Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez has been chosen the winner of Major League Baseball’s Roberto Clemente Award for character, community involvement and philanthropy.

“I know sometimes we’re tired and we like to enjoy the off day at home,” Perez said after receiving the award before World Series Game 3 on Monday night at Yankee Stadium. “I get it. But just for two or three hours one day every month, just one day out of 30 days, 31 days, just one day go have fun, go make some kid happy. They’re never going to forget that.”

A nine-time All-Star and the 2015 World Series MVP, Perez and his family distribute bags of food and kitchen supplies to 2,000 homes each winter in the neediest parts of his hometown of Valencia, Venezuela, directly impacting more than 10,000 families over the past decade. He has a youth baseball league there, providing equipment for the kids and financial support for their families.

The 34-year-old Perez has paid for dozens of surgeries for kids with cleft lips, he’s given more than 1,000 toys to children’s hospitals and has supported police officers. He regularly travels to Colombia to assist the Carlos Fortuna Foundation in helping adults be the best parents they can be.

In the United States, Perez has partnered with organizations fighting against Lou Gehrig’s disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and he works with Kansas-based Braden’s Hope for Childhood Cancer. Perez made a $1 million foundational donation to the Kansas City Urban Youth Academy, one of MLB’s 11 youth academies.

Clemente, a Hall of Fame outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, died in a plane crash on Dec. 31, 1972, while delivering aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

Perez batted .271 with 27 homers and 104 RBIs in 158 games this season for the Royals, who made the playoffs for the first time since winning their second World Series title in 2015. Perez is a five-time Gold Glove winner and .267 career hitter in 1,552 games, all with the Royals since his big league debut in 2011.

He intends to keep the award next to his bed.

“After winning a World Series, this is the second-best award I ever got,” Perez said. “I got some Gold Gloves, Silver Slugger, World Series MVP, but this means a lot to me.”

WNBA

Stephanie White and the Connecticut Sun have parted ways after she led the team to the WNBA semifinals both of her seasons as coach, the team announced Monday.

The Sun finished third in the regular season with a 28-12 record, swept Indiana in the first round of the playoffs and lost a five-game semifinal series to Minnesota.

“We want to thank Stephanie for her time in Connecticut and her commitment to our organization over the past two seasons,” Sun president Jen Rizzotti said. “We wish her the best in her future endeavors.”

The Sun are the seventh WNBA team to make a coaching change this offseason, and the announcement came a day after the Indiana Fever fired Christie Sides. Also making a change were the Sparks, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago and Washington.

White led the Sun to a franchise-best 27-13 record in her first season and was named 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year and Associated Press Coach of the Year.

She previously was an assistant and head coach with the Fever. White was on the staff of the Fever’s 2012 WNBA championship team, and as head coach she led the team to the finals in 2015. She was head coach at Vanderbilt from 2016-21.

White played five seasons in the WNBA after her college career at Purdue. The Indiana native played the last four of her five WNBA seasons with the Fever.

NFL

The Kansas City Chiefs acquired pass rusher Josh Uche from the New England Patriots for a 2026 sixth-round pick, giving one of the NFL’s best defenses an upgrade at a position where it was looking for some help.

Uche was a second-round pick of the Patriots in 2020 and has 20 1/2 sacks over parts of five seasons, including two through the first seven games of this season. His best year was in 2022, when Uche had 11 1/2 sacks in 15 games.

He joins a pass rush group in Kansas City that is led on the edge by George Karlaftis, Mike Danna and Felix Anudike-Uzomah, and features defensive tackle Chris Jones providing pressure up the middle. Charles Omenihu is expected to return soon from a torn ACL that has kept him out all season, and that should further help the pass rush.

Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Christian Kirk will miss the remainder of the season after breaking his left collarbone.

Coach Doug Pederson said Kirk had surgery Monday morning and will be placed on injured reserve.

Kirk broke his collarbone when he landed on his shoulder while trying to make a diving catch on a deep pass in the fourth quarter of a 30-27 loss to Green Bay on Sunday.

It could end up being his final snap with the Jaguars (2-6). Kirk, who missed the final five games last season because of a core muscle injury, has one year remaining on a four-year, $72 million contract.

The 28-year-old Kirk has 27 catches for 379 yards and a touchdown this season and clearly has become Trevor Lawrence’s second option behind rookie Brian Thomas Jr. Kirk has 404 receptions for 5,176 yards and 29 TDs in seven seasons, the first four in Arizona.

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams was suspended for three games by the NFL for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.

Williams has been on injured reserve all season after tearing the ACL in his left knee during special teams drills at training camp in August. He then had season-ending surgery. The suspension means he will not be paid for the next three weeks, but will be eligible for reinstatement Nov. 11 and won’t have to miss any games when he returns from the injury.

Williams was arrested twice in 2023 because of traffic-related incidents.

After being pulled over in the Dallas suburb of Frisco in August 2023, right after the team had come home after training camp in California, Williams faced charges of possession of a controlled substance and unlawful carrying of a weapon.

TENNIS

Stefanos Tsitsipas overcame an upset stomach to beat Roberto Carballes Baena 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the first round of the Paris Masters and stay in contention for a spot at the season-ending ATP finals.

Tsitsipas has reached the Paris semifinals in the last two years and needs another deep run to have a chance of qualifying for the ATP finals tournament for the top eight players in Turin next month.

American Tommy Paul’s hopes of qualifying for Turin ended with a 6-3, 7-5 loss to French veteran Adrian Mannarino.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic is skipping the Paris tournament this year. Jannik Sinner, who is guaranteed to finish the year at the No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings, is the top-seeded player.

Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Zverev and Daniil Medvedev have already secured their spot at the ATP finals from Nov. 10-17.