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The International Volleyball Federation has lifted its ban on Russian players and teams, reinstating them just one day after the IOC recommended federations do exactly that. The FIVB framed the decision around protecting athletes' fundamental rights, but the move is already drawing sharp criticism from those who argue sport and geopolitics cannot be so cleanly separated.
Shifting to baseball, Colorado Rockies pitcher Domingo Acevedo is facing an eighty-game suspension after testing positive under the minor league drug program. Acevedo, a major league veteran who was pitching at the Triple-A level for Colorado, now faces a significant chunk of the season on the shelf, another reminder that the league's testing program has real teeth regardless of where you're playing.
And over in Los Angeles, the pressure is mounting on the Dodgers' right fielder, who is carrying a sixty-million-dollar price tag into this season without the performance to match it so far. The Dodgers built their roster expecting elite production from that corner of the outfield, and right now the numbers simply aren't there. There's still time to turn it around, but in that market, patience has a short shelf life.
That's your play-by-play. Sports Desk, back to the booth.
