MLB

David Wright is finally back ... and he's getting some serious praise from Tim Tebow!

"I think he's one of the best players to ever play for the Mets," Tebow told us while battling the rain in New York City.

35-year-old Wright was just activated from the disabled list after being sidelined in May 2016.

Wright suffered a bunch of injuries including spinal stenosis -- and some people thought he would never play baseball again.

But, Mets activated him Tuesday -- and he's scheduled to play Saturday when the Mets take on the Marlins at Citi Field in Queens ... the crowd is gonna go nuts!

Wright is expected to hang it up after this season -- and while he's probably not a Hall of Famer, some people would like to see his #5 jersey retired.

Jayson Werth would not go quietly into that good night during his April DUI arrest -- refusing to submit to field sobriety tests and forcing cops to get a warrant to draw his blood.

TMZ Sports obtained the incident report from the April 17 arrest -- in which the Scottsdale PD says Werth was pulled over around 10:45 PM after officers noticed expired plates on the truck he was driving.

Right when they pulled him over, cops say Werth threw a lit cigarette out the window -- and when officers approached the ride, he reeked of smoke and booze and slurred when he talked.

Cops say Werth tried to the play the MLB card -- literally -- handing them an ID card which showed he was a pro ball player. Werth then said, "We do a lot of work with you guys."

Werth initially denied drinking alcohol -- but later admitted to having a glass of wine. When cops asked him to perform various field sobriety tests, including a breathalyzer, he refused.

Werth was arrested and taken to a nearby station where he told cops he would not consent to tests of his blood and breath. So, officials requested a warrant to forcibly draw blood -- and it was granted.

Once notified, Werth told cops, "I have no recourse?" An officer essentially told him no and Werth ultimately complied with the blood draw.

When the test came back, the blood showed a .12 B.A.C. -- well over the .08 legal limit.

Werth's case went in front of a judge last week where he cut a plea deal in which he pled guilty to 1 count of DUI. In exchange, 2 other charges were dropped and he was sentenced to a diversion program, ordered to pay fines and fees totaling $1,600 and his license will be suspended.

Tommy Lasorda just turned 91 years young this weekend ... and now he's letting TMZ Sports in on his secret to living to almost a century old!!

We spoke with the Dodgers legend while he was out celebrating the big 9-1 at Rao's in Hollywood on Saturday ... and asked him the key to out-living the average American by 13 years.

FYI -- the U.S. life expectancy is 78. AKA, not great compared to other developed countries.

Shohei Ohtani can pitch ... he can hit ... AND HE CAN SAAAANGG!!!

Here's the Japanese Babe Ruth proving there really isn't anything he can't do ... serenading his Los Angeles Angels teammates on a team bus with a Japanese rendition of "Despacito."

OK ... it's not quite Justin Beiber or Luis Fonsi -- but the 24-year-old pitcher does have some tone ... and his teammates loved it!!

"Best thing he did all year!" one player yells after Shohei wraps up.

The impromptu concert appears to be part of a season-ending hazing for L.A. rookies -- and yeah, dudes that throw 100 MPH AND hit bombs still gotta participate.

By the way ... Shohei's expected to be sidelined from pitching until 2020 because of an elbow injury -- soooo, more time for singing lessons???

Meantime, here's the full Japanese version of the song. Enjoy!

Kanye West made the most of his Chicago homecoming week by capping it off with a visit to the mound with his son, Saint, and two tosses to kick off a crosstown classic rubber match.

Ye and Saint were assigned to throw out the first pitch(es) Sunday for game 3 of the Chicago Cubs and White Sox series at Guaranteed Rate Field. Saint pitched first (getting as far as he could) ... and his pops followed up with a throw that made it to home plate.

Just the day before, Kanye took Saint out for a boys night out at The Sugar Factory, where they appeared to be getting their nosh on. Looks like Yeezy didn't want to miss out on a mirror shot with his boy.

Kanye's been in Chicago since at least Monday, and his latest excursions come on the heels of his announcement that he's moving back to his hometown and "never leaving again." We're told he plans to move his Yeezy offices from Calabasas to Chi-Town ... but still maintain his properties in L.A.

Major League Baseball says Chicago Cubs infielder Addison Russell has been placed on "administrative leave" in the wake of new domestic violence allegations levied by his estranged wife.

Melisa Russell went into detail in her blog Wednesday -- claiming she was first "physically mistreated" by her husband in the months after their wedding in 2016.

"I couldn't wrap my head around what just happened," she wrote ... "Why did he get so angry? What did I do for him to want to put his hands on me?"

She added, "As time went on abusive behavior happened more often."

Allegations against Addison first went public in June 2017, but this is the first time Melisa has gone into detail about it.

A rep for MLB says the league launched an investigation into Addison back then -- but Melisa wouldn't cooperate with officials ... so nothing really happened.

Until today.

"With the new details revealed in today’s blog post by Ms. Russell, Mr. Russell has been placed on Administrative Leave in accordance with the Joint MLB-MLBPA Domestic Violence Policy."

"We are hopeful that this new information will allow us to complete the investigation as promptly as possible."

For his part, Addison has previously denied committing any sort of domestic violence -- but he has not commented on the new blog post.

The Pittsburgh Pirates held a moment of silence for Mac Miller before their game Monday -- honoring the late rapper with a tribute video on the PNC Park jumbotron.

Starling Marte, Colin Moran and the rest of the Pirates squad paused for a minute to honor Mac -- a Pittsburgh native who died of an apparent overdose earlier this month.

The Pirates' PA announcer said over the park's loudspeakers as a video of Miller in a Pirates jersey played, "Mac was a rapper, a singer, a producer and had a very bright future in the industry ahead of him."

"Locally, Mac is remembered as a hometown kid who sang about our city where his heart clearly remained."

"Our thoughts are with his parents, his grandmother and all of his family and friends who mourn his passing."

Who runs the world?!?!

Justin Verlander, apparently ... 'cause dude just did everything to prove he was better than you -- dominating the D-Backs and then hitting the Jay and Bey concert with his supermodel wife!!

The Astros superstar struck out 11 in Houston's huge win Sunday ... and celebrated with Kate Upton in some luxury box seats at NRG Stadium for the hottest tour on the planet afterward.

J.V. didn't seem to overexert himself after seven strong innings ... and a very pregnant Kate made sure to let everyone know the only thing she was drunk on was love (with Verlander).

Good times.

By the way ... the two have made postgame date nights a thing lately -- remember their victory dog walk after the World Series last year?!

Verlander ... FLAWLESS!!

Jennifer Lopez here with a friendly reminder ... peach season's still poppin'.

J Lo showed off her stunning bod with these pics over the weekend ... schooling the Instagram world how to truly execute poolside pics. The peachy swimwear perfectly wrapping around her flawless body is also another reminder of why she's always working out ... even on vacation.

Jennifer clearly had one thing in mind -- her captions and hashtags on the pic were definitely themed: "Everything's just peachy" and added "#tangerinedream #peachesNCream #topnaughty #suitsandfruits #throwingshades #doublebuns."

Goodness gracious.

J Lo will be wrapping up her Las Vegas residency later this month at Planet Hollywood ... so, the pics are a great promo for her big finish.

We're guessing Vegas feels very much like A-Rod does -- hate to see her go, but love watching her leave.

Barry Bonds will be the first MLB player entrenched in baseball's PED scandal to make the Hall of Fame ... and he won't be the last -- so says former World Series MVP David Eckstein.

Eckstein managed to have a great career despite playing in the thick of the steroid era -- he was never implicated or tested positive for anything ... as clean as they come.

So, how does he feel about the possibility of juicers like Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens and others possibly being enshrined in baseball's holiest shrine?

Doesn't seem like he's THAT opposed to it.

"That will start with Bonds ... because Bonds was a Hall of Famer before this stuff. So, I think he'll be the first one," Eckstein says.

"I think at some point in time, when the older writers [who vote for the HOF] get out and the younger writers get in, I think at some point in time, you might see these guys get in."

Still ... David isn't holding a grudge (dude did beat Barry for one of his World Series rings) -- and says, ultimately, Bonds deserves a bronze bust one day.

"Bonds was a Hall of Famer prior [to PEDs]," David says. "We'll see. I mean, who knows? You just wish no one ever did it."

If it were up to David Eckstein, there would be no debate over how his former team should handle Shohei Ohtani -- telling TMZ Sports Shohei should still pitch and hit even if he has arm surgery!!

There's been a huge debate in baseball over what the Angels should do with their rookie phenom, whose pitching elbow is now so jacked up ... it requires Tommy John.

David says if it were his body and his arm ... he'd have the surgery and go back to both pitching and hitting when it recovers.

Some in the baseball world disagree ... saying Shohei is such a beast of a hitter -- he should drop pitching and just focus on the plate.

BUT -- Eckstein has a response to that ... telling us Ohtani can still rake while he's recovering from TJ -- using one of the game's top minor leaguers as his example.

And then once he's fully healed up ... S.O. can go back to being a dual threat.

So, seems pretty cut and dry ... somebody get Mike Scioscia on the phone.

Pete Rose says his health is "deteriorating" -- and his income has taken a serious hit -- and he's worried his ex-wife is bleeding him dry.

The ex-MLB star had previously acknowledged that he had heart issues -- with 3 major procedures in the past 5 years -- but now, Rose has filed new docs saying his health is getting worse.

"[Rose] is currently disabled and can barely walk or travel," the 77-year-old said in new court docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

"His health is deteriorating and has a heart condition and on blood thinners."

Rose added, "I am in poor health and disabled ... and have trouble walking."

In addition to his health concerns, Rose also says he lost 2 jobs in 2017 -- he was axed by FOX Sports and Hit King -- and because of that, his yearly income has already dropped by $550,000.

Rose says he still makes $453k per year -- but has major expenses including attorney's fees and other "great debts."

The docs are all part of his nasty divorce with his estranged wife, Carol Rose. Pete is trying to block her from getting more spousal support and attorney's fees.

Alex Rodriguez says he's still holding on to his Hall of Fame dream -- even though he knows his PED scandals cut against him -- explaining, "I want to get in, I hope I get in, I pray I get in."

The ex-MLB superstar opened up to Cigar Aficionado (he LOVES cigars) -- and talked about everything from his shot at Cooperstown to Jennifer Lopez and Derek Jeter.

On the Hall of Fame ... A-Rod says:

"There’s rules, and you have to follow the rules. I made those mistakes, and at the end of the day I have to live by those mistakes."

"Whether I get in or not -- and let’s be clear, I want to get in, I hope I get in, I pray I get in -- if I don’t, I think I have a bigger opportunity yet again."

"And the platform of my mistakes, the good the bad and the ugly, has allowed me to have a loud voice to the next generation, to say when in doubt, just look at my career. The other message is, maybe I’m not a Hall of Fame player, but I get a chance to be a Hall of Fame dad, a Hall of Fame friend."

Those "mistakes" he's referring to ... the TWO incidents involving performance-enhancing drugs.

In 2009, he admitted to using PEDs from 2001 to 2003 while playing for the Texas Rangers. And then in 2013, he was busted for PEDs and was suspended for the entire 2014 season.

Despite the scandals, A-Rod is 4th on the MLB All-Time Home Run list, more than 3,000 hits, 14-time All-Star and a 3-time AL MVP. He has some of the greatest stats of all time.

There's more in the C.A. interview (on newsstands Sept. 25) ... including his friendship with Derek Jeter.

"Derek and I are friends. I’ve known Derek since we were 15 years old," A-Rod said.

"Like all relationships, there’s ups, there’s downs, there’s ups, but where it sits today is where it’s always sat -- with respect."

"I have a lot of love and admiration for Derek, and he’s a 5-time world champion and what I remember most about our relationship is he’s one of the greatest competitors, consummate professionals I’ve ever been around."

Alex also spoke about his relationship with girlfriend Jennifer Lopez ...

"Jennifer, when you talk about power, and you talk about beautiful, both inside and outside. The way she mothers her twins, the way she’s with my daughters. There’s just so much admiration. And what I love about Jennifer is how genuine, how real, and how much she does for others, and how much she inspires others, men and women."

And finally, how would Alex Rodriguez like to be remembered?

Forced to flee to Atlanta to escape Hurricane Florence?

The Atlanta Braves know that must suck ... so they're offering free tix to anyone displaced by the storm.

The club says they're happy to host anyone who had to flee from N. Carolina, S. Carolina or affected parts of Georgia as guests to their next 3 home games against the Nationals on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

They will also offer certain foods at a discounted price.

Braves CEO Derek Schiller says the club knows "how difficult it has been for those who have had to pack up and leave their homes as the storm approaches."

"The predicted areas that will be affected are in the heart of Braves Country so it hits particularly close to home for us."

"We hope we can take their mind off the storm for a few hours by coming to enjoy a game at SunTrust Park. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who are impacted."

Everyone's seen the video of President George W. Bush taking the mound at Yankees Stadium on October 30 -- in the wake of 9/11 -- but the man who caught the pitch is telling us what went down behind the scenes.

TMZ Sports spoke with Todd Greene -- the backup catcher for the Yanks that year -- who not only praised Bush for throwing a strike with the world watching ... but doing it while wearing a bulletproof vest.

The Yankees were taking on the Diamondbacks in Game 3 of the World Series -- the first World Series game back at Yankees Stadium ... and the scene was about as emotional as it could get.

Greene says the secret service had placed bulletproof glass in George Steinbrenner's private owner's box where Bush was watching the game ... and that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to security.

Greene says the players were essentially on lockdown once POTUS arrived to the stadium.

So, what did Greene say to Bush when he caught the ball? Watch the clip and find out.

By the way, the Yankees won the game 2-1.

If you'd like to donate to the 9/11 Memorial Fund, click here.

Alex Rodriguez became the wealthiest burger store janitor on earth Sunday -- when he busted out the mop and went to town at Wahlburgers ... all because the Yankees got swept by the Red Sox.

It was all part of a bet A-Rod made with Mark Wahlberg during the Yankes, Sox series back in August. If the Yanks lost, Alex had to work at Mark's family burger joint.

Not only did the Yanks lose the series, they got SWEPT -- so, Alex reported for duty on Sunday ... and, to his credit, he did it all with a smile on his face.

"Last month, @markwahlberg and his @RedSox brought the broom out and swept my @Yankees. So today, I got the mop," Alex posted on social media.

"It was time to me to hold up my end of the deal and report for duty to the @wahlburgers location near Fenway Park. Today, I had to do a little bit of everything - greet customers, flip burgers, clear tables, and yes, mop the bathroom floor. But what I thought was going to be a tough day turned out to be a day I really enjoyed."

As for Mark, he gloated.

"Needless to say, Alex failed miserable in his prediction ... So, now he has to show the greatest fans in the world how to get his hands dirty and serve up some delicious Wahlburgers. What do you say Alex? It’s time to go to work, buddy. Start flipping ’em."

Alex says he hopes to make another bet with Mark in the future and get some revenge.