NEW YORK — Baseball players’ union officials met last month with management of the four teams accused in a grievance of improper spending of revenue-sharing money, people familiar with the grievance process told The Associated Press.

Players’ association general counsel Ian Penny and Rick Shapiro, senior adviser to union head Tony Clark, were among the union executives who traveled to meet separately with officials of the Miami Marlins, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays, the people said, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity Tuesday because no announcements were authorized. An economist also was among the union officials who attended.

At the time the grievance was filed in February, MLB denied any inappropriate use of revenue-sharing money, as did Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay. Oakland said it supported MLB’s statement, and new Marlins CEO Derek Jeter defended his team’s decision to rebuild.

Patrick Houlihan, Major League Baseball’s senior vice president and deputy general counsel for labor relations, was at the four sessions along with MLB chief financial officer Bob Starkey and additional staff from the commissioner’s office, the people said.

CUBS: The team says closer Brandon Morrow will be shut down for rest of the year because of an injured right elbow that has been slow to heal.

Morrow, who tops Chicago with 22 saves, has been on the disabled list since July 19. The Cubs are without their two relievers with the most saves – Pedro Strop has 13 and is out with a hamstring injury, and the team hopes he’s ready for the postseason. The Cubs will go with a closer-by-committee plan for now.

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METS: New York is expecting outfielder Tim Tebow back in 2019 for a third season of professional baseball, assistant general manager John Ricco said, adding that the former NFL quarterback – and current ESPN college football analyst – hasn’t given the organization any reason to believe otherwise.

Tebow’s 2018 season ended in late July, when a broken hamate bone in his right hand required surgery. But before that the 31-year-old seemed to be coming into his own with Double-A Binghamton, hitting .317 with a .348 OBP and .429 slugging percentage in June and July.

INDIANS: Trevor Bauer threw to hitters for the first time since breaking his right leg last month and hopes to be back on the mound for Cleveland in time for the postseason.

The right-hander pitched three simulated innings of about 20 pitches per inning and jokingly told Manager Terry Francona he was available for Tuesday’s game against the White Sox.

Bauer is 12-6 with a 2.22 ERA in 25 starts. He has been sidelined since he was struck on the lower leg by a line drive on Aug. 11.

White Sox: All-Star slugger Jose Abreu remains hospitalized with an infection in his right thigh.

Abreu was admitted on Tuesday to a hospital in Cleveland and had the infection “cleaned up,” manager Rick Renteria said before the White Sox opened a three-game series with the Indians.


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