The Major League Baseball Players Association has turned down latest MLB proposal for the universal designated hitter and an expanded playoff format, sources confirmed to ESPN.

The news was first reported by MLB Network.

The union’s stance has been all along that it did not want to talk about a trade of the universal DH—which benefits a group of players—in return for expanded playoffs. Nonetheless, MLB included the two items in its proposal, and that concept has been turned down, per sources.

The universal DH and expanded playoff format were implemented for 2020 during the 60-game shortened regular season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Major League Baseball, fearing that the pandemic could create havoc with their scheduling once again, is proposing the return of seven-inning doubleheaders and extra-inning games beginning with a runner on second base, two persons with knowledge of their discussions told USA TODAY Sports.

The persons were unauthorized to publicly discuss MLB’s plan because of the on-going negotiations with the Major League Baseball Players Association, which must approve the rule changes.

Yet, the rules that were implemented for the first time in 2020 during the 60-game shortened season, designed primarily to limit the length of games during the pandemic, were widely embraced by the players, with MLB managers advocating for the rules to return.

“Change is abundant now,’’ Oakland A’s manager Bob Melvin said last month, “in every walk of life. And if you don’t embrace it, you get stuck in the mud.’’

While the union is expected to approve the rule changes for the 2021 season, the two sides still have not determined whether there will be a universal DH or an expanded postseason with the rosters remaining at 26 players.

ESPN and Major League Baseball are closing in on a TV deal that would provide the network exclusive rights to the first round of the playoffs, The Post has learned.

Now all that is needed is a first round of the playoffs.

That needs to be negotiated between MLB and the Players Association, which is to say that, while an ESPN-MLB deal is close, they are still far from knowing when — and even if — there will be playoffs expanded from 10 to likely 14 teams to include a best-of-three first round.

In the deal between ESPN and MLB, the network would reduce the amount of national games it broadcasts, while increasing the number of marquee matchups.

And now, with the postseason beginning Sept. 29, with an expanded 16-team format that Manfred has no interest in continuing under its current structure, there will be fans to provide authentic crowd noise, beginning with the NLCS on Oct. 12 at 40,300-seat Globe Life Field.

“We are pressing ahead to have fans in Texas,’’ said Manfred, with a ticket sales announcement expected soon. “One of the most important things to our game is the presence of fans. Starting down the path of having fans in stadiums, and in a safe and risk-free environment, is very, very important to our game.’’

Manfred would like the postseason to be expanded from 10 teams in the past to 14 in the future, which was discussed last winter, but not 16. The team with the best record in each league would receive a first-round bye, under MLB’s proposal, while the other two division winners in each league would choose their first-round opponent in the best-of-three-series.

“Look, 16 teams, was a really good solution for the unique environment we had in 2020,’’ Manfred said. “But I want to be clear, when I talked about the expanded playoffs going forward before COVID ever hit, we never talked about 16 teams as a permanent solution. We never talked about more than 14 teams. Those plans addressed marginalizing the value of winning the division, and preserving the competitiveness through the regular season.

“The expanded playoffs cover a vast waterfront, but what we discussed was a very different format than we’re seeing now.’’

But, in a post-pandemic era, the prospect of additional MLB revenue from an expanded postseason has gone from “we’d like it” to “we need it.” As a high-profile example, the New York Yankees’ ticket revenue next year could be down 33% from last year, and ticket sales might not fully recover until 2024, according to Fitch, the credit rating agency, which this week evaluated a Yankee Stadium bond refinancing.

That provides the players with some rare clout in labor talks. The players union must approve any playoff expansion, and it is no secret how badly the owners want that money. The league included an expanded postseason in each of the four offers it made the union in return-to-play negotiations. After negotiations failed and Manfred imposed the season, the league again asked for an expanded postseason for 2020 and 2021; the players got $50 million and signed off for this year only.

“There’s a lot of concern about it, whether it’s even a good idea,” a high-ranking baseball official said, “There’s a lot of concern about whether it’s going to incentivize or disincentivize competition.”