MLB Network drops insider Ken Rosenthal following criticisms of Rob Manfred

Baseball insider Ken Rosenthal confirmed reports Monday night that he has been let go by MLB Network.

"I’m grateful for the more than 12 years I spent there, and my enduring friendships with on-air personalities, producers and staff," Rosenthal wrote on Twitter. "I always strove to maintain my journalistic integrity, and my work reflects that. Nothing else is changing for me professionally. I am proud to remain part of the great teams at The Athletic and Fox Sports."

Rosenthal, 59, didn't say the reason MLB Network chose to part ways with him after 13 years. But the New York Post reported that the dismissal came after Rosenthal ruffled feathers by criticizing MLB commissioner Rob Manfred in articles for The Athletic. The Post specifically highlighted an article from June 2020 that ripped Manfred's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Post, MLB Network kept Rosenthal off the air for about three months after the article.

MLB Network denied that report, telling the Post via a spokesperson that the separation with Rosenthal was due to "a natural turnover in our talent roster that takes place each year."