This has been dragged out for a while, but for players like Nelson Cruz and Jhonny Peralta, they’ve accepted a 50-game ban that starts immediately. A-Rod was banned for 211 games through the end of the 2014 season, but he’s fighting it so A-Rod is expected to play for the Yankees tonight.

It was hard to imagine a player who could be hated more than Barry Bonds, but Alex Rodriguez is doing his best to surpass him. That’s quite a shift from when many hoped that A-Rod could overtake Bonds in the home run record books.

Meanwhile, we’ll see how the Tigers and Rangers react to losing Cruz and Peralta. Cruz in particular is a huge part of the success in Texas and the Rangers are fighting for a playoff spot.