Roundup: Crude oil inventories / Baseball pay / EBR tax collections

More in stock: U.S. crude oil inventories increased sharply last week as imports rose and refineries reduced their capacity use, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Commercial crude oil stocks excluding the Strategic Petroleum Reserve rose by 6.2 million barrels to 439.8 million barrels in the week ended March 28, and were about 4% below the five-year average for the time of year. Read more from The Wall Street Journal. 

Pay day: Major League Baseball’s average salary broke the $5 million barrier on opening day for the first time, according to a study by The Associated Press. The New York Mets, with Juan Soto’s record $61.9 million pay, led MLB for the third straight opening day with a $322.6 million payroll, just ahead of the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers at $319.5 million. Read more from The Associated Press. 

Starting the year: Sales tax collections rose in January in East Baton Rouge Parish as compared to last year’s collections, according to figures released Wednesday. See the full report.