Feb 25, 2016 4 min read

Baseball made its call on the Chase Utley slide: out.

Major League Baseball and the players’ union have banned rolling block slides to break up potential double plays, hoping to prevent a repeat of the takeout by Utley that broke the leg of New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada in last year’s playoffs.

Under the rules change announced Thursday, a runner must attempt a “bona fide slide,” defined as making contact with the ground ahead of the base, being in position to reach the base with a hand or foot and to remain on it, and sliding within reach of the base without changing his path to initiate contact with a fielder.

An umpire can call both the runner and batter out for a violation. Baserunners may not elevate or kick a leg above the fielder’s knee or throw his arm or upper body.

A runner who makes a permissible slide cannot be charged with interference, even if he makes contact with a fielder.

“Our goal in amending the slide rule was to enhance player safety, reduce incidents of injury and to do it in a way that respects and preserves the bona-fide hustle plays that are integral to our game,” union head Tony Clark said in a statement. “I am optimistic that this new rule will accomplish those goals.”

Utley barreled into Tejada at Dodger Stadium in the NL division series last year. Tejada missed the World Series and Utley was suspended for two games, which is still under appeal.

Chances are, fans will call this the Chase Utley Rule.

Fowler staying with Cubs: Outfielder Dexter Fowler agreed to stay with the Chicago Cubs, agreeing Thursday to a one-year contract that includes a mutual option for 2017.

The 29-year-old hit .250 in 156 games last year and set career highs in many offensive categories as the Cubs reached the NL Championship Series. He had 102 runs, 17 homers, 149 hits and 84 walks. The speedy, switch-hitting Fowler is a career .267 hitter over eight major league seasons.

Fowler had turned down a $15.8 million, one-year qualifying offer from the Cubs in November.

Cano not bothered by comments: Robinson Cano didn’t spend much time dwelling on the searing comments a former assistant coach made about him. He was home in the Dominican Republic, recovering from surgery to repair a sports hernia that he played through for the final two months of last season.

The Seattle Mariners’ six-time All-Star second baseman addressed former assistant hitting coach Andy Van Slyke’s offseason criticism of him on Thursday before the first full-squad workout of spring training.

“Honestly it didn’t hurt me. Coming from a guy like him, it doesn’t bother me at all because I know how I play,” Cano said. “If you hear the comments, first he threw me under the bus and then he was like (saying) what’s so great about myself. So you didn’t know what he was trying to say. But Andy, I don’t know, it doesn’t even matter to me.”

Van Slyke, in an interview with a St. Louis radio station last November, labeled Cano the worst everyday No. 3 hitter he’d ever seen in the first half of a season. He said he played the worst defense at second base that the former big leaguer had seen in 20 years. He then backtracked and complimented Cano’s throwing arm.

Van Slyke also said former Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon and hitting coach Howard Johnson were fired after the season because of Cano, who hit .238 with four home runs and 24 RBI over the first 74 games.

“It’s something as a player that you don’t want to go through,” Cano said.

He was much more productive after that, hitting .330 with 17 homers and 55 RBIs from July 1 on, much of that time while dealing with abdominal pain. His 179 hits led the Mariners in 2015, though his final average of .287 was the first time since 2008 he hit under .300.