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ESPN won't replace Jessica Mendoza on 'Sunday Night Baseball'

ESPN is moving on with its "Sunday Night Baseball" team minus Jessica Mendoza. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ESPN is moving forward with its "Sunday Night Baseball" team minus Jessica Mendoza. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

ESPN recently made the decision to remove Jessica Mendoza from its “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcast.

Now the network has a plan for her absence.

Controversy surrounding Mendoza

The move arrived amid critique over Mendoza criticizing Astros whistleblower Mike Fiers and conflict-of-interest concerns over her front-office position with the New York Mets that she gave up as part of a new contract with the network.

Mendoza will return to ESPN in a lower-profile capacity that includes hits on “SportsCenter” and “Baseball Tonight” as well as analyzing MLB games that aren’t in the high-profile Sunday night slot.

The new ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ plan

“Sunday Night Baseball,” meanwhile, is simply moving on without her.

ESPN announced on Thursday that the broadcast will rely on a two-man booth of play-by-play announcer Matt Vasgersian and color analyst Alex Rodriguez. Buster Olney will continue to work as the broadcast’s sideline reporter.

It’s the same lineup ESPN used last season minus Mendoza.

The news release confirmed that Mendoza will work as a solo analyst for ESPN’s weekday games while contributing to the network’s studio shows.

Mendoza had spent the last four seasons in the “Sunday Night Baseball” booth in a pioneering role as a female MLB game analyst.

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