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“We don’t think mechanically it’s anything that he needs to work on,” Ross said over the weekend. “He needs to get in the zone a little bit more. He feels good, he just needs to get to expecting good outcomes. When things aren’t going well, even with a guy with his track record, you can get down on yourself. Things can start working a little quick.”

“Right now we’re just thin, and he was the guy that’s here,” Ross said. “Having some length on the back side of a game, we’ll kind of assess as the All-Star break approaches. Things changed really fast from plans last night. So he’s in the bullpen as of right now. If we need some length, we have him down there. And if it goes too long, we’ll try to make a plan for him at that point.”

“It’s well-documented that he’s always been good (batting) from the right side. The left side, he started out trying to hook the ball a little too much, but he walked. And then three weeks ago, we saw him get base hits to left-center and still pull the ball. He was productive. He was hitting in the middle of the lineup and got a lot of big hits for us. Somebody else has to get them now.”

But where some professional leagues, such as the NFL, NHL and NBA, have greatly reduced enforcement of marijuana rules, with the acknowledgement that the drug does not enhance performance, the Olympic world continues to test for and punish use in some circumstances. According to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, in addition to substances that trigger performance enhancement, the banned list can includes drugs that can pose health risks to athletes or violate the “spirit of sport.”

ESPN reporter Rachel Nichols stands on the court before a game between the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks at The Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on July 31, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images North America/TNS)