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Rays shortstop Wander Franco back in lineup after 2-day benching

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:50 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla, (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco is back in the starting lineup after being benched for two games in response to his handling of frustrating situations this season.Franco was second in the batting order for Saturday’s game against the Kanas City Royals. After being sent home Thursday, the first of the two games he didn’t play, Franco was in uniform and in the dugout for Friday night’s game.“It’s been hard, really hard, not being with team,” Franco said through a translator. “I’m happy to be back. It’s been difficult.”Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash has declined to discuss specific incidents. Franco has at times not run out grounders. After an at-bat on Wednesday, he shattered his bat on the dugout bench.“I think they’re doing a good job in the way they’ve controlled the situation,” Franco said. “I’ve been with this organization a long time, and I think they’ve controlled the situation well wit...

Rangers reliever José Leclerc on 15-day injured list with sprained right ankle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:50 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The Texas Rangers placed reliever José Leclerc on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a sprained right ankle, a day after the right-hander was hurt during batting practice.Leclerc is 0-1 with one save and a 3.42 ERA in 24 appearances this season. The right-hander has a 5.40 ERA in his last 15 outings after starting this season with nine scoreless appearances.LeClerc has 37 saves and a 3.15 ERA in 253 appearances since making his big league debut with Texas in 2016.Yerry Rodríguez was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock for his third stint with the Rangers. Rodríguez has a 3.38 ERA in six appearances with Texas this season and is 1-0 with two saves and a 4.29 ERA in 17 relief appearances with Round Rock.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

‘Small but meaningful measure’: Metrobus to institute nighttime ‘courtesy stops’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:50 GMT

Starting Sunday, nighttime Metrobus riders in the D.C. area will have the opportunity to get off in between bus stops to be closer to their destination, in an effort to increase safety.Metro said that riders can ask for a “courtesy stop” between 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. That’s when the bus driver, if it’s safe to do so, will pull over to the curb to let the rider exit the bus.Even though Metro said that these courtesy stops “will be allowed on all regular route Metrobuses,” it won’t be accommodated on limited-stop and Express Metrobus routes, a news release said.Metro said riders should use the front door to exit the bus.“The safety of every customer is important to us and for those traveling alone at night, having the option of a courtesy stop will provide an additional sense of security,” Metro CEO and General Manager Randy Clarke said in a release.“It’s a small but meaningful measure, along with the added value that comes ...

Denver weather: Dry breezy weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:50 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver’s weather will dry out this weekend after an active week of severe weather on the Front Range.The weekend of June 24 has warm temperatures and sun in the forecast. Pride Guide: What to know about Denver events Weather Saturday: Warm and dryIt will be a great weekend to spend time outside in Denver as a dry pattern returns to Colorado. Temperatures the weekend of June 24 will be warm with the sunshine making a return.Temperatures will be seasonally warm, in the mid 80s. Colorado farmers markets near you There will be sunshine, warm temperatures and a breeze the weekend of June 24.Plenty of sunshine and some breezy winds round out the weekend. Temperatures across the state will be warm Sunday, June 25.Sunday will be another warm and sunny day, with some areas nearly reaching the 90s and comfortable temperatures in the high 70s and 80s across the Front Range. Going hiking? Prepare ahead of your expedition Looking ahead: Staying dryDenver will have...

Russia says Wagner Group’s leader will move to Belarus after his rebellious march challenged Putin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:50 GMT

(AP) — The head of the private Russian military company Wagner will move to neighboring Belarus as part of deal to defuse rebellion tensions and the criminal case against him will be closed, the Kremlin said Saturday.Yevgeny Prigozhin’s troops who joined him in the uprising will not face prosecution and those who did not will be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.After the deal was reached, Prigozhin said he was ordering his troops to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to field camps in Ukraine, where they have been fighting alongside Russian troops.The deal appeared to defuse a dramatically escalating crisis that represented the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power.The deal was mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch Putin ally.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.A rebellious Russian mercenary commander said Satur...

Kremlin says Prigozhin will depart for Belarus after his rebellion fizzles

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:50 GMT

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced a deal late on Saturday that Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin would depart for Belarus in return for being spared prosecution, after an abortive rebellion in which his troops made a dash for Moscow. The announcement, carried by the Tass news agency, came shortly after embittered warlord Prigozhin announced his men were turning back from Moscow to avoid a devastating civil conflict. In a voice recording posted to his Telegram channel, Prigozhin said his troops would turn back after advancing within 200 kilometers of the capital.It was the culmination of an extraordinary day, in which Putin had accused the Wagner group of “treason” and said their uprising risked tipping Russia into civil war. Prigozhin, smarting over the Kremlin’s handling of the war in Ukraine, announced early on Saturday that his mercenaries had seized the major southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, a logistics hub for Putin’s war, and threatened to pus...

Mets Notebook: Danny Mendick returns to the big leagues a year after ACL tear

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:50 GMT

PHILADELPHIA — Exactly a year ago, Danny Mendick was on the ground at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago. He didn’t immediately know what had happened after a collision with Adam Haseley and the Chicago White Sox removed him from the game with what the team called “right knee discomfort.”The diagnosis was a lot worse than just “discomfort.” Mendick tore his ACL and fractured his fibula. There was also a bone bruise on the side of his knee, which seemed like a meaningless injury compared to the others.Saturday, he was called up to the big leagues for the first time since he was shut down for ACL surgery. The Mets signed him to a free-agent deal over the winter and brought him up from Triple-A Syracuse to take the spot of Eduardo Escobar on the roster after the latter was traded to the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night.“The day after [the injury] happens and the day after the surgery, you’re sitting there like, ‘When is this ever go...

Titanic-bound OceanGate submersible implosion investigation launched by US and Canada authorities

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:50 GMT

Authorities from the U.S. and Canada began the process of investigating the cause of the fatal Titan submersible implosion even as they grappled with questions of who was responsible for determining how the tragedy unfolded.A formal inquiry has not yet been launched because maritime agencies are still busy searching the area where the vessel was destroyed, killing all five people aboard, the U.S. Coast Guard said Friday. Debris was located about 12,500 feet underwater, several hundred feet away from the Titanic wreckage it was on its way to explore.The U.S. Coast Guard led the initial search and rescue mission, which was a massive international effort that likely cost millions of dollars.It was not entirely clear Friday who would have the authority to lead what is sure to be a complex investigation involving several countries. OceanGate Expeditions, the company that owned and operated the Titan, is based in the U.S. but the submersible was registered in the Bahamas. OceanGate is bas...

Canada is investigating why the Titanic-bound submersible imploded

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:50 GMT

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said Saturday that it’s conducting an investigation into the loss of the Titan submersible and has been speaking with those who traveled on Titan’s mothership, the Polar Prince.The development comes as authorities from the U.S. and Canada began the process of probing the cause of the underwater implosion and grappled with questions of who was responsible for determining how the tragedy unfolded.Maritime agencies are searching the area in the North Atlantic where the vessel was destroyed, killing all five people aboard. Debris was located about 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) underwater, several hundred feet away from the Titanic wreckage it was on its way to explore.“We are conducting a safety investigation in Canada given that this was a Canadian-flagged vessel that departed a Canadian port and was involved in this occurrence, albeit in international waters,” said Kathy Fox, chair of the transportation board. “Other agencies may choose to conduc...

The mercenary chief who urged an uprising against Russia’s generals has long ties to Putin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:50 GMT

The millionaire mercenary chief who long benefitted from the powerful patronage of President Vladimir Putin has moved into the global spotlight with a dramatic rebellion against Russia’s military that has challenged the authority of Putin himself.Yevgeny Prigozhin is the 62-year-old owner of the Kremlin-allied Wagner Group, a hired private army of inmate recruits and other mercenaries that has fought some of the deadliest battles in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On Friday, Prigozhin abruptly escalated months of scathing criticism of Russia’s conduct of the war, calling for an armed uprising to oust the defense minister, and then rolling toward Moscow with his soldiers-for-hire. As Putin’s government declared a “counterterrorism” alert and scrambled to seal off Moscow with checkpoints, Prigozhin just as abruptly stood down. As he retreated with his forces, it was unclear what was next for Prigozhin, a former prison inmate, hot-dog vendor and restaurant owner who riv...