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COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Hall of Fame players Jeff Bagwell, Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones, Ted Simmons and Jim Thome are among 16 members of the contemporary era committee that will consider an eight-man Hall of Fame ballot that includes managers Jim Leyland, Lou Piniella, Cito Gaston and Davey Johnson.

Retired manager Joe Torre and former commissioner Bud Selig, both elected to the hall, also are on the committee that convenes Sunday at the winter meetings in Nashville, Tennessee, along with executives Sandy Alderson, Bill DeWitt, Michael Hill, Ken Kendrick, Andy MacPhail and Phyllis Merhige plus media members/historians Sean Forman, Jack O’Connell and Jesus Ortiz.

The ballot also includes umpires Joe West and Ed Montague, former National League President Bill White and former general manager Hank Peters.

A vote of 75% or more is needed for election. Anyone chosen will be inducted into the Hall of Fame next July 21 along with players voted in by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, whose balloting will be announced on Jan. 23.

Leyland, 78, won 1,769 games over 22 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies and Detroit Tigers, leading the Marlins to the 1997 World Series title. He was voted Manager of the Year in 1990, 1992 and 2006, and he managed the U.S. to the 2017 World Baseball Classic championship.

Piniella, 80, won 1,835 games with the New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays and the Chicago Cubs, winning the 1990 World Series with the Reds. His 2001 Mariners won an America League-record 116 games. He was voted Manager of the Year in 1995, 2001 and 2008. Piniella was voted the 1969 AL Rookie of the Year and hit .291 with 102 homers and 766 RBIs in 18 big league seasons that includes titles with the Yankees in 1977 and ’78.

Gaston, 79, had 894 victories while managing the Toronto Blue Jays for 12 seasons, earning World Series titles in 1992 and ’93. He hit .256 with 91 homers and 387 RBIs during 11 seasons.

Johnson, 80, had 1,372 wins for the New York Mets, Cincinnati, Baltimore Orioles, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals, leading the Mets to the 1986 World Series title. He was voted Manager of the Year in 1997 and 2012. As a player, he batted .261 with 136 homers and 609 RBIs in 13 seasons.

West, 70, umpired a record 5,460 games from 1976 to 2021, breaking the prior mark of 5,375 set by Bill Klem. West worked six World Series.

Montague, 74, worked 4,369 games from 1974 to 2009 and umpired in six World Series, including four as crew chief.

White, 89, was NL president from 1989-94. He was an All-Star first baseman in five seasons and hit .286 with 202 homers and 870 RBIs from 1956-69 and became a Yankees broadcaster from 1971-88.

Peters, who died in 2015 at age 90, was general manager of the Kansas City Athletics in 1965, moved to the Cleveland Indians the following year, was president of the minor league governing body the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues from 1972-75, then became Baltimore’s GM from November 1975 until October 1987 and helped the Orioles win the 1979 AL pennant and the 1983 World Series. He was president of the Indians from 1987 through 1991.

The Hall of Fame in 2022 restructured its veterans’ committees for the third time in 12 years, setting up panels to consider the contemporary baseball Era from 1980 on and classic baseball era for before 1980. The contemporary baseball era holds separate ballots for players and another for managers, executives and umpires.

Each committee meets every three years, starting with contemporary baseball/players last December, when Fred McGriff was elected. Classic baseball meets in December 2024 and contemporary baseball/players in December 2025.

Managers and umpires were eligible if they had 10 or more big league seasons and have been retired for five years, though people 65 and older are eligible six months after retirement. Executives must be retired for five years, but active executives 70 or older are eligible.

The ballot was picked by a historical overview committee that included Bob Elliott of the Canadian Baseball Network, Steve Hirdt of Stats Perform, David O’Brien of The Athletic, BBWAA secretary-treasurer O’Connell, Tracy Ringolsby of InsideTheSeams, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle and Mark Whicker of the Los Angeles News Group along with Jim Henneman (formerly of The Sun in Baltimore), Jim Reeves (formerly of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram) and Glenn Schwarz (formerly of the San Francisco Chronicle).

Adrián Beltré, Joe Mauer, Chase Utley, David Wright, José Bautista and Matt Holliday are among the players eligible for the BBWAA ballot for the first time in the current vote. Holdovers include Todd Helton, who fell 11 votes short this year, and Billy Wagner, who was 27 shy.

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Dodgers do ‘smartest thing,’ put Yamamoto on IL

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Dodgers do 'smartest thing,' put Yamamoto on IL

LOS ANGELES — Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto was placed on the 15-day injured list before Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Royals with tightness in the triceps of his pitching arm.

Manager Dave Roberts said Yamamoto, 25, would undergo testing Sunday to determine the severity of the injury and a recovery timeline.

“He’s a guy that we’re still trying to learn a lot about, and appreciate the fact that the most important time of the season is yet to come,” Roberts said. “His health is paramount. So for us to be proactive and put him on the IL seems like the smartest thing.”

Yamamoto, playing his first year in the majors after departing his native Japan and signing a record $325 million, 12-year contract, is 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA.

Yamamoto left Saturday’s loss to Kansas City after two innings. He said through an interpreter after the game that his scheduled start the previous Thursday against Texas had been pushed back because of the tightness.

He also said the tightness was gone for most of Saturday, but he started feeling it again when he was warming up before the game.

Yamamoto threw two-hit ball over seven innings at the New York Yankees on June 7. He tossed 106 pitches, the fourth straight time he had thrown more than 100.

Roberts said he has been mindful of Yamamoto’s pitch count, but also noted Yamamoto was used to throwing 120 pitches or more when he pitched in Japan.

With Bobby Miller returning to the rotation for Wednesday’s game at Colorado, the Dodgers will still have a five-man starting staff. Clayton Kershaw will also make his first rehab start this week.

Los Angeles’ rotation went into Sunday’s game with the majors’ seventh-lowest ERA at 3.49.

The Dodgers also placed right-hander Michael Grove on the IL with a right intercostal strain. Right-handers J.P. Feyereisen and Michael Petersen were called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City. To make room for Petersen on the 40-man roster, right-hander Joe Kelly was transferred to the 60-day IL.

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Dodgers’ Betts fractures hand; out ‘for some time’

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Dodgers' Betts fractures hand; out 'for some time'

LOS ANGELES — Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts suffered a fracture in his left hand when he was hit by a 97.9 mph fastball from Dan Altavilla during the seventh inning of Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Royals.

The fracture, which is to a bone in Betts’ left wrist, will not require surgery, according to manager Dave Roberts. There is no timetable for his return, though he is expected to be out “for some time.”

“It’s a big blow. I feel bad for Mookie because he’s having an MVP-type season,” Roberts said.

The pitch hit Betts at the top of the hand, near the wrist. Betts fell to the ground and was writhing in extreme pain in the batter’s box as trainers and Roberts came out to tend to him.

Those watching on television and in the lower deck at Dodger Stadium could clearly hear the ball making contact with Betts’ hand.

Betts went 0-for-3 before exiting Sunday to drop his batting average to .304, ninth in the majors. He was fourth in on-base percentage (.405) and tied for fifth in hits (86).

Betts was asked what’s next for him.

“I’m honestly not sure,” he said. “Obviously, I’ll be watching the boys and cheering them on. Other than that, just kind of rest, maybe use it as a mental break and be ready to go whenever it heals up.”

Miguel Rojas is expected to see the majority of time at shortstop, according to Roberts.

The Dodgers, who defeated the Royals 3-0, head to Colorado for a three-game series starting Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Yankees prospect Dominguez (left side) off to IL

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Yankees prospect Dominguez (left side) off to IL

BOSTON — New York Yankees top prospect Jasson Dominguez was placed on Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s injured list Sunday with a left side injury.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Dominguez suffered the injury on an “awkward” checked swing in his third plate appearance Saturday. He finished the at-bat, striking out looking, and played another inning in center field before he was removed from the game. He went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and two strikeouts.

“He’s getting testing today,” Boone said before the Yankees faced the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. “But it’s enough to put him on the IL right away at least. I’m sure we’ll have an idea — hopefully have an idea — with what exactly we got by tonight or [Monday].”

One of the more heralded prospects in recent years, Dominguez, nicknamed “The Martian,” made his major league debut last September before his 21st birthday. He played in eight games for the Yankees, batting .258 with four home runs, before tests revealed a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He returned to the field after surgery in mid-May on rehab assignment.

The rehab assignment ended Wednesday when the Yankees, who have a surplus of outfielders, activated Dominguez from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Dominguez slashed .389/.405/.609 in nine games in Triple-A before the injury.

Dominguez was in the outfield for Gerrit Cole‘s dominant rehab start Friday for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The question now is whether Cole’s next outing will be his season debut in New York this week.

The Yankees are choosing between having Cole and Cody Poteet start Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. The team has “TBA” listed for now.

“I think we’re just going to get through today and probably make it tonight or certainly [Monday],” Boone said.

Cole, 33, has made three rehab starts since returning to game action after being diagnosed with nerve irritation and edema in his right elbow in mid-March. On Friday, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner held the Rochester Red Wings to one unearned run on two hits over 4⅓ innings. He struck out 10, walked none and threw 68 pitches. In all, he has given up two runs (one earned) across 12⅓ innings in his rehab showings.

“We don’t have to make that final call right now,” Boone said. “He’s going to pitch, probably in that five- or six-day window coming off his last one. Let’s just not tie ourselves to something until really we have to.”

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