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Andy Murray moved into the field for the US Open on Monday when another past champion at Flushing Meadows, Stan Wawrinka, pulled out because he still is recovering from foot surgery.

Murray is a former No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam title winner, including in New York in 2012. His ranking slid out of the top 100 after he had two hip operations in recent years.

The 34-year-old from Scotland returned to the tour in June after a three-month absence because of a groin problem and reached the third round at Wimbledon, then withdrew from the singles competition at the Tokyo Olympics on July 25, citing a strained right quadriceps. He was the two-time reigning men’s singles gold medalist.

Murray did play doubles for Britain at the Summer Games in Japan, reaching the quarterfinals with Joe Salisbury.

The U.S. Tennis Association also announced Monday that Patricia Maria Tig of Romania will not be playing in the year’s last Grand Slam tournament. Tig has a continuing back injury and was replaced in the field by American Claire Liu.

Wawrinka won the title in Flushing Meadows in 2016. It is the most recent of his three major singles championships. Wawrinka, 36, is 3-3 in 2021 and has not competed on tour since losing his opening match to Lloyd Harris at the Qatar Open in March.

Wawrinka had surgery on his left foot shortly after that, then needed another procedure on the same foot in June. He is ranked 31st and was in line to be seeded if he had been able to play in the US Open, where main-draw action starts Aug. 30.

Murray, who is 105th in the ATP rankings, reached the second round at Flushing Meadows in each of his past two appearances, in 2018 and last year.

After his third-round loss to eventual semifinalist Denis Shapovalov at the All England Club last month, Murray wondered aloud about what the future might hold for him.

“There is a part of me that feels a bit like I have put in so much work the last three months and, ultimately, didn’t play how I would want and expect. And it’s like: Is it worth it?” Murray said then.

“Is all of that training and everything that you’re doing in the gym — unless you’re able to, like, practice and improve your game and get matches and continue [to] get a run of tournaments — is it worth all of the work that you’re doing?”

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Rockies put Freeland on IL due to strained elbow

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Rockies put Freeland on IL due to strained elbow

The Colorado Rockies placed left-hander Kyle Freeland on the 15-day injured list Friday with a left elbow strain.

The move is retroactive to Tuesday.

Freeland appeared to injure his right shoulder while attempting to score the go-ahead run in the ninth inning Monday against the Philadelphia Phillies. Manager Bud Black, however, said Freeland was “fine” after the game.

Freeland, 30, has limped to a 0-3 record with a 13.21 ERA in four games (all starts) this season. He is 55-68 with a 4.53 ERA in 188 career games (183 starts) with the Rockies.

Also on Friday, Colorado recalled right-hander Noah Davis from Triple-A Albuquerque.

Davis, 26, owns a 0-2 record with a 6.62 ERA in four games (all starts) with the Isotopes. He is 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA in nine career games (six starts) with the Rockies.

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Strider begins recovery, says Braves can win WS

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Strider begins recovery, says Braves can win WS

ATLANTA — Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider began to feel discomfort in his right elbow in spring training but didn’t realize the severity of the injury until learning he needed season-ending surgery.

Strider said he had a bone fragment develop following Tommy John surgery in 2019 that caused the ulnar collateral ligament to become unstable. Strider also said he did not have a tear that required a second Tommy John surgery and he instead had an internal brace procedure, perhaps giving him a better opportunity to recover for the start of the 2025 season.

Strider finally complained about the issue after pitching four innings in Atlanta’s 6-5 win over Arizona on April 5.

“You’re not going to feel good when you’re playing baseball every day,” Strider said Friday while standing in front of his locker in his first news conference since the surgery. “So I’m not searching for that. You know, like I said, I’m going to pitch through anything if I feel like I can help the team and I felt like I couldn’t do that anymore, so I thought it’s time to say something.”

An MRI the next day revealed damage to his UCL. Texas Rangers physician Dr. Keith Meister performed the procedure on April 13.

“They’re theorizing that I tore some connective tissue … and that’s what destabilized the ligament,” Strider said. “And maybe I blew through the last of that on that game and things deteriorated pretty quickly throughout the outing.”

Strider was Atlanta’s No. 1 starting pitcher after going 20-5 with 281 strikeouts in last year, when he led the major leagues in wins and strikeouts.

With his right arm immobilized in a sling, Strider said he will look for ways to support his teammates.

“These guys don’t don’t need me to to win a World Series,” he said. “So you know they’re going to pursue that journey. I’ll be here here to cheer them on.”

Replacing Strider will be a challenge.

Right-hander Allan Winans allowed seven runs — six earned — over five innings in a 16-15 loss to the New York Mets on April 11 and was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett after the game.

Right-hander Darius Vines had more success, allowing one run and four hits with four strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings of a 6-1 win at Houston on Monday. Vines is scheduled to make his second start of the season on Sunday night against Texas.

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D-backs’ Nelson, hit by comebacker, lands on IL

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D-backs' Nelson, hit by comebacker, lands on IL

The Arizona Diamondbacks placed right-hander Ryne Nelson on the 15-day injured list Friday because of an elbow contusion suffered the previous night.

Nelson was hit on the right arm by a line drive off the bat of the San Francisco GiantsMike Yastrzemski during the second inning of his start Thursday night.

The team recalled outfielder Pavin Smith from Triple-A Reno in the corresponding roster move.

Smith, a first-round pick (seventh overall) of the Diamondbacks in 2017, hit .188 (36-for-191) in 69 games with Arizona last season, dropping his average to .240 in his four big-league seasons. He has 28 home runs and 116 RBIs in 391 games.

The Diamondbacks also designated infielder Jace Peterson for assignment. Peterson had only one hit in 22 at-bats for Arizona this season and hit .183 (17-for-93) through 41 games with the Diamondbacks in 2023.

Information from Field Level Media was used in this report.

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