Willson Contreras embraces villain role on the other side of the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry: 'When you get booed, you're doing something right'  —  Willson Contreras, decked out in St. Louis Cardinals red, admitted to experiencing nerves Monday in the visitors dugout at Wrigley Field.

Yankees Notebook: Aaron Judge ready to return — and avoid headfirst slides  —  After a few days of hitting off machines, running and throwing behind the scenes, Aaron Judge is ready for the real thing.  —  The Yankees slugger is set to return from a right hip strain on Tuesday, he and Aaron Boone confirmed Monday.

Julius Randle disappears, Knicks outworked and now on brink of elimination as Heat takes Game 4  —  MIAMI — The Knicks sit on the brink of elimination.  And they deserve that position.  —  Outcoached, outhustled, outclassed and punked again, New York fell Monday night to the Miami Heat …

Orioles minor league report: 8 prospects move up in Baseball America's latest top 100 list  —  This offseason, the Orioles had Baseball America's top-ranked farm system for the first time since the publication began ranking them in 1984.  In total, eight Baltimore prospects were recognized among the 100 best in baseball.

A's revisit other Vegas stadium sites as legislative process lags  —  Three weeks after confirming they had a “binding agreement” on a 49-acre site west of the Strip for a $1.5 billion baseball stadium, the Oakland A's have reached out to owners of Southern Nevada sites the team previously considered …

Dodgers, Padres expected to open 2024 in South Korea, source says  —  The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are expected to open the 2024 season with a pair of games in South Korea, a source familiar with the process told ESPN's Alden Gonzalez on Sunday.

Luis Cessa, bumped from Cincinnati Reds rotation, designated for assignment  —  Luis Cessa had his turn skipped in the starting rotation last week and now he's no longer a part of the Cincinnati Reds organization.  —  Cessa was designated for assignment before Tuesday's series opener …

Royals pitcher Ryan Yarbrough out with head fractures after being hit in face  —  The Kansas City Royals placed pitcher Ryan Yarbrough on 15-day injured reserve for head fractures, the team announced via Twitter on Monday.  He was hurt after being hit by a line drive in Sunday's game against the Oakland Athletics.

Zac Gallen stifles Marlins, leading Diamondbacks to series-opening win  —  Theo Mackie José M. RomeroArizona Republic  —  Zac Gallen sprinted to first base, fielded a soft toss from Christian Walker and recorded his 21st out of the night.  From there, he flipped the ball to Ketel Marte …

An 11-run 2nd inning propels the Chicago White Sox to a 17-4 victory and series win vs. the Cincinnati Reds  —  CINCINNATI — Luis Robert Jr. began Sunday's second inning with a five-pitch walk.  —  It was an innocent start to a record-breaking inning for the Chicago White Sox.

Giants look like candidates for possible 2024 Field of Dreams game  —  “Is this heaven?”  —  “It's Alabama.”  —  The San Francisco Giants might be in for a heavenly time next season should they participate in the Field of Dreams game, a Major League Baseball showcase inspired by the classic 1989 baseball movie “Field of Dreams.”