SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — The Belmont Stakes is set to be run at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York for a third consecutive year in 2026.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York Racing Association announced Friday that it will be the third and last time the Triple Crown finale is held there before returning to Belmont Park on Long Island in 2027.

“Saratoga has served our fans and stakeholders extremely well as the temporary home of the Belmont Stakes during the construction of a new Belmont Park on Long Island,” NYRA president and CEO David O’Rourke said. “Belmont Park will always be the home of the Belmont Stakes and we look forward to its return to the newly reimagined Belmont in 2027.”

It was confirmation of an expected extension of the race’s stay at Saratoga while Belmont Park undergoes nearly a half-billion dollar renovation project. It is on track to reopen in September 2026, with the Breeders’ Cup returning to New York at Belmont Park in the fall of 2027.

The Belmont will again be run at 1 1/4 miles instead of its traditional 1-1/2 mile distance that has been known as the “test of the champion.” That has been the case the past two years, as well, because of the configuration of the main dirt track.

The Tampa Bay Rays acquired right-hander Forrest Whitley from the Houston Astros in exchange for cash considerations Friday.

Whitley, once a top-10 prospect in baseball, was designated for assignment by the Astros on Sunday.

Houston selected him with the No. 17 pick of the 2016 MLB draft out of high school in San Antonio and gave him a $3.148 million signing bonus, but he failed to reach expectations.

Now 27, he didn’t debut in Houston until the 2024 season and made three relief appearances, giving up no earned runs in 3⅓ innings.

This season, Whitley appeared in five games for Houston, with opponents scoring 10 earned runs on nine hits and six walks in 7⅓ innings. He has no decisions with a 12.27 ERA.

In 117 minor league appearances (65 starts) he had a 17-20 record with a 4.75 ERA over 306⅔ innings. He struck out 421 batters and walked 160.

Aaron Civale is getting his wish for a trade after resisting the Milwaukee Brewers‘ attempt to move him to the bullpen.

The Brewers dealt Civale and $807,000 to the Chicago White Sox for first baseman Andrew Vaughn, the teams announced Friday.

The trade comes two days after the Brewers said they were shifting Civale to the bullpen for the first time in his seven-year career. That was being done to make room for flame-throwing prospect Jacob Misiorowski in the Milwaukee rotation.

But Civale pushed back against the bullpen move, saying he wanted to continue starting, even if that meant getting traded to another team. His agent, Jack Toffey, made the trade request to Brewers general manager Matt Arnold.

“We’re exploring the options to give me the chance to do what I do best, and that’s to go out there and start,” Civale said Thursday.

Civale (1-2, 4.91 ERA), who turned 30 on Thursday and is eligible for free agency after the season, was the odd man out when the Brewers opted to go with a rotation of Misiorowski, Freddy Peralta, Jose Quintana, Quinn Priester and Chad Patrick. Misiorowski tossed five scoreless innings in his major league debut Thursday to help the Brewers win 6-0 in the opener of a four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Civale, with a 40-37 career record and a 4.06 ERA, said his last regular-season relief performance came in college at Northeastern.

“Whatever’s next, I’m not exactly sure what’s going on,” Civale said. “This is typically early in the season for a trade to go down, but I know what I can do. I think a lot of people know what I can do. Whatever the next steps are, they are. Go from there.”

Civale is now heading from a Brewers team that won the past two National League Central titles to a White Sox club that has lost more than 100 games each of the past two years and is already 21½ games back in the American League Central with a 23-46 record.

Vaughn, 27, was in his fifth season with the White Sox. He was hitting .189 with five home runs and 19 RBIs in 48 games this season before being sent to Triple-A Charlotte in May in hopes of getting him back on track. The Brewers assigned Vaughn to Triple-A Nashville.

Civale becomes the third former Brewers player to join the White Sox in the past month. Chicago claimed infielder Vinny Capra off waivers and signed pitcher Tyler Alexander after Milwaukee designated him for assignment.

In other moves Friday, the Brewers recalled right-hander Grant Anderson and outfielder Drew Avans from Triple-A Nashville. Outfielder Daz Cameron was placed on the paternity list.

Information from The Associated Press and Field Level Media was used in this report.