Jon Rahm still doesn't know much about the proposed partnership between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, but he knows this much -- he's not dwelling on it.

The FedExCup points leader and world No. 2 addressed the media Tuesday in Cromwell, Connecticut, home to this week's Travelers Championship, the final designated event on the PGA Tour this season.

It's also notable because the tour's Player Advisory Council is slated to meet Tuesday night, not that Rahm is expecting many answers about the alliance to come out of it.

"I didn't really talk about [the union] much last week, and I guess I might know more in a few hours once we're done with the player meeting tonight," Rahm said. "I don't think we're going to get a lot of answers, but I'm going to at least get an idea of where the membership head is at. That's all I can say. We don't know anything. I don't know if the people in charge know much more than we do.

"There are so many unanswered questions that at this point I wouldn't want to waste time thinking about it because there is a lot of what-ifs and unknowns," he added.

Rahm, 28, is at the Travelers for the first time since 2020 and is playing only because of the designated status. Players are allowed to skip just one designated tournament, so Rahm is playing the week after the U.S. Open -- something he normally wouldn't do.

"Well, there are two events I wouldn't have played this season if it wasn't for the world we had this year, right, and that's the reason why I haven't played them in the past," Rahm said. "Major weeks can be taxing and I've always tried to set up my schedule around not playing those weeks."

The event provided charter flights for the players, given the trip cross country from Los Angeles, site of last weekend's U.S. Open.

"I can tell you with certain confidence that I probably wouldn't have been here even though I love the tournament so much. With that said, they've done a great job like you said making players comfortable," Rahm said. "Having a charter flight always makes it a lot easier."

"It's just sometimes if it doesn't fit the schedule, it doesn't fit the schedule," he continued. "In this case I'm really glad this year happened the way it happened so I can come back."

Information from Reuters was used in this report.

The NFL is redoubling its efforts to reinforce the league's gambling policy to players in the wake of a rash of recent violations.

All rookies will now be required to attend mandatory education sessions and a group of league officials is making in-person visits to team facilities to emphasize and clarify what activities are prohibited amid the rapid proliferation of sports gambling.

The six "key rules" of the gambling policy that the league officials will emphasize are:

1. Don't bet on the NFL;

2. Don't gamble at your team facility, while traveling for a road game, or staying at a team hotel;

3. Don't have someone bet for you;

4. Don't share team "inside information";

5. Don't enter a sportsbook during the NFL playing season;

6. Don't play daily fantasy football.

"The world has changed over the last few years," Jeff Miller, NFL executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy said in a media availability Tuesday. " ... The availability of our phones and [with] a couple of touches, and all of a sudden, you can place a bet on many different things was not available a few years ago and is available now.

"So, sports gambling has a great deal more presence in people's lives than it did just a few short years ago, which means for us as [a] sports league -- where integrity of the game is the highest single principle -- that we have to be thoughtful and careful and scrutinize how we share information and educate people around the rules that govern it."

The mere decision to schedule the session with reporters is itself noteworthy and can be seen as a reaction to recent events. Five NFL players were suspended in decisions handed down in April.

And this month, an investigation focused on Indianapolis Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers came to light, with sources telling ESPN Rodgers is believed to have placed bets on Colts games. Miller, citing the ongoing investigation, declined to comment on the status of the Rodgers probe.

The league is also focused on intensifying its monitoring and policy enforcement efforts with the help of external monitoring firms and the various sportsbooks. The NFL is hopeful this will create additional deterrence.

"We have a number of resources and tools both internally and externally," said Sabrina Perel, NFL vice president and chief compliance officer. "We have to continue to be as robust as possible. So, it's multiple tools and resources that we're using. And I do think as time goes, those will continue to mature and develop and there will be things that we might be doing two years from now that we're not doing today."

The sportsbooks, Perel said, are working in conjunction with the league and will alert the NFL if and when a player places a bet under his own name. Geolocation technology is a big part of these efforts, too, as bets can be traced to a player's home, for instance.

The easy access to gambling has created some ambiguity in the gambling policy, but Miller rejected that as a possible excuse.

"It comes back to, in large part, a couple of rules that have existed as long as anybody can remember," he said. "Don't bet on the NFL. That's not new because sports gambling is more available. That's always been the case. And don't bet when you're at work, wherever work happens to be in that moment. That's existed for a long time."

The latter part of that statement was a reference to bans on players placing bets on non-NFL events while at the team facility or while traveling with the team.

"The rules around it are pretty straightforward," Miller added.

When it comes to any potential mixed messaging because of NFL owners' willingness to enter sponsorship relationships with sportsbooks -- even while NFL coaches and staff are prohibited from placing wagers of any kind and players are subject to tight restrictions on their gambling activities -- the NFL insists there is no double standard.

"It's just a little bit of apples and oranges," Perel said. "... At the end of the day, what that is about is bringing in new fans, keeping fans engaged, giving them the opportunities to engage in these things, versus what we all do personally and what we should not be doing to protect integrity."

The Utah Jazz will begin making their game broadcasts available over the air starting this coming season, becoming the latest franchise to pivot to a new option for fans and potentially reaching more viewers than ever before.

The Jazz unveiled their plan Tuesday, with owner Ryan Smith announcing the launch of his new production company called SEG Media. Its platforms will allow Jazz fans with a basic antenna to watch all games that aren't televised nationally and will also feature a paid subscription-based streaming service that will also feature unique team content.

Smith said only 39% of households in the state had the ability to watch Jazz games when he bought the team.

"Now, if you have a TV with rabbit ears, we're going to be able to hit 100% of our audience," Smith said.

It's similar to deals recently announced by the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, along with the NBA's Phoenix Suns and WNBA's Phoenix Mercury. The Los Angeles Clippers also unveiled a direct-to-consumer option last October.

The move is the latest development in a rapidly changing sports-viewership marketplace. Diamond Sports Group, the largest owner of regional sports networks, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March; that company, under the Bally Sports banner, has shown games from more than 40 MLB, NBA and NHL teams.

"Obviously, the RSN model around the globe is changing and we'd rather lean into it and focus on the experience and providing the best experience for our fans," Smith said.

The Jazz and the new production company received necessary approvals from the NBA on the new venture, which will be ready to go when the season starts in October, Smith said.

"We have an incredible fan base, but we're only showing the games to, at best, 40% of them," Smith said. "And so, we came up with this new philosophy or way to do this where instead of licensing our TV rights to one group and just saying, 'Hey, we'll take whatever you guys do,' we basically said we're going to be in the media business."

Toronto Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr. is picking up his $18.5 million player option for next season, sources confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.

Trent, 24, is coming off another strong season after averaging 17.4 points and 1.6 steals per game.

Acquired in a deadline deal with the LA Clippers for Norman Powell in 2021, Trent grew into a more well-rounded scorer in Toronto to complement his elite ability as a shooter. He's shooting nearly 38% from 3-point range on more than 7 attempts per game in his two full seasons with the Raptors. He has also ranked in the league's top 10 in steals per game the past two seasons.

Trent signed a three-year, $52 million contract with the Raptors ahead of the 2021-22 season and helped the team remain competitive in what has been a time of transition for the franchise since winning its first championship in 2019.

Trent's backcourt mate, Fred VanVleet, recently opted out of his deal to become a free agent.

Trent opting in to his deal was first reported by Bleacher Report.

Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma has declined his $13 million player option and will become a free agent, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Tuesday.

Kuzma is expected to be one of the most prominent players to hit free agency this summer after averaging a career-high 21.2 points to go with 7.2 rebounds.

He told reporters in April that he'd consider returning to Washington, his home since the 2021-22 season after spending four seasons and winning a title with the Los Angeles Lakers.

"It's 100 percent an option. ... I've had a great time here," Kuzma said of Washington. "I've developed my game significantly here, and there's good people here. I'd be a fool to say it's not an option for me."

But things changed for the Wizards following the end of last season. General manager Tommy Sheppard was let go, and the franchise hired former Clippers GM Michael Winger to be president of Monumental Sports and reshape the organization. The team also swung a deal to send Bradley Beal, the face of the franchise for the past several years, to Phoenix.

The No. 27 pick in the 2017 NBA draft, Kuzma hit the ground running, averaging nearly 19 points per game in his second season before scaling his game back when Anthony Davis joined the Lakers. But less than two years after helping L.A. win the title as a reserve in 2020, Kuzma was sent to Washington as part of the Russell Westbrook trade.

Kuzma said his goal in free agency is to go somewhere where he can be the best version of himself.

"I'm trying to get better every year," Kuzma said in April. "It's not about money, I'm going to get paid regardless anywhere [I go] and here, too. It's about can I come into work every day and be the best version of myself, can I help lead guys, can I make other players better, can I light up rooms? All those things matter when you're trying to be successful."

ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk contributed to this story.

The Cincinnati Reds reinstated first baseman/outfielder and former Rookie of the Year Wil Myers from the 10-day injured list Tuesday and promptly designated him for assignment.

Myers had been on the IL since May 26 with a kidney stone. The Reds are on the hook for the remainder of Myers' $7.5 million contract.

Myers, 32, was in his first season in Cincinnati after eight in San Diego. He's batting .189 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in 37 games (35 starts) this season.

Joey Votto's return on top of the emergence of fellow 1B/OF Spencer Steer all but sealed Myers' fate with Cincinnati. That, and a nine-game winning streak entering Tuesday's action.

Myers is a career .252 hitter with 156 home runs and 533 RBIs with the Tampa Bay Rays (2013-14), Padres (2015-22) and Reds. Myers was named American League ROY with the Rays in 2013, when he hit .293 with 13 homers.

He earned an All-Star nod with the Padres in 2016.

Oklahoma has announced that former pitcher George Frazier, a World Series champion who had a nearly three-decade run as a television broadcaster, has died at age 68.

The Denver Post reported he died Monday in Tulsa after a recent illness.

In two seasons at Oklahoma, he played on College World Series teams in 1975 and 1976 and posted a 12-4 career record with eight saves and a 2.62 earned run average.

Frazier played parts of 10 Major League Baseball seasons with five clubs. He appeared in the 1981 World Series with the New York Yankees and helped the Chicago Cubs win their first division title in 1984 before becoming a world champion with the Minnesota Twins in 1987. He pitched two scoreless innings for the Twins during Game 4 of that World Series against St. Louis. He posted a career 4.20 ERA with 35 wins and 29 saves in 415 Major League appearances.

After that, he spent 18 years as a television broadcaster with the Colorado Rockies.

He returned to Oklahoma in 2015 as a color analyst on television broadcasts through the 2023 season. Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione called Frazier's commentary a "witty, insightful and uniquely entertaining perspective of the game."

Frazier sometimes joined radio play-by-play voice Toby Rowland on broadcasts for Oklahoma baseball games in Tulsa and Stillwater and for Big 12 tournament games in Oklahoma City.

CLEVELAND -- Gavin Williams, the Cleveland Guardians' top pitching prospect, will make his major league debut on Wednesday with a start against the Oakland Athletics.

Williams, 23, has risen quickly through the Guardians organization, and the club feels it's time to see how his electric fastball plays against the game's best players. A first-round draft pick in 2021, he is ranked No. 36 on ESPN insider Kiley McDaniel's updated list of top 50 prospects.

The Guardians, who are two games behind first-place Minnesota in the AL Central, announced Williams' start before opening a three-game series against the A's.

Williams has gone 4-2 with a 2.39 ERA this season at Double-A Akron (three starts) and Triple-A Columbus (nine starts). He has 81 strikeouts in 60 innings. Last season, Williams struck out 149 in 115 innings.

With starters Triston McKenzie (elbow) and Cal Quantrill (shoulder) on the injured list, the Guardians have an opportunity to get a look at Williams, who pitched in college at East Carolina.

Injuries have forced manager Terry Francona to plug holes in his starting staff and use rookies Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen more than expected.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball will stage a Negro Leagues tribute game at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, on June 20, 2024, between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals.

The 10,800-seat stadium, opened in 1910, is the oldest professional ballpark in the U.S. and a National Historic Site. The stadium was home to the Birmingham Black Barons from 1924 tp '60.

The game will honor Hall of Famer Willie Mays, a Birmingham native who began his professional career with the team in 1948.

MLB said Tuesday it is staging the game around the Juneteenth holiday, which commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in Texas in 1865. There also will be a Double-A game at the ballpark between the Birmingham Barons and Montgomery Biscuits of the Southern League on June 18.

St. Louis will be the home team for the June 20 game, scheduled to start shortly after 7 p.m. ET and to be televised nationally on Fox. Period uniforms will be used relating to the Negro Leagues history of San Francisco and St. Louis.

"The legacy of the Negro Leagues and its greatest living player, Willie Mays, is one of excellence and perseverance," baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "We look forward to sharing the stories of the Negro Leagues throughout this event next year."

Mays, 92, is generally considered baseball's greatest living player. After playing with Birmingham, he signed with the New York Giants and was voted the 1951 National League Rookie of the Year as the Giants won the NL pennant.

A World Series champion with the Giants in 1954, Mays was a 24-time All-Star, tied with Stan Musial for second most behind Hank Aaron's 25. Mays won the 1954 major league batting title and was voted NL MVP in 1954 and 1965.

"I can't believe it. I never thought I'd see in my lifetime a Major League Baseball game being played on the very field where I played baseball as a teenager," Mays said in a statement. "It has been 75 years since I played for the Birmingham Black Barons at Rickwood Field, and to learn that my Giants and the Cardinals will play a game there and honor the legacy of the Negro Leagues and all those who came before them is really emotional for me. We can't forget what got us here, and that was the Negro Leagues for so many of us."

MLB will work with the City of Birmingham and Friends of Rickwood to renovate the ballpark, the home of the minor league Barons from 1910 to '61, 1964 to '65 and 1981 to '87. The Barons have played since 2013 at Regions Field, about 3 miles away, and shift one game annually to Rickwood in a tribute to the team's history.

The New York Yankees reinstated outfielder Harrison Bader from the injured list Tuesday.

Bader had been on the IL since May 30 with a hamstring strain. He was eligible to come off sooner but requested to extend his rehab stint to gain confidence in his healing hamstring.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone is happy to have Bader back in the lineup.

"Just excited to get him back to what he means to us in the center of the diamond, his ability in center and the trickle-down effect that has of moving guys," said Boone. "And then the threat he's proven to be in the box from a power standpoint, from a speed standpoint. He's a very dynamic athletic player, but a real anchor for us offensively and excited to get him back."

Bader, 29, was removed from the May 29 game against the Seattle Mariners with tightness in his hamstring. He made his season debut May 2 after hurting his left oblique muscle early in spring training.

Playing his first full season with the Yankees, Bader is batting .267 with six home runs and 19 RBIs in 26 games. He is a career .246 hitter with 58 home runs and 196 RBIs in 563 games for the St. Louis Cardinals (2017-22) and Yankees, and he won a Gold Glove Award in 2021.

The Yankees previously optioned INF/OF Oswaldo Cabrera to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.

The club also announced that left-hander Carlos Rodon is set to begin his rehab assignment at Double-A Somerset.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.