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Eddie Jones has included 21 uncapped players in his initial 34-man squad for Tests against the United States and Canada, giving them an opportunity to make their mark in the absence of a host of unavailable regulars.

Jones will be without 12 players involved in the British & Irish Lions squad, while those at the four Premiership semifinalists (Bristol Bears, Exeter Chiefs, Harlequins and Sale Sharks) will come into the picture later this month. Others, including Leicester fly-half George Ford, will not be involved having been given the summer to rest and recover.

England had been due to tour North America this summer, but COVID-19 forced a flip of the fixtures to Twickenham, with the first against the U.S. on July 4 and then Canada on July 10.

Among the uncapped players are Bath duo Tom de Glanville and Max Ojomoh, sons of former England pair Phil de Glanville, who was also captain, and Steve Ojomoh.

Flanker Sam Underhill, who has not played for England this year because of injury, returns to the squad, while 28-cap prop Ellis Genge finds himself as the most experienced player involved.

“For this group it’s a chance to come into the England environment and really show what they can do. We expect them to be enthusiastic, full of energy and we want them to know there is no limit to their horizon,” Jones said.

“There is a lot of talent in this squad but the challenge for them is to turn talent into performance. We’re really looking forward to working with this group of young players and seeing where we can take them. They have the opportunity to take on the world.”

England squad:

Forwards:

Jamie Blamire, Callum Chick, Trevor Davison, Charlie Ewels, Ellis Genge, Joe Heyes, Paul Hill, Ted Hill, Lewis Ludlam, Lewis Ludlow, George Martin, Chunya Munga, Beno Obano, Miles Reid, Sean Robinson, Jack Singleton, Sam Underhill, Harry Wells, Tom Willis

Backs:

Josh Bassett, Joe Cokanasiga, Tom de Glanville, Fraser Dingwall, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Dan Kelly, Ollie Lawrence, Alex Mitchell, Max Ojomoh, Tom Parton, Adam Radwan, Dan Robson, Ben Spencer, Freddie Steward, Jacob Umaga

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Cards’ Contreras out with foot contusion after HBP

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Cards' Contreras out with foot contusion after HBP

ST. LOUIS — Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras was not in the lineup Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies a day after he was hit in the foot by a pitch and broke his bat in frustration.

Contreras, listed as day-to-day with a right foot contusion, was hit by Rockies starter Kyle Freeland‘s sweeper in the fourth inning. He then slammed his bat into the dirt and snapped it over his knee.

As he walked toward first base, the 33-year-old threw the two pieces of the broken bat toward the Cardinals’ dugout.

He remained in the game until the sixth inning, when he was replaced by Nolan Gorman.

The Cardinals said X-rays did not reveal any structural damage in Contreras’ foot.

Contreras has been hit by a National League-leading 18 pitches this season, trailing only Randy Arozarena and Ty France.

Contreras leads the Cardinals with 16 home runs and 65 RBIs.

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Rangers’ struggling García to IL with ankle injury

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Rangers' struggling García to IL with ankle injury

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers put struggling slugger Adolis García on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left ankle and activated outfielder Evan Carter.

Texas, which is chasing an American League wild-card berth, made the moves their series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Another outfielder, Wyatt Langford, was held out of the lineup because of forearm stiffness, but manager Bruce Bochy said he could be available to pinch-hit.

García is hitting .224 with 16 homers and 64 RBIs in 116 games. He hit .176 (6 for 34) during the nine-game homestand that ended with Wednesday’s game.

Carter, who turns 23 later this month, missed 10 games because of back spasms. He was in a 4-for-34 slump when he was placed on the IL on Aug. 2. He hit .238 with four homers and 21 RBIs in 55 games before then.

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D-backs’ DeSclafani to IL after turn as starter

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D-backs' DeSclafani to IL after turn as starter

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Arizona Diamondbacks placed right-hander Anthony DeSclafani on the 15-day injured list Wednesday because of right thumb inflammation after he made three starts.

DeSclafani (1-2, 4.36 ERA) has been primarily a reliever for the Diamondbacks but made the starts this month after Merrill Kelly was traded to the Texas Rangers at the deadline on July 31.

Arizona made the move with DeSclafani before the series finale at Texas, when Kelly was starting for the Rangers. The Diamondbacks recalled right-hander Casey Kelly from Triple-A Reno.

“We’re hoping for the minimal time. He’s going to get some imaging just to make sure that everything’s OK,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “This is something that popped up a couple days ago. We all felt that he was going to be able to take the baseball and go out there and compete, which he did. We saw the stuff in the first couple of innings, and we decided it was time to take him off the field.”

In the three starts this month, DeSclafani is 0-1 with a 5.59 ERA, allowing six runs in 9⅔ innings. He threw three innings Tuesday night, allowing two runs in a game Arizona won 3-2 on a homer by Ketel Marte in the ninth.

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