CINCINNATI -- The season is likely over for one of the Bengals' promising rookies.

Head coach Zac Taylor confirmed on Friday that running back Rodney Anderson tore his ACL again in Thursday's preseason finale. This is the second time in as many years that Anderson suffered the exact same injury.

The sixth-round pick left Thursday's game with a right knee injury after a 4-yard carry in the first quarter of the Bengals' 13-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. It was Anderson's second game of the preseason and was three weeks after he was cleared to practice.

Anderson tore the ACL in his right knee in the second game of the 2018 season at Oklahoma. The rookie was expected to provide depth for a Bengals backfield that features veterans Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard.

In the third preseason game, Anderson showed why the Bengals used a late-round pick on him. He had four catches for 51 yards in his first game action since he was in college and drew praise from Taylor.

But once again, a promising year appears to have come to an abrupt halt. At Oklahoma, he suffered three season-ending injuries. In four years, he appeared in only 17 games for the Sooners.

Anderson was one of two running backs Cincinnati selected in the sixth round of this year's draft. The Bengals also took Texas A&M's Trayveon Williams, who led the SEC in rushing in 2018.

If Anderson will be out for the entire season, the Bengals will likely have an additional spot available ahead of Saturday's roster cuts. It also could increase Williams' role when he returns to the field. He missed the final two preseason games with a foot injury.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots have traded cornerback Duke Dawson to the Denver Broncos, sources confirmed to ESPN.

The Broncos will get Dawson and the Patriots' seventh-round pick in 2020. In return, the Patriots will get Denver's sixth-round pick in 2020, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

In another deal, the Patriots acquired center Russell Bodine from the Buffalo Bills for a 2020 sixth-round pick, the Bills announced Friday.

Trading Dawson, a 2018 second-round pick, breaks up a logjam at one of Patriots' deepest positions on the roster.

NFL Network first reported the Dawson trade.

The Patriots thought highly of Dawson, trading up to select him with the 56th overall pick in the 2018 draft. But Dawson didn't appear in a game in his rookie season, opening on injured reserve because of a hamstring injury and then never breaking through onto the 46-man game-day roster after being activated from IR in mid-November.

The 5-foot-10, 198-pound Dawson played primarily in the slot and also worked at safety at times. Four-year veteran Jonathan Jones, who helped successfully cover Kansas City Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill in the AFC Championship Game, is the Patriots' top slot cornerback.

The Patriots also drafted cornerback Joejuan Williams in the second round of the 2019 draft, further adding to a position that includes starters Stephon Gilmore and Jason McCourty, as well as a future potential starter, second-year player J.C. Jackson.

In college, Dawson played in 48 career games for Florida, posting 82 tackles, six interceptions and 23 passes defended.

The Broncos had high marks on Dawson in the 2018 draft and, after selecting wide receiver Courtland Sutton in the second round (No. 40), he was a player they would have strongly considered if available.

Depth in the secondary has been a concern throughout training camp in Denver. One of the Broncos' starters, free-agent signee Bryce Callahan, has not played in the preseason while being given some days off in training camp.

Callahan fractured his foot last December with the Bears and coach Vic Fangio has consistently said they were being "prudent.''

The addition of Dawson also allows the Broncos to play Kareem Jackson at safety instead of corner, which is the team's preference.

In acquiring a 2020 sixth-round pick, the Patriots recoup the pick they traded to the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday for offensive tackle Korey Cunningham.

The 27-year-old Bodine, a fourth-round pick by the Bengals in 2014, is the third offensive lineman acquired by the Patriots via trade this week.

He started 10 games at center for the Bills in 2018 -- his first with the team. His position on the 53-man roster was jeopardized when the Bills made Mitch Morse the highest-paid center in the NFL this offseason.

Buffalo traded for lineman Ryan Bates shortly after Bodine suffered an oblique strain in the team's first preseason game, pushing Bodine further down the depth chart. With Morse's full clearance from concussion protocol as Saturday's final roster deadline approaches, Bills general manager Brandon Beane made the rare trade with a division rival.

For the Patriots, starting center David Andrews is likely out for the season after being diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs following the third preseason game, so the Patriots have bumped four-year veteran Ted Karras into the starting spot.

Karras has five career starts since joining the Patriots as a 2016 sixth-round pick, and Bodine now gives them a more experienced option, as he has started 74 career games between the Bengals (2014-2017) and Bills.

The Bills have now acquired two sixth-round picks and a fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft over the past two days; they sent OL Wyatt Teller and a 2021 seventh-rounder to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday in exchange for fifth- and sixth-round selections.

ESPN's Jeff Legwold and Marcel Louis-Jacques contributed to this report.

SHANGHAI -- During their first night in China, the members of Team USA didn't want to be around any coaches or other staff members. Gregg Popovich, a famous host of dinners, couldn't have been happier he was excluded from their plans.

From the first day this team got together in Las Vegas four weeks ago, Popovich has been trying to foster chemistry with the mashed-together group. Indeed, he's held a few of his marathon dinners where he's tried to lay the groundwork. But them going out as a group on their own made him smile.

"They've become close in a short period of time," Popovich said. "The camaraderie has blossomed, and I think that will bode well for us."

This is a challenge with every version of the national team. This is one area where the American teams are behind their competition in international events, and it has contributed to losses. This year, with so many Team USA veterans skipping the FIBA World Cup, it was at the top of Popovich's goal list to build some capital within the group for when the pressure arrives.

So after an overnight flight from Sydney, a group text went out Thursday, calling for a players-only dinner. Well, it went out to almost everyone. It seems that Brook Lopez is the only one on the team who doesn't have an iPhone. Somehow he didn't get the message and ended up with room service.

"What can I say?" Lopez said. "I'm a Samsung guy."

It wasn't the most inventive choice for an evening in Shanghai -- the group went to the local Morton's for steak and sea bass -- but the food was not the point. Whatever has been said about this team, one thing that is becoming apparent is that it has embraced the need to construct some semblance of chemistry.

"We have great chemistry, I think. We're getting along really well," Kemba Walker said after practice Friday at an international school in the Pudong section of the sprawling city. "We want to play for each other, and that's the biggest thing."

Walker picked up the check for the group of 20, part of the surcharge of his new $140 million contract he signed with the Boston Celtics earlier this summer. "It's not the first time I've gotten the bill this summer and won't be the last," he joked.

It takes more than breaking bread together to create a winning environment, of course. But this is now the fifth city on the third continent where this group has been together, and there's been very little consistency other than that camaraderie.

There have been evolving lineups and surprise departures -- the latest being Kyle Kuzma for a foot injury that sent him on a flight home to Los Angeles after he woke up with pain -- that have tested everyone's patience a bit. Popovich started five different lineups in the five exhibition games.

The loss last week in Australia wasn't a picnic, and the players had to go from answering questions about all the stars who aren't with them to explaining how they ended their 78-game win streak. The cheer, for now, remains.

"You have to enjoy being with people in order to feel responsible for them," Popovich said. "To be accountable to each other, you have to have some sort of empathetic bond. You have to love each other to a degree."

The strategy and execution will truly start to matter Sunday when Team USA opens World Cup play against the Czech Republic. The Americans have had some positive moments in the run-up games, and others not so much. Soon that will be the focus. In the meantime, the group is enjoying itself off the court and expecting it to translate on it.

"We're constantly communicating and constantly picking each other up," Walker said. "We love being around each other; it's been a great experience for all of us."

Cleveland Indians left fielder Tyler Naquin left Friday night's game against the Tampa Bay Rays with a right knee sprain.

In the bottom of the fifth inning in St. Petersburg, Florida, the Rays' Joey Wendle lined a Shane Bieber pitch to deep left field. Naquin leaped and caught the ball on the run but appeared to hurt the knee when he landed before crashing into the wall.

Several teammates raced out to a pained Naquin on the field, then motioned for athletic trainers to join them. The 28-year-old eventually was carted off the field.

Naquin is hitting .288 with 10 home runs this season.

The injury comes during the same week that Cleveland lost hard-hitting third baseman Jose Ramirez to a broken hamate bone in his right hand. He underwent surgery and is expected to miss three to five weeks.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have placed infielder Max Muncy on the 10-day injured list with a right wrist fracture.

The move is retroactive to Thursday.

Muncy left Wednesday's game against the San Diego Padres after being hit by a pitch in the fifth inning. An MRI on Friday revealed the fracture. Manager Dave Roberts had said Thursday that initial X-rays were negative.

In a corresponding roster move, Los Angeles activated IF/OF Kristopher Negrón from the 10-day IL.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- David Glass and his family on Friday announced the sale of the Kansas City Royals to an ownership group led by local entrepreneur John Sherman in a deal expected to be worth about $1 billion.

The Royals announced the sale just days after word began to leak that the Sherman group was closing in on an agreement. Sherman and his co-investors will become only the third owners since another local businessman, the beloved Ewing Kauffman, founded the club in 1969.

"The decision to sell the Royals was difficult for our family," said Glass, whose son Dan has served as the Royals' president. "Our goal, which I firmly believe we've achieved, was to have someone local, who truly loved the game of baseball and who would be a great steward for this franchise going forward. In John Sherman we have found everything we were looking for in taking ownership."

The 64-year-old Sherman has lived in Kansas City for more than four decades, even after he bought an interest in the Cleveland Indians. He founded, built and then sold a series of energy companies and has remained an influential local businessman, dabbling in agriculture in biosciences.

Glass was said to be negotiating with Sherman on a price of more than $1 billion, sources familiar with the discussions told ESPN's Jeff Passan earlier this week. That would be in line with the sale of the Miami Marlins for $1.2 billion in September 2017.

Sherman, who played quarterback at nearby Ottawa University, is also a well-respected civic leader, even though he keeps a low profile. He has given time and money to the Truman Presidential Library in nearby Independence, the Negro Leagues Museum in Kansas City, and several local schools. He and his wife, Marny, have also worked with Teach for America and other educational organizations.

"I am enormously grateful to David and the Glass family for this extraordinary opportunity," Sherman said, "and am humbled by the chance to team up with a distinguished group of local investors to carry forward and build on this rich Kansas City Royals legacy.

"Our goal will be threefold: to compete for a championship on behalf of our fans; to honor their passion, their experience and their unwavering commitment; and to carry their hopes and dreams forward in this great Kansas City region we all love for decades to come."

Sherman will need to divest his interest in the Indians, believed to be about 30% of the franchise, and the deal is subject to the approval of Major League Baseball.

Those hurdles should be cleared before owners vote on the sale at their meeting Nov. 21.

"We're very supportive of John and his group reaching an agreement to acquire ownership of his hometown Kansas City Royals," Indians president Paul Dolan said. "His acquisition of the Royals is good for the game of baseball and I wish him nothing but the best."

Sherman was introduced by Steve Greenberg, the son of Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg. His financial involvement allowed the team to push its payroll over the years, including in 2016, when the Indians acquired All-Star reliever Andrew Miller from the Yankees before the trading deadline.

The Indians proceeded to reach the World Series for the first time since 1997.

The Royals had represented the American League in the Fall Classic the previous two years, winning their second World Series title when they defeated the New York Mets in 2015. The back-to-back pennants came after a long period of dismal performances, leaving Glass with a mixed legacy in Kansas City.

On one hand, the 83-year-old Glass and his family kept the club in town following Kauffman's death in 1993. The longtime Walmart executive served as caretaker of the organization until April 2000, when he purchased sole ownership of the franchise for $96 million -- considered a strong bid at the time.

On the other hand, Glass was derided during the Royals' many 100-loss seasons for being unwilling to spend money on payroll, something he rectified in more recent years. Many fans also viewed him as an absentee owner whose family was more committed to northwest Arkansas than Kansas City.

"He's one of the most unique people I've ever met in my life," Royals manager Ned Yost countered. "Probably starting in 2012, my whole focus was to win a world championship for him. I didn't have any understanding or inkling what it would mean to win a championship for the city. I found that out later. But I wanted to win a championship for him."

Yost said watching Glass raise the World Series trophy in 2015 is "one of the top three highlights of my baseball career, because we had accomplished it for him."

Glass has reportedly been in declining health, increasing the urgency to find a new owner. The goal all along was to identify someone with ties to Kansas City who would keep the club in town.

"I will never forget the thrill of seeing over 800,000 people of this community come together on one sunny November day to salute the newly crowned world champions. It's been a fantastic ride," Glass said, "and I want to thank our great fans for supporting us through the years. But now it's time for someone else to oversee this franchise into its next championship."

The sale comes at an opportune time for other reasons, too.

Their local television contract expires after this season, and the Royals are expected to sign a new deal that would double annual rights fees to about $50 million. They also have just 12 years left on their lease at Kauffman Stadium, meaning the push for more renovations or a new ballpark -- potentially one in the revitalized downtown area -- is expected to begin in the next few years.

On the field, the club is in the midst of a massive rebuilding effort while barreling toward another 100-loss season. But the Royals have a bevy of young prospects rapidly rising through the minors, and the front office is hopeful the club will contend within the next two years.

"John Sherman and his group far exceeded our hope for the next caretaker of Royals baseball," Glass said. "We are truly blessed to have someone of John's stature and business acumen available to us from the metropolitan area to take the reins of this organization going forward."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs died from an accidental overdose of drugs and alcohol, a medical examiner in Texas has ruled.

The 27-year-old Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in the Dallas area July 1. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office said in a report released Friday that Skaggs had the powerful painkillers fentanyl and oxycodone, along with alcohol, in his system.

Skaggs' family released a statement on Friday suggesting a team employee was part of the investigation into the death.

"We are heartbroken to learn that the passing of our beloved Tyler was the result of a combination of dangerous drugs and alcohol," the statement said. "That is completely out of character for someone who worked so hard to become a Major League baseball player and had a very promising future in the game he loved so much.

"We are grateful for the work of the detectives in the Southlake Police Department and their ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding Tyler's death. We were shocked to learn that it may involve an employee of the Los Angeles Angels. We will not rest until we learn the truth about how Tyler came into possession of these narcotics, including who supplied them. To that end, we have hired attorney Rusty Hardin to assist us."

A spokesperson for Major League Baseball said MLB was unaware of the family's allegation and will investigate further.

The Angels issued a statement on Friday prior to their home game against the Boston Red Sox.

"Tyler was and always will be a beloved member of the Angels Family and we are deeply saddened to learn what caused this tragic death," the team said in the statement. "Angels Baseball has provided our full cooperation and assistance to the Southlake Police as they conduct their investigation."

Skaggs' autopsy listed the cause of death as "mixed ethanol, fentanyl and oxycodone intoxication with terminal aspiration of gastric contents," which essentially means Skaggs choked on his vomit while under the influence.

Tests showed 38 nanograms per milliliter of oxycodone, an opioid medication prescribed to treat severe pain, and 3.8 nanograms per milliliter of fentanyl, a painkiller that is significantly stronger than oxycodone. It also showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.122%; a 0.08% limit is considered legally impaired.

Skaggs wouldn't necessarily have been subject to testing by Major League Baseball for the drugs found in his system. Players on 40-man rosters are tested for drugs of abuse only if the player-management joint treatment board finds reasonable cause, if a player has been found to have used or possessed a drug of abuse, or if a player is subjected to testing under a treatment program.

Hardin has represented several high-profile athletes, including Roger Clemens during a perjury trial in 2012.

Hardin told the Los Angeles Times it was "way too early" to speculate on any potential legal action by Skaggs' family.

"I think the thing to keep in mind is they're just still so devastated, both the wife and the family, about this young man's death, and they just want to know what happened and how it happened," Hardin told the Times. "We're going to want to know how it came about that those drugs were ingested and whether or not others are responsible for what happened."

Skaggs, a Southern California native, was drafted by the Angels in the first round in 2009 and made his big league debut with Arizona three years later, after being traded.

Skaggs returned to the Angels in 2014 and missed all of the next season recovering from reconstructive surgery on his left elbow. He also spent more than three months on the disabled list in 2017 with a right oblique muscle strain. He was sidelined multiple times last season with a left adductor strain.

This year, he spent time on the 10-day injured list in April after rolling his ankle, and he missed a start in spring training with forearm soreness while experimenting with a new pitch, but he otherwise did not appear to be dealing with any other injuries. He threw 91 pitches in his final start, three days before his death.

For his career, Skaggs was 28-38 with a 4.41 ERA in 96 appearances, all starts.

Angels pitchers Taylor Cole and Felix Pena combined to no-hit the Seattle Mariners in the first game at Angel Stadium after Skaggs' death, with the late pitcher's teammates all wearing his No. 45 jersey to honor him.

Information from ESPN's Alden Gonzalez and The Associated Press was used in this report.

It's Labor Day weekend, so with summer winding down, baseball's playoff chase is heating up.

Here's where our attention will be:

The four leading contenders for the second National League wild-card spot are paired up this weekend with Brewers-Cubs at Wrigley Field and Mets-Phillies in Philadelphia (that finale is on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball). Rank this foursome by likelihood to make the wild-card game.

Eddie Matz: I'm not jazzed about any of the teams in this foursome, but I guess that's why they're fighting for the Nationals' scraps right now. The Brewers' pitching staff is a dumpster wreck wrapped in a train fire -- wait ... strike that, reverse it -- so they're automatically fourth of four here. The Phillies are a sub-.500 club in the three months since Andrew McCutchen went down, which seems like a large enough sample size to trust. The Mets' rotation is nails right now, but their remaining schedule is hairy and they literally can't catch the baseball. That leaves the Cubs, who have the softest competition from here on out. So ... (1) Cubs, (2) Mets, (3) Phillies, (4) Brewers.

Sam Miller: We've reached the period of the season where it's all small samples left. There are about 28 games (depending on the team); remember who was in first place 28 games into this season? The Seattle Mariners. There's just no maintaining order over 28 baseball games, which is really great news if you're the worst of these teams (the Brewers) or the one with the toughest schedule (the Phillies), because "worst" and "toughest" are words that order-enforcers use. I'd rank them like this: Cubs, Mets, Phillies, Brewers, but absolutely nothing stops any of these teams from going 18-10 or 10-18, as .500ish-type teams do over 28-game stretches all the time.

David Schoenfield: I look at the Phillies and see an injured list that includes Jake Arrieta, David Robertson, Seranthony Dominguez, Tommy Hunter, Pat Neshek, Edubray Ramos, Victor Arano ... and that's just the pitchers on the 60-day list. Six of their next 10 games are against the Mets, then they play the Braves, Red Sox, Braves again, Indians and Nationals -- that final trio on a brutal 11-game road trip. I don't see the Phillies surviving that. Milwaukee is three games over .500 despite being outscored by 39 runs. As Sam suggests, you can kind of throw out run differential at this point, but it feels like the Brewers are the least likely of the four to go on one of those 18-10 runs. The Mets? Well, right when you start believing in the Mets, they finish a big homestand by getting swept by the Braves and the Cubs. Plus, their schedule is reasonably tough down the stretch. So I guess that leaves the Cubs.

How about the American League, where wild-card hopefuls Cleveland and Tampa Bay square off? Who will make the play-in game: the Indians, the Rays, both or neither?

Matz: Jose Ramirez's broken hand could mean a broken heart for Tribe fans, as he was the resurgent straw that had been stirring Cleveland's comeback cocktail. But Rays ace Charlie Morton, who has been Tampa Bay's MVP this year but has never thrown more than 172 innings, sure looks like he's hitting the wall (4.82 ERA since the break). So that might cancel out the Ramirez injury and then some. Oakland definitely gets one of the AL wild cards. As for the second spot, the Indians and Rays will square off in Game 163, with feel-good story Carlos Carrasco getting the win in relief, as Ramirez -- fresh off the injured list -- hits a walk-off bomb. And yes, Jordan Peele is already in talks to star as Ramirez in the movie version.

Miller: Hoo boy, a September where Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Carrasco and Corey Kluber could all be coming back for the final weeks is a nice script. The A's will win a spot thanks to a soft schedule, Cleveland gets one because of its 2½-game cushion over the Rays, and Tampa Bay ends up about where it was last year: better than half the NL playoff teams but born to be bullied in the AL East.

Schoenfield: Am I bad person if I point out that the Red Sox aren't technically out of this? Will they spoil this small-market parade? I don't think so, as they have a lot of ground to make up and FanGraphs gives them just 10% odds of winning a wild card, but 10% isn't zero. Anyway, the Indians have the advantage of holding the top spot right now plus the added incentive of trying to chase down the Twins for the AL Central title. The Ramirez injury is a huge blow, but the return of Carrasco to the bullpen should provide a big emotional lift. They hold on. The A's, meanwhile, have played very good baseball for four months now. I see them rolling through September. The Rays have a chance if Snell and Glasnow can actually come back and give a boost to a staff that has looked a little tired the past two weeks or so. I'm going Indians and A's, but what I really want is a three-way tie.

Sure, teams are jockeying for playoff positions, but which individual player will you be watching most closely this weekend?

Matz: Jo Adell, Luis Robert, Gavin Lux and Kyle Tucker. I know, I cheated. That's four players instead of one. But it remains to be seen which of these stud prospects will be getting called up when rosters expand Sunday. Tucker seems the most likely to get the call, although based on comments from Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow, the fifth overall pick in the 2015 draft -- who has had a 30/30 season at Triple-A Fresno -- might not arrive until Monday. Which, as we all know, is technically not the weekend. Nevertheless, I'll be keeping a watchful eye on Tucker & Friends for the next 48 hours.

Miller: I read a piece at Baseball Prospectus on Thursday confirming what we've all intuited: Recent call-ups have had more immediate success than call-ups have ever had, another data point in the "It's A Young Player's World And Rajai Davis Is Just Living In It" argument. But I'm confident none of this September's call-ups will match what Yordan Alvarez has been, and is still, doing. His OPS+ this year is the 66th-highest of all time, right there with peak Albert Pujols, peak Miguel Cabrera, peak Frank Robinson, even peak Mike Trout. The league isn't successfully adapting to him at all: August has been his best month, with a .333/.431/.750 line. (July was his worst, with a .333/.419/.627 line!) On a per-plate-appearance basis, this is the greatest rookie hitting performance in history, and I'm going to soak it all up this weekend before Tucker or Lux comes and shiny-objects us all.

Schoenfield: The Indians plan to activate Carrasco on Sunday, when rosters expand. He'll pitch out of the bullpen, but that's not the important thing: After being diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, he'll be back in the majors and back with his teammates. I was in New York last week when the Indians played the Mets, and a couple of Cleveland players told me they believed their season turned around when Carrasco had to begin cancer treatment in June. The Indians were struggling at the time and Carrasco's health problems helped them put things in perspective (granted, it also helped that Jose Ramirez started hitting like Jose Ramirez). Can't wait to see Carrasco pitching again in a major league game.

PICK 'EM TIME

Zeroing in on the big names in Mets-Phillies, who will have more total bases this weekend: New York's Pete Alonso or Philadelphia's Bryce Harper?

Matz: On the season, Alonso is slugging about 100 points higher than Harper. He also has hit the Phillies way better than Harper has hit the Mets this year. Polar Bear me.

Miller: The Mets have the best ERA in baseball since the break, almost a run and a half better than the Phillies. Pete Alonso me.

Schoenfield: Harper has had his best month in August -- .267, 10 home runs, although only one double -- but the Mets have held him in check so far (.204, one home run in 13 games). I'll go with Big Pete.

We like to think we're an equal-opportunity feature here at Weekend Watch, and it's not always about the top 1%. The bottom-feeders deserve some attention, too (or do they?). Average attendance for the three Orioles-Royals games at Kansas City: over or under 14,500?

Matz: The Royals are averaging almost 19,000 fans per game. Since Memorial Day, they haven't drawn fewer than 65,000 over any Friday-Saturday-Sunday set. And that includes when they hosted the Tigers. On the unofficial final weekend of summer, they'll crush the 43,501 needed to make the "over" happen here.

Miller: "Unofficial final weekend of summer" might not apply in Kansas City, where public schools opened to students three weeks ago -- what a world. But I'm with Eddie. Last year's terrible Royals hosted last year's terrible Orioles on this very same weekend last year and drew just over 16,000 per game. Kansas City might straddle two states, but neither one is Florida, and they should clear 14,500 per game.

Schoenfield: Looks like Eddie and Sam already did their homework. They'll draw over 14,500 per game, and as a bonus the fans will get to see Jorge Soler break Mike Moustakas' club record for home runs (he's one behind and will hit three).

TWO TRUE OUTCOMES

Each week, we ask our panelists to choose one hitter they think will hit the most home runs and one pitcher they think will record the most strikeouts in the coming weekend. Panelists can pick a player only once for the season. We'll keep a running tally -- and invite you to play along at home.

Home run hitters

Matz: Juan Soto

Miller: Jorge Soler

Schoenfield: I can't believe Sam picked Soler. I just wrote he was going to hit three and was going to pick him and now he's off the board. Two True Outcomes is a tough game. I'll go with Gleyber Torres.

Strikeout pitchers

Matz: Yu Darvish

Miller: Clayton Kershaw

Schoenfield: Lucas Giolito

South Africa wing Aphiwe Dyantyi faces a four-year ban after testing positive for performance-enhancing substances.

The 25-year-old - World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year in 2018 - failed a doping test on 2 July but requested a second sample be tested.

The South African Institute of Drug Free Sport (Saids) confirmed on Friday that the B sample also tested positive.

Dyantyi, not named in the Springboks squad for the World Cup, denies taking a prohibited substance.

The wing, who plays for the Golden Lions in Johannesburg, was provisionally suspended after the first sample was found to contain multiple anabolic steroids.

Dyantyi made his debut for South Africa against England in June 2018 and has 13 caps in total.

"SA Rugby, the Lions Rugby Company and Dyantyi are working with Saids, the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) and all other relevant authorities on the matter and no further comment can be made at this stage," a comment from South African rugby's governing body said.

Dyantyi can accept the charge and submit a plea, providing mitigating circumstances to reduce any sanction.

If he pleads not guilty, a hearing will take place before an independent panel in the next four weeks.

Red cards for high tackles and shoulder charges will have to be verified by the television match official (TMO) at next month's Rugby World Cup.

World Rugby announced the change three weeks before the tournament begins in Japan.

The high tackle framework implemented in May to reduce head injuries has led to several controversial red cards.

The most recent of these came in Australia's defeat of New Zealand when All Black Scott Barrett was sent off.

Barrett was dismissed for a dangerous tackle just before half-time and the Wallabies went on to record their highest-ever score against the All Blacks as they beat the world champions 47-26.

The high tackle framework was announced after a World Rugby study found that tacklers were four times as likely to sustain a head injury if their tackle was high.

The latest law amendment states: "If the referee determines that a dangerous high tackle or shoulder charge warrants a red card, then the referee must firstly verify the decision with the TMO. Both the referee and TMO should use the High Tackle Sanction Framework to determine whether a red card is the correct sanction."