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MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Bubba Wallace is switching numbers, just like his famous car owner Michael Jordan did.

Wallace will drive the No. 45 Toyota for 23XI Racing the rest of the season instead of his usual No. 23. The team announced the move Wednesday. The switch was made because the No. 45 car, previously driven the by the injured Kurt Busch, is competing for the owners championship.

Ty Gibbs had been subbing for Busch the past several races. Gibbs will move to Wallace’s No. 23 for the rest of the season.

Wallace will continue with his crew chief, Bootie Barker, while Gibbs will keep working with Billy Scott. Other than the numbers, 23XI said there will be no changes to the primary partners on either car.

Jordan, who owns the team with racer Denny Hamlin, famously switched from No. 23 to No. 45 when he returned from his first NBA retirement with the Chicago Bulls in 1995. Jordan eventually returned to No. 23 during that year’s playoffs.

Busch had qualified the No. 45 for the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with his win at Kansas this past May. But he suffered a concussion in a crash during qualifying at Pocono and missed the final six regular-season races.

Busch, who was not cleared to race at Darlington to start the playoffs, on Sunday withdrew from the postseason.

23XI team president Steve Lauletta said they consulted with NASCAR and agreed the switch was in the best interest of the organization.

“While Ty has done a great job for us in the No. 45 car, we feel that Bubba’s experience in this car, at the upcoming playoff tracks and his recent momentum will give 23XI the best chance at maximizing our points each weekend,” Lauletta said.

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Jays claim Kiner-Falefa off waivers for playoff push

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Jays claim Kiner-Falefa off waivers for playoff push

The Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday claimed utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Kiner-Falefa, who has played shortstop, third base and outfield, spent 2024 with the Blue Jays before being traded to the Pirates on July 30.

The 30-year-old will be eligible to play this postseason. He is hitting .264 with 1 home run, 35 RBIs, 40 runs scored and 15 stolen bases in 119 games.

To make room on the roster, Toronto transferred injured right-hander Yimi García to the 60-day injured list. García needs elbow surgery and is out for the year.

An eight-year veteran who has also played for Texas and the New York Yankees, Kiner-Falefa signed ​​a two-year, $15 million contract with Toronto ahead of the 2024 season. He played 83 games for the Blue Jays before he was traded to Pittsburgh at last year’s deadline.

The Pirates on Sunday also recalled outfield Ryan Kreidler from Triple-A Indianapolis.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Cubs signing veteran 1B Santana, source says

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Cubs signing veteran 1B Santana, source says

DENVER — The Chicago Cubs are signing first baseman Carlos Santana, a source told ESPN on Sunday.

Santana, 39, hit .225 with 11 home runs in 116 games for the Cleveland Guardians this season before being released by the team Friday.

The move is expected to become official Monday.

The 16-year veteran has a career .778 OPS while playing for seven teams, though most of his time was spent with the Guardians, whom he rejoined this year after spending a decade there to start his career.

Though he is a switch-hitter, Santana is likely to see at-bats as a right-hander almost exclusively as the Cubs are 17-19 this season when a left-hander starts against them. Left-handed hitter Michael Busch is the regular starter at first base, but he has been spelled by veteran Justin Turner often this season.

It’s unclear what Santana’s signing means for the immediate future of Turner, who is considered the clubhouse leader on the team. With rosters expanding to 28 on Monday, the Cubs have several options open to them to keep Turner if they desire.

In other moves Sunday, the Cubs claimed right-hander Aaron Civale off waivers from the Chicago White Sox, recalled right-hander Porter Hodge from Triple-A Iowa, optioned left-hander Jordan Wicks to their top farm club and designated left-hander Tom Cosgrove for assignment.

The Cubs also are calling up outfielder Kevin Alcantara and sending down Owen Caissie, a source told ESPN.

Civale, 30, is 3-9 with a 5.26 ERA in 18 starts for the White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers this season. The Brewers traded him to the White Sox in June to acquire first-baseman Andrew Vaughn.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Civale is expected to come out of the bullpen for the team.

“It’s just length options in case we need it,” Counsell said. “It’s just to be covered with another guy that can start.”

Hodge is 2-1 with a 6.85 ERA and two saves in 26 appearances for Chicago this year. In his past nine appearances with Iowa going back to Aug. 1, he struck out 20 and allowed six hits over 12 scoreless innings.

The 25-year-old Wicks, a first-round pick in the 2021 amateur draft, is 0-1 with an 8.71 ERA in six relief appearances with the Cubs this year.

Cosgrove has a 2.25 ERA in two appearances for the Cubs this season.

The Cubs will enter the final month of the season as the No. 1 seed in the National League wild-card race, trailing the first-place Milwaukee Brewers by 6.5 games in the NL Central entering Sunday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Guardians pitchers on leave ‘until further notice’

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Guardians pitchers on leave 'until further notice'

Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz will remain on nondisciplinary paid leave “until further notice” while a gambling investigation continues, Major League Baseball announced Sunday.

MLB said in a statement Sunday that the league and players’ association had agreed to extend the leaves of Clase and Ortiz, adding, “We will not comment further until the investigation has been completed.”

The investigation stems from unusual betting interest in individual pitches by Ortiz in two Guardians games in June. A sportsbook reported “suspicious betting” on the first pitch thrown by Ortiz to be a ball or hit batsman to begin the second inning of a June 15 game against the Seattle Mariners and again in the third inning of a June 27 game against the St. Louis Cardinals. In both instances, Ortiz threw a first-pitch slider that was well outside the strike zone.

Integrity firm IC360, which works with sportsbooks, sports leagues and state regulators to monitor the betting market, sent out an alert to clients regarding the unusual activity involving Ortiz’s pitches on June 27. Ortiz was placed on nondisciplinary paid leave July 3.

Clase, the Guardians’ closer, was put on nondisciplinary paid leave weeks later, on July 28.

The Ohio Casino Control Commission, which oversees the state’s sports betting market, has said it is investigating the situation alongside and independently of MLB.

Betting on the result of pitches is a niche market, offered by only a select few U.S. sportsbooks. New Jersey and Ohio have taken steps to prohibit state-licensed sportsbooks from offering such markets, commonly referred to as microbetting, but for now, some sportsbooks continue to offer betting on the result of individual pitches.

Clase, the American League leader in saves in 2024, had 24 saves and was 5-3 with a 3.23 ERA this season. Ortiz, meanwhile, was 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA in 16 starts.

Entering Sunday, the Guardians are three games back in the American League wild-card race.

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