NEW YORK — Major League Baseball and the players’ association say they have committed $10 million to fund programs of the new Players Alliance to improve representation of Black Americans in baseball.
Management and the union said in a statement Monday that The Players Alliance will fund joint grants and scholarships through 2024, school and youth programs, player-led mentors, youth and young adult leagues and equipment, clinics and tournaments, Black cultural education, Black business partnerships and employment in baseball.
“As the stark racial minority in all aspects of our game, The Players Alliance has given a voice and platform to our Black players, unified in our stance against systemic racism,” said former outfielder Curtis Granderson, The Players Alliance president. “We stand together for what is right and to change our game for the better. The power of our player membership, including our non-Black teammates, coupled with the support of MLB and the Players Association, gives us the unique ability to create increased opportunities for the Black communities we care so much about.”
More than 100 current and former players are involved in The Players Alliance, which launched in June.
BRAVES: After making just one start for the Atlanta Braves, Cole Hamels is done for the season.
Hamels reported shortly before the start of a four-game series against the Miami Marlins that he didn’t feel like he could get anything on the ball. The left-hander was scheduled to make his second start Tuesday after struggling throughout the year to overcome shoulder and triceps issues.
The Braves placed Hamels on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Sept. 18, but that was a mere formality. General Manager Alex Anthopoulos already contacted Major League Baseball about replacing Hamels in the team’s postseason player pool.
“Cole knows himself and his body,” Anthopoulos said. “You trust the player at that point when he says he can’t go.”
The Braves began Monday with a three-game lead in the NL East .and primed for their third straight division title.
ROCKIES: Colorado will chase after a flickering playoff spot without All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado, who was placed on the injured list with a sore left shoulder.
Arenado has been hampered recently by inflammation in his AC joint, along with a bone bruise, and the team elected Monday to shut him down. Manager Bud Black said surgery isn’t required but Arenado will need about a month of rest.
Black said there wasn’t one play in particular that injured Arenado’s shoulder, but it was more of a cumulative effect. It’s been bothering Arenado at the plate, where he’s hitting just .253 with eight homers and 26 RBI.
CUBS: José Quintana is back in time to help the Chicago Cubs’ playoff push.
The NL Central-leading Cubs plan to activate the left-hander on Tuesday and start him against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Injuries have dogged Quintana for much of the season. He’s appeared in just two games, both out of the bullpen, thanks to issues with his left thumb and a lat problem.
Quintana recently completed a 35-pitch session off the mound and Cubs Manager David Ross said he plans to give Quintana “a little bit of a leash” in his first start since last Sept. 26.
There’s a chance Quintana could get another opportunity to pitch when the Cubs wrap up the regular season with a three-game series at the rival Chicago White Sox this weekend. The 31-year-old Quintana is 83-77 with a 3.73 ERA, including a 33-23 record with a 4.26 ERA since being traded from the White Sox to the Cubs in July 2017.
PHILLIES: Slugger Bryce Harper was the designated hitter for Monday’s game against Washington, a day after leaving a game with lower back stiffness.
Harper exited Sunday’s 6-3 loss to the Toronto Blue after he struck out with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. The Phillies right fielder took a slow walk in the dugout toward the clubhouse and signaled to manager Joe Girardi he was done for the day.
Harper was hitting second in the lineup Monday for the start of a four-game series with the Nationals, his former team.
Girardi said he could also use Harper as the DH in one of the two games of Tuesday’s doubleheader.
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