MIKE MATHENY

A person familiar with the situation says the Chicago White Sox have hired Kansas City Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol to replace Hall of Famer Tony La Russa as their manager.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — (AP) — The Kansas City Royals hired Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro as manager Sunday night, turning over the young core of a rebuilding franchise to a forward-thinking manager with experience winning in a small market. Quatraro was chosen by Royals general manager J.J. Picollo, who took over as head of the club's baseball operations after the firing of longtime front-office executive Dayton Moore. Quatraro eventually returned to the Rays as their third base coach, and when Charlie Montoyo was hired as manager of the Blue Jays after the 2018 season, he was promoted to bench coach. He had served since as a sounding board for Rays manager Kevin Cash, helping the club win two division titles and make four straight playoff appearances.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — (AP) — The Kansas City Royals have hired Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro as their new manager, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Sunday. Quatraro was chosen by Royals general manager J.J. Picollo, who took over as head of the club's baseball operations after the firing of longtime front-office executive Dayton Moore. Picollo, along with Royals owner John Sherman, had said they wanted a forward-thinking manager who was more data-driven than those of the past. He had been a hot commodity in recent seasons, interviewing with the Mets and A's last season for their manager jobs.

The Kansas City Royals hired Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro as manager Sunday night, turning over the young core of a rebuilding franchise to a forward-thinking manager with experience winning in a small market.

The Kansas City Royals have hired Matt Quatraro as their next manager, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Quatraro will replace manager Mike Matheny, who was fired this month after his third season with the franchise. The Kansas City Royals are hiring Matt Quatraro as their new manager, sources tell ESPN. — Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 30, 2022Kansas City will mark Quatraro’s first stop as a manager in Major League Baseball. The Royals finished this season with a 65-97 overall record, which marked their sixth straight losing season.

— (AP) — Manager Mike Matheny and pitching coach Cal Eldred were fired by the Kansas Cty Royals on Wednesday night, shortly after the struggling franchise finished the season 65-97 with a listless 9-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians. He was replaced by one of his longtime understudies, J.J. Picollo, who made the decision to fire Matheny hours after the season ended. The expectation was another step forward this season, but the Royals instead spent September fighting off 100 losses. While he was well-liked in the Kansas City clubhouse, it seemed unlikely Matheny would be granted another season when Moore was fired last month. There have been some bright spots — I love seeing the young players — but in 2022, we are not where we expected to be.”___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.

The Kansas City Royals fired manager Mike Matheny and pitching coach Cal Eldred on Wednesday night, shortly after the struggling franchise finished the season 65-97 with a listless 9-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians.

The rebuilding Kansas City Royals are going for a full reset. The club announced Wednesday it had fired manager Mike Matheny and pitching coach Cal Aldred, just a few weeks after firing president of baseball operations Dayton Moore.

Brady Singer pitched six dominant innings and the Kansas City Royals ended the Dodgers’ 12-game winning streak by blanking Los Angeles 4-0.

There are no Latino general managers left in Major League Baseball after the Detroit Tigers fired Al Avila.

Aaron Judge became the first big leaguer with 40 homers this season, smashed a grand slam for No. 41 and robbed a home run in right field as the New York Yankees rallied to beat the Kansas City Royals 11-5.

Aaron Judge hit his third walk-off homer this year, his major league-leading 39th home run of the season, to lift the New York Yankees over the Kansas City Royals 1-0.

Rays Royals Baseball Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Brett Phillips chases down a single by Kansas City Royals' Andrew Benintendi during the first inning of a baseball game in Kansas City, Mo., Friday, July 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley) (Colin E. Braley)NEW YORK — (AP) — Andrew Benintendi wouldn’t say whether he will get vaccinated for COVID-19 now that he’s with the first-place New York Yankees rather than the last-place Kansas City Royals. He was among 10 Royals who missed a four-game series at Toronto from July 14-17 because he was not vaccinated and could not enter Canada. “We’ll cross that bridge if and when we have to but I have not had that conversation,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. Benintendi had arrived with the Royals in New York and was in his hotel room when Royals manager Mike Matheny told him of the trade at about 11 p.m. Wednesday night.

Andrew Benintendi wouldn’t say whether he will get vaccinated for COVID-19 now that he’s with the first-place New York Yankees rather than the last-place Kansa City Royals.

Royals Blue Jays Baseball Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Angel Zerpa throws to a Toronto Blue Jays batter during the first inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 14, 2022, in Toronto. Nate Eaton homered in his big league debut as the Royals won for the fifth time in six games. Unvaccinated baseball players are placed on the restricted list, which means they are not paid and do not accrue major league service time. “Great to get him back out there before the (All-Star) break,” new Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. UP NEXTRoyals RHP Zack Grienke (3-5, 4.52 ERA) starts Friday against Blue Jays RHP Alek Manoah (9-4, 2.34).

Royals Blue Jays Baseball Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Angel Zerpa throws to a Toronto Blue Jays batter during the first inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 14, 2022, in Toronto. Nate Eaton homered in his big league debut as the Royals won for the fifth time in six games. Unvaccinated baseball players are placed on the restricted list, which means they are not paid and do not accrue major league service time. “Great to get him back out there before the (All-Star) break,” new Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. UP NEXTRoyals RHP Zack Grienke (3-5, 4.52 ERA) starts Friday against Blue Jays RHP Alek Manoah (9-4, 2.34).

The Kansas City Royals are busy patching up a roster decimated by players barred from traveling to Toronto because of their COVID-19 vaccination status while trying to heal their damaged image among fans.

Canadian COVID-linked restrictions prohibit their entry. They say their teammates support them. One is sacrificing $186,000 in pay for the four games.

Guardians Royals Baseball Kansas City Royals' Whit Merrifield celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians Friday, July 8, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. The team is set to play four games in Toronto. ALL-STAR SHOWDOWNBrewers right-hander Corbin Burnes (7-4, 2.20 ERA) will face Giants lefty Carlos Rodón (8-5, 2.70) in San Francisco before the pair team up on the NL All-Star roster next week. After sweeping a doubleheader Wednesday in Washington, the Mariners have won 10 straight for the first time since April 2002. Wright is 2-1 with a 6.27 ERA in five career games, including three starts, against the Nats.

The Royals will be without 10 of the 26 players on their active roster for their upcoming trip to Toronto due to Canadian restrictions on travelers who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19.

Tigers Royals Baseball Kansas City Royals' Whit Merrifield watches from the dugout during the second inning of the second game of a baseball doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers Monday, July 11, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. Today marked the first day Merrifield has missed playing after setting a Royals record of playing in 533 consecutive games. — (AP) — The Kansas City Royals will be without 10 of the 26 players on their active roster for their upcoming trip to Toronto due to Canadian restrictions on travelers who aren't vaccinated against COVID-19. Among the others, the lost pay for Gallagher will be $19,451, Singer $15,962, Isbel $15,426, Coleman $15,399 and Melendez $15,385. The club will name their replacements Thursday, along with an announcement about other staff who won’t be traveling with the club.

The Kansas City Royals will be without 10 of the 26 players on their active roster for their upcoming trip to Toronto due to Canadian restrictions on travelers who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19.

Guardians Royals Baseball Kansas City Royals' Whit Merrifield celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians Friday, July 8, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. — (AP) — Royals infielder Whit Merrifield's streak of playing in a franchise-record 553 straight games ended Monday when he missed the opener of a doubleheader against Detroit because of a toe injury. Merrifield's string dated to June 24, 2018, and was the longest active streak in the majors. “It’s been a great run for Whit,” Kansas City manager Mike Matheny said. Cal Ripken Jr. holds the all-time record of playing 2,632 straight games.

Royals infielder Whit Merrifield’s streak of playing in a franchise-record 553 straight games ended when he missed the opener of a doubleheader against Detroit because of a toe injury.

Now that the full Major League Baseball All-Star squads have been announced, look for the rosters to start changing.

Justin Verlander got his MLB-leading 11th win, Yordan Alvarez hit his 26th homer and the Houston Astros beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 to take the series 3-1.

Zach Greinke allowed just one run on four hits, helping the Kansas City Royals avoid a three-game sweep by beating the Texas Rangers 2-1.

Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson is serving his final days with Minnesota before leaving for the same job with LSU.

Shohei Ohtani accomplished two feats that would both be career landmarks for practically any other player in baseball history on back-to-back nights during an otherwise ordinary June homestand for the Los Angeles Angels.

Shohei Ohtani struck out a career-high 13 over eight dominant innings of two-hit ball, and the AL MVP also reached base three times in the Los Angeles Angels’ 5-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

Blue Jays Royals Baseball Kansas City Royals' Emmanuel Rivera, right, is caught stealing second base by Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Matt Chapman, left, during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, June 8, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. “I mean, it's helpful when you start talking about hitter's counts instead of pitcher's counts,” Matheny said afterward. He improved to 3-1 in his five starts while the rest of the Kansas City rotation is 3-25 in 50 combined starts. “It gets tough,” Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said, "because you've got to cover eight, nine innings when the bullpen is already thin. UP NEXTThe Blue Jays are off Thursday before sending RHP Jose Berrios (4-2, 5.24) to the mound to open a three-game set against the Tigers on Friday night.

MJ Melendez and Emmanuel Rivera drove in two runs apiece, leading Brady Singer and the Kansas City Royals over the Toronto Blue Jays 8-4 to end a three-game losing streak.

Paul Goldschmidt hit an early home run and Steven Matz and the St. Louis bullpen made it stand up, leading the Cardinals over the Kansas City Royals 1-0.

Aaron Judge returned from a scheduled day off to homer twice and drive in the tying run as the Yankees rallied past the Royals 6-4 for their ninth straight win.

Royals Cardinals Baseball St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols watches his solo home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals Tuesday, April 12, 2022, in St. Louis. Nolan Arenado also went deep for St. Louis, which has won 20 of 27 interleague games against the in-state Royals since 2017. The 42-year-old Pujols, who also singled twice in a 3-for-4 performance, signed with St. Louis on March 28 for his final season. St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol returned after missing the previous two games with the flu. Greinke is 13-6 with a 3.85 ERA in his career against St. Louis.

Albert Pujols homered for the first time since returning to St. Louis and Andrew Knizner hit a three-run shot as the Cardinals defeated the Kansas City Royals 6-5.

Albert Pujols called his shot. The veteran slugger told Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol he was going to hit the first pitch he saw Tuesday night for a home run — and then did just that. Pujols homered for the first time since returning to St. Louis and Andrew Knizner launched a three-run shot as the Cardinals defeated the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Tuesday night.

Bobby Witt Jr. searched the crowd for his family before his highly anticipated big league debut Thursday, finally spotting them in the sea of Kansas City Royals fans that had bundled up for a blustery opening day. “I don't know if they were even paying attention to me,” Witt admitted later. After going hitless in his first three at-bats, Witt roped a double down the left-field line with two outs in the eighth inning, spurring the Royals to a 3-1 victory over the rechristened Cleveland Guardians.

Dodgers Baseball St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt (8) stands on the field during batting practice before a National League Wild Card playoff baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Sanchez) (Marcio Sanchez)The Cardinals fired manager Mike Shildt over philosophical differences within the organization Thursday, just one week after St. Louis lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League wild-card game. Shildt replaced current Royals manager Mike Matheny on an interim basis in August 2018, then took over the permanent job the following season. The Cardinals won 91 games that season, earning Shildt the NL manager of the year, and advanced to the NL Championship Series before getting swept by the Nationals. The Cardinals went 30-28 during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, losing the wild-card game, before using a franchise-record 17-game winning streak to reach the wild-card game again this season.

The St. Louis Cardinals have fired manager Mike Shildt over philosophical differences within the organization.

Salvador Perez tied Johnny Bench’s record for homers in a season by a catcher with his 45th, but Chad Pinder’s two-run single spurred a third-inning rally and the Oakland Athletics held off the Kansas City Royals 7-2.

Daniel Lynch pitched eight scoreless, Jorge Soler homered twice and Salvador Perez once to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 6-1 win over the Detroit Tigers.

“If I’m a young kid at the game and I’m asking my dad, `Well, hey, what’s going on? Britton said while the goal of eliminating sticky substances was laudable, the method of enforcement was hurtful. But it’s part of what the game may look like from here on out where managers would check pitchers.”Matheny predicted more tension ahead. Britton said the checks would unnecessarily increase tension between players and umpires. “So, yeah, I think it’s frustrating for the players that we haven’t heard anything from him yet,” he said.

Kansas City manager Mike Matheny warned opponents that if they act like Philadelphia’s Joe Girardi and ask umpires to check Royals pitchers for sticky substances, it would provoke his team.

Gerrit Cole’s strikeouts and spin rate dropped as he pitched for the first time since Major League Baseball’s crackdown on sticky substances, and the Kansas City Royals rallied off Jonathan Loiasiga for four runs in the eighth inning to beat the New York Yankees 6-5.

Rookie Trevor Larnach homered and Rob Refsnyder drove in two runs as the Minnesota Twins hung on to beat the Kansas City Royals 6-5.

The Tampa Bay Rays’ 11-game winning streak came to an end when Brad Keller pitched seven strong innings and Salvador Perez hit a tiebreaking RBI single to give the Kansas City Royals a 2-1 victory.

Sometimes, the simplest explanation is the valid one: The number of hits per game in the major leagues has plummeted, so no-hitters are on the rise.

The streaking New York Mets anticipate an injury update on ace pitcher Jacob deGrom after he was scheduled for an MRI.

The streaking New York Mets anticipate an injury update Monday on ace pitcher Jacob deGrom after he was scheduled for an MRI.

Merrill Kelly starts for the Arizona Diamondbacks when they host Fernando Tatis Jr. and the Padres following a dominant pitching performance in a doubleheader at Atlanta.

Jarrod Dyson doubled and scored the go-ahead run in the fifth inning and the Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit Tigers 3-2 to complete a four-game sweep on the road for the first time in nearly 22 years.

Brady Singer pitched seven impressive innings, and the Kansas City Royals took advantage of some defensive sloppiness by Detroit in a 2-1 victory over the Tigers.

The Nationals and Atlanta Braves hadn’t heard by Sunday evening whether Major League Baseball will allow their game while Washington deals with a COVID-19 outbreak that could prevent 11 players from participating.

He is the 10th Philadelphia player to enter the protocol this season, and first since Travis Konecny was cleared on Sunday following a two-week stint. That leaves a season-low-matching three players listed, including San Jose’s Tomas Hertl, who entered his ninth day in the protocol. The number of fans will increase monthly if it's safe to do so, the Royals said in a news release. Team officials have worked for months with Kansas City health officials and the Jackson County Sports Authority to ensure fans will have a safe experience, the team said. Following approval by local health officials, attendance will be limited to 2,500 for the women’s tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and to 8,000 for the men’s tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Manager Don Mattingly said he has never spoken with some of the players joining the team. With only about eight weeks left in the season, Ohtani might not pitch again until 2021. Ohtani reported discomfort in his arm Sunday after struggling through his second start since having Tommy John surgery in 2018. HAPPY BIRTHDAYKansas City right-hander Brady Singer makes his third major league start on his 24th birthday at Wrigley Field. Luzardo made six appearances as a September callup last season and made two appearances out of the bullpen this season.

With only about eight weeks left in the season, Ohtani might not pitch again until 2021. Ohtani reported discomfort in his arm Sunday after struggling through his second start since having Tommy John surgery in 2018. Betts sat out Monday with swelling on a finger on his left hand that manager Dave Roberts described as substantial. HAPPY BIRTHDAYKansas City right-hander Brady Singer makes his third major league start on his 24th birthday at Wrigley Field. Just shy of his 23rd birthday, Luzardo will be the youngest starter for the As since Brett Anderson in 2010.

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco, top, delivers to Kansas City Royals' Whit Merrifield in the first inning in a baseball game Sunday, July 26, 2020, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)CLEVELAND Carlos Carrasco started again. Carrasco couldn't have imagined his journey when he took the mound on May 30, 2019, against the Chicago White Sox. Before Sunday's game, Indians manager Terry Francona appreciated the significance of Carrasco (1-0) starting again. Indians: Stay at home for three more games against the Chicago White Sox, with Aaron Civale starting for the Indians.

When the decision was made to play an abbreviated 60-game major league season without fans, it meant that anybody making their debut would do so without their support system there to enjoy it. Or little league and high school coaches that taught them to throw a curveball or turn a double play. So it's no wonder that one of baseball's time-honored traditions is for family and friends to be sitting in the stands when a youngster debuts. I feel strong and I feel better than I ever have.He won't be the only player to make his big league debut this season. Just try to help this team win.

Kansas City Royals' Hunter Dozier bats during the first inning of an exhibition baseball game against the Houston Astros in Kansas City, Mo., Monday, July 20, 2020. Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Dozier has tested positive for COVID-19 and was placed on the injured list before the club played its final exhibition game against the Cardinals in St. Louis on Wednesday. And it still snuck up on them.The positive test leaves Matheny with another hole to fill in his starting lineup. Ryan McBroom, who made his big league debut last season, will likely start at first base with O'Hearn sidelined by the virus. Danny Duffy will start opening day against Cleveland and rookie Brady Singer will make his big league debut on Saturday.

Not long ago, Royals pitcher Tim Hill was wrapping up eight brutal months of chemotherapy to treat colon cancer. The biopsy came back positive for colon cancer, the same disease that claimed his father when Hill was just 17 years old. With the support of the Royals, Hill began to build back his strength. Those factors left Hill wondering whether he should step on the field when baseball resumed or stick to the sideline, knowing they increased the risk of complications should he contract COVID-19. Some of it seems over-the-top when you first look at it, but when you start seeing people test positive, you see maybe it's necessary.

FILE - In this Tuesday, July 7, 2020, file photo, Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Josh Bell, right, listens to manager Derek Shelton during a team workout at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Shelton and other first-year managers are scrambling to make up for lost time. Fortunately for the first-year Pittsburgh Pirates manager, bench coach Donnie Kelly made it a point to provide it. I just (want) to make sure that Im talking to them, Im aware of what theyre going through, Shelton said. The 38-year-old Rojas the youngest manager in the majors read a book by Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski to help him prepare.

When major leaguers report next week for spring training 2.0 or perhaps more accurately, baseball's first summer camp time will be one precious commodity with about three weeks to go before opening day. Day 1 and Day 2. Theres a reason why we have six weeks of spring training, in a typical spring training.There is particular concern for starting pitchers, who take great care in building up their arms over an extended period. Thats probably the thing Ill think about the most.While spring training was suspended March 12, players haven't exactly been sitting around this whole time. The Diamondbacks are going to use Chase Field and their spring training facility in Scottsdale, just a short drive away from their home ballpark.

LEESBURG As a result of three local organizations donations, the Leesburg Police Department was able to purchase four new specialized law enforcement bicycles, complete with helmets, gloves and lights, to help make the streets safer. It means safer citizens, because the bicycles can get into the high-crime areas where cars cant always get to. Donations had already been received for new bicycles by the Leesburg Rotary Club and the Leesburg Amvets, but the agency was still about $5,000 short of its goal. After learning about the need, the church decided to pay the remaining amount in full. The church expressed that they wanted to serve the community, and we felt like this was a great cause, Matheny said.