Mbappé’s Euro ’24 status up in air

Kylian Mbappé was due to have tests on his broken nose on Wednesday as France tried to assess what part he could play in the European Championship. The World Cup winner sustained the injury during his team’s 1-0 win against Austria on Monday and will have to wear a face mask if he plays on at the tournament. “There will be more tests tomorrow to see how things are developing. Obviously it was a big collision,” France coach Didier Deschamps said Tuesday. “The medical staff have done what they needed to reduce it as much as possible. This morning he was a bit better, so we will see that and we will follow it closely each day.” France plays the Netherlands in its second game of Euro 2024 on Friday. It wasn’t known if Mbappé would be able to play after his face collided with the shoulder Austria’s Kevin Danso as he attempted a header late in the Group D match at Dusseldorf Arena. The French Football Federation said it had received “positive” news about Mbappé’s chances of continuing at the tournament as he will not need immediate surgery.

Betts out 6-8 weeks with hand injury

Dodgers star Mookie Betts went on the injured list Monday for the first time this season with a broken left hand. The 2018 AL MVP is expected to miss roughly six to eight weeks, manager Dave Roberts announced Monday. The 31-year-old shortstop was hit by a 97.9 mph fastball from reliever Dan Altavilla in the seventh inning of Sunday’s 3-0 win over the Royals. Betts, a seven-time All-Star, is hitting .304 with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs in 72 games. This will be Betts’ first stint on the injured list in two years. He missed nearly three weeks in June 2022 because of a cracked right rib. Miguel Rojas will take over as the Dodgers’ starting shortstop, with Enrique Hernández also getting time at the position. Shohei Ohtani replaced Betts in the leadoff spot for Monday’s game against the Colorado Rockies. The Dodgers recalled outfielder Miguel Vargas for his second stint this season. He had hit .250 with three doubles, one homer and four RBIs in eight games. Vargas was batting .290 with eight homers and 38 RBIs in 41 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Johnson launching new track league

Sprinting great Michael Johnson is launching a track league that looks to assemble nearly 100 of the sport’s top performers four times a year to compete for $12.6 million in prize money over its first season. The league, Grand Slam Track, announced Tuesday that it will launch next April with plans for one event in Los Angeles, the home of the 2028 Olympics, one in another American city and two more overseas. The league has signed world-record hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. Johnson, who wore his famous golden spikes at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics while setting the world record at 200 meters to complete the 200-400 sweep, has long echoed critics in the sport who complain they don’t see enough marquee head-to-head matchups. That’s in part because there’s not enough financial incentive to bring the best to the same meets. “It’s providing the fans and the athletes what they’ve been asking for,” said Johnson, who added that TV is a priority. He said the new league has been in contact with “all the major broadcasters, with a heavy emphasis on the U.S.” —News services