening day roster.

Indians Announce Their Starting Rotation for the 2020 Season  —  With the Indians three days away from their season opener at home against the Kansas City Royals, the team on Tuesday officially announced their five-man pitching rotation to start the year.  —  The rotation will start with Shane Bieber …

Watch Detroit Tigers crush back-to-back-to-back homers in exhibition against Reds  —  The Detroit Tigers seem to have forgotten last season's home run struggles.  —  Manager Ron Gardenhire's club finished with 149 home runs in 2019, worst in the American League and just three more than the league-worst Miami Marlins.

Tigers Release Hector Santiago  —  The Tigers announced that they have given left-hander Hector Santiago his unconditional release.  Meanwhile, southpaw Tarik Skubal has been cleared to rejoin the Tigers' 60-man player pool and been reassigned to their alternate training site …