Dodgers to visit White House, call it ‘great honor’
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Alden Gonzalez
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Los Angeles Dodgers announced they accepted an invitation to the White House to celebrate their World Series title.
The team will make the trip on April 7, a Monday, before the first of a three-game series against the Washington Nationals. Members of the Dodgers will also visit Capitol Hill on April 8, the team announced.
“It wasn’t a formal conversation that we had as a ballclub,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Tuesday’s exhibition game against the Los Angeles Angels. “It’s certainly a huge honor to get the invitation to the White House. It allows us to celebrate our 2024 championship. To my understanding, every World Series champion gets that honor, so it’s a great honor for all of us.”
The Dodgers’ White House visit is especially notable in the wake of a controversy surrounding a story highlighting Jackie Robinson’s military service. The story was temporarily deleted from the Department of Defense’s website last week as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to purge references to diversity, equity and inclusion through a “digital content refresh.”
Robinson served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War II, then broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier when he made his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. A statue in his honor graces Dodger Stadium’s center-field plaza. Though it does not make any references to DEI, the story on Robinson’s service was among a swath scrubbed from government websites in recent days.
Roberts, who has frequently spoken about the importance of major league teams deploying more diverse coaching and front office staffs, said he was unaware of what took place with the Robinson story. After being informed by a reporter, he said: “I think I’m happy that the page went back up. I have my strong opinions on DEI and all that stuff, but that’s another scrum.”
In 2019, near the end of Trump’s first presidency, Roberts indicated as part of a Los Angeles Times profile that he would not visit the White House if the Dodgers hoisted the World Series trophy later that year. Reminded of that Tuesday, Roberts smirked and said, “Did I?”
“I’m going,” he added. “I respect the position. It’s the highest office in our country, certainly in the world, so, looking forward to it.”
The Dodgers visited the White House under Joe Biden’s presidency on the heels of securing a championship at the end of the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. Four years later, on Oct. 30, 2024, they clinched their first full-season title since 1988 by defeating the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series.
Trump was elected president about a week after. About two months later, he feuded with local politicians and California Gov. Gavin Newsom in the wake of wildfires that ravaged parts of L.A., at one point threatening to withhold federal aid over disagreements about the region’s water management. The Trump administration eventually passed an executive order aimed at addressing water shortages and regulatory hurdles hindering disaster response efforts in Southern California.
Dodgers chairman Mark Walter and part-owner Earvin “Magic” Johnson were selected by Newsom to lead an initiative aimed at supporting wildfire recovery and rebuilding efforts in L.A., committing up to $100 million to fund the philanthropic effort. Johnson has openly spoken out against Trump in recent years, but the Dodgers, through their X account, said Tuesday that they “look forward to visiting the White House and celebrating our title.”
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Alden Gonzalez
LOS ANGELES — Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar tested positive for a banned substance and will begin an 80-game suspension Monday, for the start of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium. Profar tested positive for chorionic gonadotropin, a performance-enhancing drug, according to Major League Baseball.
Profar will be eligible to return to the Braves on June 29 against Philadelphia but will be ineligible for the 2025 postseason as part of his suspension.
Profar, 32, signed a $1 million contract with the San Diego Padres in February 2024 and put together the best offensive season of his career last season, slashing .280/.380/.459 with 24 homers and 85 RBIs in 158 games. The Braves signed him to a three-year, $42 million deal in January to make him their everyday left fielder.
In a statement sent by the MLB Players’ Association, Profar called Monday “the most difficult day of my baseball career” and said he was “devastated” by the news. Profar added that he was tested eight times for PEDs in 2024 and “never tested positive.”
“This is especially painful for me because anyone who knows me and has seen me play knows I am deeply passionate about the game,” Profar wrote as part of his statement. “There is nothing I love more than competing with my teammates and being a fan favorite. I want to apologize to the entire Braves organization, my teammates, and the fans. It is because of my deep love and respect for this game that I would never knowingly do anything to cheat it.”
The Braves posted a statement on X, saying, “we were surprised and extremely disappointed to learn that Jurickson Profar tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Prevention and Treatment Program. We fully support the Program and are hopeful that Jurickson will learn from this experience.”
The substance hCG is a hormone that helps in the production of testosterone, according to the Cleveland Clinic, as cited by The Associated Press.
Profar’s suspension, which is without pay, comes after a brutal opening weekend for the Braves, who were swept in a four-game series by the Padres while scoring a combined seven runs — including zero over the last 22 innings.
Profar’s absence hurts the short-handed Braves. Outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. is not expected back from the injured list for another month. Jarred Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz have been platooning in right field in Acuna’s absence. With Profar gone, the Braves can also turn as a down-the-road option to Alex Verdugo, who was signed to a $1.5 million deal March 20 and optioned to the minor leagues to get at-bats.
For now however, the Braves acquired outfielder Stuart Fairchild from the Cincinnati Reds for cash considerations earlier Monday and added him to the 40-man roster. He’s expected to join them on Tuesday. The Braves will go one player short against the Dodgers Monday night.
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Jorge Castillo
The New York Mets have traded outfielder Alexander Canario to the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash considerations, the Pirates announced on Monday.
Canario was designated for assignment Thursday hours before the Mets’ season opener. He had traveled with the club from spring training in Florida to Houston last week to participate in the Mets’ workout Wednesday, but the team’s outfield glut rendered him a long shot to make the roster.
New York’s Opening Day roster included six outfielders: Juan Soto, Brandon Nimmo, Tyrone Taylor, Jose Siri, Starling Marte and Jesse Winker. Despite a strong camp, there just wasn’t room for Canario, who was out of minor-league options.
Jose Azocar, another outfielder, was also designated for assignment by the Mets on Thursday. The 28-year-old Azocar, however, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse.
Canario’s combination of youth — he’s 24 years old — and tools made him attractive to other teams. The right-handed hitter, who was traded from the San Francisco Giants to the Chicago Cubs in July 2021 as part of a trade for Kris Bryant, made his major-league debut with the Cubs in 2023. He appeared in 21 games for the team over the last two seasons, batting .286 with two home runs and two doubles in 45 plate appearances.
The Cubs designated Canario for assignment in late February to make room on their 40-man roster for Justin Turner. The Mets acquired him for cash days later. Canario reported straight to Port St. Lucie for spring training where he slashed .306/.419/.611 with three home runs in 17 games. He’ll now be with his third organization in just over a month.
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