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The 2016 Major League Baseball regular season doesn’t end for another two weeks, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to start looking ahead to next season. 

Per MLB.com’s Mark Newman, MLB released its full regular-season schedule for 2017 on Wednesday with a tripleheader featuring the New York Yankees vs. the Tampa Bay Rays and the San Francisco Giants vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks kicking things off on Sunday, April 2.

The third game will be broadcast in prime time on ESPN as part of Sunday Night Baseball, but it has not yet been determined what the game will be. 

If the schedule follows the same pattern as 2016, expect the prime-time game to feature the defending World Series champions. This season, the New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals got the feature matchup on ESPN to start the season in a rematch of the 2015 World Series. 

Based on the likely playoff teams this year and scheduled matchups to start next season, that game won’t feature a World Series rematch. 

The remaining 24 teams will open play on April 3, with the Chicago Cubs vs. the St. Louis Cardinals being the top opening-series matchup. 

Other key stories that will dominate the April schedule in MLB include the Boston Red Sox adjusting to life without David Ortiz on April 3 against the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Atlanta Braves opening their new stadium on April 14. 

The All-Star Game is scheduled for July 11 at Marlins Park, while the regular season will conclude on Sunday, Oct. 1. 

So if your team is still fighting for a playoff spot this season, there’s still reason to focus on 2017. If you’ve endured the trials and tribulations of a long 2016, there are fewer than seven months before your hope for a World Series begins. 

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The Tampa Bay Rays announced Evan Longoria was suffering from right hand soreness when he exited Monday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Although X-rays were negative, according to Topkin, a return date has yet to be announced.

Continue for updates. 

Duffy Replaces Longoria at Hot Corner

Monday, Sept. 5 

In the first inning, Orioles pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez hit Longoria in the hand with a pitch. Longoria was unable to continue, and Matt Duffy entered the game to fill in at third base.

Longoria Would Be Big Loss for Rays Lineup

This season, Longoria has rediscovered his superstar status that made him an MVP candidate early in his career. He previously looked like an injury-prone player, missing 117 total games in 2011 and 2012.

Since 2013, though, Longoria has been durable and reliable. He has played in at least 160 games and hit at least 21 home runs in each of the last three seasons, reaching the 30-homer barrier this season for the first time since 2013.

Longoria‘s power is essential to a Rays team that doesn’t have much of it. Brad Miller is the only other Rays player with more than 20 home runs in 2016. 

With Longoria on the shelf, Duffy may be the replacement in Tampa Bay’s lineup. Richie Shaffer could also be a call-up candidate, though the team has not shown any faith in his ability to be an everyday player in the big leagues through just 36 games. 

The Rays don’t have a lot of depth in the lineup, so losing Longoria will put more pressure on the pitching staff and defense to help them finish an otherwise disappointing season strong. 

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Seeking to boost their outfield depth for the final playoff push in September, the Baltimore Orioles have acquired Michael Bourn in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for outfielder Jason Heinrich, the Diamondbacks announced.

Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball first reported that the Orioles and Diamondbacks agreed in principle to the deal.

“We are happy to address our outfield defense with a defender who can help us in a number of positions, and also someone [manager] Buck [Showalter] can insert in a game and give us a good chance for a stolen base,” Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said, per MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli.

The Orioles’ biggest need all season has been starting pitching, but due to a lack of strong options available before the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, they have chosen to add bats instead. 

Baltimore acquired Steve Pearce from the Tampa Bay Rays earlier this month. Bourn joins him after playing 89 games for the Diamondbacks. 

Bob Nightengale of USA Today noted that the Diamondbacks were concerned about finding spots for players when rosters expand on Thursday. With A.J. Pollock recently returning from the disabled list, Bourn no longer had an opportunity to be an everyday player in Arizona, so trading him was a smart move. 

“With rosters set to expand [Thursday], Bourn will give the O’s a late-inning option to bring some speed off the bench and perhaps to upgrade the outfield defense over Mark Trumbo or Hyun Soo Kim, neither of whom grades out anywhere close to average with the glove,” MLB Trade Rumors’ Steve Adams wrote. 

The 33-year-old Bourn is having a modest bounce-back season in 2016. He’s hitting .261/.307/.362 with three home runs and 13 stolen bases in 329 at-bats, which is a marked improvement over the .238/.310/.282 slash line he put up with the Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves last year. 

Baltimore lacks any kind of running threat on the basepaths, ranking last in all of Major League Baseball with 15 stolen bases. Bourn at least gives it some credibility in that category as the regular season’s final month approaches. 

The Orioles were possibly looking for another center fielder with Adam Jones battling a left hamstring injury that has kept him out of the lineup since Aug. 26.

Bourn does not shift the needle in Baltimore’s favor in terms of the American League East and wild-card races, but he’s a veteran who has been on multiple playoff teams in the past. He gives Showalter more versatility and a speed element this team desperately needs.

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Pittsburgh Pirates ace pitcher Gerrit Cole has been placed on the disabled list with elbow inflammation, and it’s unclear when he will return.

Continue for updates. 

Cole Placed on DL

Monday, Aug. 29

Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Cole has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with posterior inflammation in his right elbow.

Latest on Cole’s Rehab

Sunday, Aug. 28

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‘s Stephen J. Nesbitt reported that Cole ran sprints on the field on Sunday morning. Nesbitt noted that Cole will not comment until after his doctor’s visit and will head to Los Angeles later on Sunday. 

Pirates Need Cole Healthy for Playoff Push 

Cole has had a frustrating season, thanks in large part to a strained right triceps in June that led to him missing one month.

He’s been solid when healthy, owning a 3.55 ERA, but he’s not overpowering hitters like he did last season. His hit (10.0) and walk rates (2.5) are both up, while his strikeout rate (7.5) has dropped by more than one per nine innings from 2015 (8.7), per Baseball-Reference.com. 

The Pirates have had all sorts of problems with their starting rotation this season. Francisco Liriano and Jon Niese both struggled before they were traded. Jeff Locke has an ERA over 5.00, Jameson Taillon is still learning to pitch in the big leagues and Tyler Glasnow has spent time on the disabled list.

Pittsburgh’s success over the last three seasons has been due in large part to the strength of their rotation. There are a lot of things that have gone wrong for the Pirates in 2016, but the biggest issue has been a lack of consistency from their starting pitchers. 

Cole’s absence leaves a huge hole atop the Pirates rotation that they will be unable to fill. They have depth options to play with, including newly acquired Ivan Nova and Drew Hutchison, but Cole is the workhorse they were counting on to carry them through down periods.

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The San Francisco Giants have lost some pitching depth heading into the season’s final month, as Jake Peavy has gone on the disabled list.  

Continue for updates. 

Peavy Lands on 15-Day DL

Saturday, Aug. 27

Per the Giants’ official Twitter account, Peavy is suffering from a strained lower back. The team recalled Albert Suarez to start Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Braves. 

After he struggled as a starter, the Giants moved Peavy to the bullpen earlier this month. He hasn’t been any better in that role, posting a 6.75 ERA in eight relief appearances, but he was going to get the start on Saturday with Matt Cain still on the disabled list. 

The injuries to San Francisco’s starting rotation are just part of the problem for this team in the second half.

After going into the All-Star break with the best record in Major League Baseball (57-33), the Giants have gone 13-25 over their last 38 games and trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by one game in the National League West. 

Peavy seemed to resurrect his career with the Giants after they acquired him in a trade during the 2014 season. He helped the team win the World Series two years ago and posted a 3.58 ERA in 19 starts last season. 

This year, Peavy’s age (35) and mileage on his right arm have caught up with him. The Giants still have a strong trio atop their rotation with Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija, but the team has to go deep into the vault just to get through the days when those three aren’t on the mound.

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Scott Van Slyke’s disappointing season will come to a premature end, as the Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder will have surgery on his ailing right wrist. 

Continue for updates. 

Van Slyke Confirms Surgery

Saturday, Aug. 27

Per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, Van Slyke will miss the rest of 2016. Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register added that Van Slyke said his surgery is scheduled for Sept. 1, and the arthroscopic procedure will clear out cysts and scar tissue in his wrist. 

Wrist problems have plagued Van Slyke dating back to 2015. He didn’t play in the National League Division Series against the New York Mets last season with inflammation. 

After appearing in four games in the first week of this season, he was placed on the disabled list with wrist irritation. He was out for nearly two months before being activated prior to a June 3 game against the Atlanta Braves when Yasiel Puig was injured. 

Earlier this month, Van Slyke went back on the DL with wrist irritation. The Dodgers moved him to the 60-day disabled list on Aug. 25, officially ending any hope of his returning before the regular season ended. 

The injuries have taken a toll on Van Slyke’s performance. He had a career-high .910 OPS in 98 games during the 2014 season, but that number fell to .700 in 2015 and to .606 this season. 

The Dodgers outfield has been a mess all season, with Howie Kendrick being the only stable presence. Joc Pederson is turning things around in the second half, while Josh Reddick is still acclimating himself to his new team. 

The 30-year-old Van Slyke finds himself in a precarious position because he’s eligible for arbitration this winter for the first time, but his struggles the last two seasons could make him a potential non-tender candidate. 

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The road to recovery for New York Yankees pitcher Nathan Eovaldi has begun after he underwent surgery on his right arm.

Continue for updates. 

Eovaldi Has Tommy John Surgery

Friday, Aug. 19

Per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Yankees announced Eovaldi had Tommy John surgery and underwent a procedure to repair his right flexor tendon. 

The 26-year-old Eovaldi last pitched on Aug. 10 against the Boston Red Sox, lasting just one inning in a start before experiencing elbow discomfort. He was placed on the disabled list almost immediately before it was later announced he would require surgery to repair his pitching arm. 

Eovaldi has battled injuries in the past, missing most of last September with elbow inflammation. He previously had Tommy John surgery during his junior year of high school in 2007, one year before the Los Angeles Dodgers drafted him in the 11th round. 

The right-hander is a fascinating pitcher. He has the overpowering stuff to be dominant, with a fastball that has averaged 97.1 mph this season, per FanGraphs, yet the performance hasn’t matched the talent, as he has a 4.76 ERA in 2016. 

Eovaldi’s upside makes him one of New York’s most valuable assets. The Yankees also lack depth in their starting rotation. The group has remained healthy so far this year, with the exception of CC Sabathia’s stint on the disabled list.

New York’s front office has already started looking toward the future by trading Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Carlos Beltran. Eovaldi will likely not be ready to pitch again until 2018, so the team will have ample opportunity to evaluate all of its pitching options before having to make a decision about how to use him. 

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Jonathan Papelbon‘s tumultuous tenure with the Washington Nationals has come to an end. The Nationals announced he was officially released on Saturday.

ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick previously reported Papelbon requested his release from the Nationals. 

The 35-year-old’s role with the Nationals significantly diminished in recent weeks after the team acquired Mark Melancon before the trade deadline. 

Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post noted the move makes sense for both the Nationals and Papelbon because the team wanted to open up a roster spot—it brought up minor league pitcher Reynaldo Lopez—and Papelbon wanted to pitch in high-leverage situations. 

ESPN’s Sarah Langs provided another practical reason for why the Nationals would want to get rid of Papelbon:

According to Rob Bradford of WEEI, Papelbon would be open to a return to the Boston Red Sox and is “prioritzing [the] best spot to succeed” to finish the season.

If Papelbon wants to pitch in late-game situations again, it likely won’t come with a playoff contender. He has been awful in Washington this season with a 4.37 ERA, 37 hits allowed, 14 walks and 31 strikeouts in 35 innings. 

Since July 24, he’s allowed nine hits and eight earned runs in five appearances covering 3.1 innings. 

The Nationals acquired Papelbon from the Philadelphia Phillies in July 2015. His tenure with the team will be remembered best for a physical altercation he had with Bryce Harper in the dugout during the final week of the season.

Papelbon was in a contract year. Washington will pay the remainder of his $11 million salary for 2016. 

The Nationals hold a comfortable lead in the National League East and are preparing to make a playoff run. Moving on now from a player who didn’t want to be there is only going to help them finish the season strong. 

Given his age and performance decline this season, Papelbon should consider himself lucky if he’s able to find a team that gives him a shot to pitch again in 2016.

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One day after getting a king’s send-off at Yankee Stadium, Alex Rodriguez is no longer a New York Yankees player.

Per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, the Yankees released Rodriguez prior to Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The move was expected and part of a plan New York put in place when Rodriguez and the team announced Friday would be his final game.

On Sunday, Hoch reported Rodriguez would play his last game for the Yankees and then be unconditionally released before serving as a special advisor through Dec. 31, 2017.

Included in Hoch’s report was a statement from New York managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner:

After spending several days discussing this plan with Alex, I am pleased that he will remain a part of our organization moving forward and transition into a role in which I know he can flourish. We have an exciting group of talented young players at every level of our system. Our job as an organization is to utilize every resource possible to allow them to reach their potential, and I expect Alex to directly contribute to their growth and success.

As the Yankees played Friday night, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported the team would call up Tyler Austin from Triple-A to take Rodriguez’s spot on the 25-man roster.

Per the team’s public relations department, in addition to bringing Austin up, New York also added Aaron Judge to the roster.

The week leading up to Rodriguez’s farewell was a mess, with Yankees manager Joe Girardi continuing to sit the three-time American League MVP after saying Sunday, “If he wants to play in every game, I’ll find a way.” Rodriguez started Thursday against the Boston Red Sox and again Friday against the Rays.

In his final game, Rodriguez went 1-for-4 with an RBI double in the first inning. He also moved from designated hitter to third base at the start of the ninth inning, though he was removed after Yankees closer Dellin Betances struck out Mikie Mahtook to start the inning. Rodriguez then enjoyed one last ovation from the New York crowd.

If it was the end of Rodriguez’s career, he got a nice send-off considering how quickly everything came together.

Rodriguez is no longer the superstar who was on the short list of best players in Major League Baseball, but there is no denying the impact he had on the sport for 22 years. He wasn’t always liked, but his talent was incredible, and he was often a joy to watch.

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After 22 years and 2,784 MLB games, Alex Rodriguez laced up his cleats for the final time with the New York Yankees on Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays, going 1-for-4 with an RBI in a 6-3 win.

Rodriguez got the Yankees on the board in the first inning with an RBI double off Rays starter Chris Archer, which scored Brett Gardner from first base to tie the game at 1-1:

Mike Petriello of MLB.com provided the Statcast information on A-Rod’s first-inning hit:

There was some ominous weather before the game, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post noted:

Even though Rodriguez was not done after his first at-bat, New Yorkers are a notoriously impatient group of people. USA Today‘s Ted Berg noted how restless the fans were getting:

Rodriguez’s first-inning double would be the extent of his contributions to the Yankees’ win. He grounded out in the fourth inning, struck out in the fifth and—in his final career at-bat—grounded out to end the seventh inning.

However, that at-bat would not be the last time fans saw Rodriguez in the game. With the Yankees leading 6-3 in the ninth inning, manager Joe Girardi put A-Rod in at third base to make sure he was part of the action one last time.

After Yankees closer Dellin Betances struck out Mikie Mahtook for the first out of the ninth inning, Ronald Torreyes replaced Rodriguez so he could get a proper standing ovation from the New York faithful.

Pinstripe Alley captured a wonderful moment between the two Yankees whose careers are ending in 2016:

ESPN’s Marly Rivera captured an overhead image of the Yankees dugout after Girardi pulled Rodriguez:

After the final out, Wallace Matthews of ESPN.com noted Rodriguez went back onto the Yankee Stadium field to take some dirt as a souvenir. 

The start of the game was delayed for nearly an hour, prompting NBC Sports’ Craig Calcaterra to offer this possible explanation:

Before Friday’s game, some of Rodriguez’s former teammates released statements to congratulate the 41-year-old on a historic career. 

Derek Jeter, who had a season-long retirement tour in 2014, had this to say about Rodriguez, per Teddy Mitrosilis of Fox Sports:

I’ve spent 22 years playing against, playing with and watching Alex from afar, and there are two things that stand out to me the most: the conversations we had when we were young — hoping for the opportunity to play at the Major League level and then somehow finding a way to stick around — and the championship we won together in 2009. That was a season everyone on that team can cherish. What people don’t realize is how much time, effort and work that Alex put in on a daily basis. He lives and breathes baseball. I know it will be difficult for him to not be on the field, but I’m sure he will continue to give back to the game. Congrats, Alex.

Former Yankees closer Mariano Rivera walked onto the field with Rodriguez’s two daughters, as Pinstripe Alley showed:

It was not an easy road for Rodriguez or the Yankees to reach this moment.

A-Rod announced this past Sunday that he would play his last game Friday and the Yankees would unconditionally release him from his contract, at which point he would work as a special adviser with the team through 2017, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

However, Girardi did not play Rodriguez in Boston on Tuesday and gave him one pinch-hit appearance Wednesday before finally putting him in the lineup Thursday and letting him hit third for his final game Friday.

Girardi managed to make Rodriguez a sympathetic figure, telling reporters Wednesday that he didn’t want to make A-Rod the focus, per Maureen Mullen of USA Today:

But I believe that (I) have a responsibility to the organization, to the team, to the players in that room to put out what (I) feel is the best lineup and try to win every game. Also (I) have a responsibility to baseball because there are teams fighting for (playoff) spots here and you have to do what you feel is the best, and that becomes difficult.

No one is going to deny that Rodriguez has been awful this year. He was hitting .199/.247/.348 coming into Friday, but Girardi is just two years removed from playing Jeter every day in the No. 2 spot when he had a .304 on-base percentage. Girardi was hearing it from the New York fans before the game, per Mike Axisa of CBS Sports:

There has been plenty of negativity regarding Girardi’s handling of Rodriguez, but Friday was a moment to celebrate. 

Regardless of any personal feelings fans have toward Rodriguez, he was one of Major League Baseball’s defining stars for two decades. He walks away from the game with three American League MVP awards, 696 home runs, 14 All-Star appearances and one World Series title. 

Rodriguez’s career did not end with the monumental bang that every superstar athlete hopes to achieve before walking away, but his imprint on the sport from the time the Seattle Mariners made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 1993 draft to his final at-bat can’t be understated.

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