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Texas Rangers slugger Prince Fielder‘s career is over after 12 years in Major League Baseball.

On Wednesday, Fielder officially announced he would no longer be able to play, per TR Sullivan of MLB.com. “I can’t play Major League Baseball anymore,” Fielder said during a press conference. “It sucks to have it taken away early,” he added. 

“It took too much brain to walk in a straight line, that was real…I was thinking, how am I going to hit a fastball,” Fielder said. 

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports first reported Tuesday that Fielder would announce his decision to step away from the big leagues. 

Rosenthal added Fielder is not retiring, but doctors will not clear him to play. Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball noted Fielder will still receive the $100-plus million still owed on his contract because it’s a medical issue.

Fielder’s deal pays him $24 million per season through 2020, noted Rosenthal.

Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram added that Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said the team has insurance on the contract. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News noted the Rangers will be committed to Fielder for $9 million per year through 2020.

Fielder will remain on the Rangers roster for the rest of his contract, according to Wilson, who added he’ll be on the 40-man roster in the offseason and the 60-day DL during the regular season. 

After the Rangers defeated the Colorado Rockies 7-5, the club held a postgame meeting to discuss Fielder, according to Wilson, who added the players still aren’t exactly sure what will happen on Wednesday. 

Fielder’s 2016 season ended in July when he underwent neck surgery to repair a C4/C5 disc herniation, per Rangers executive vice president of communications John Blake. 

Before Fielder was forced to go undergo surgery, he looked like a shell of his former self. The 32-year-old was hitting .212/.292/.334 with eight home runs in 89 games.

This campaign marks the second time in three years that Fielder’s season has ended prematurely due to injuries. He required a cervical fusion of the C5/C6 discs in his neck in May 2014. He used to be one of MLB’s great iron men, playing all 162 games four times in five seasons from 2009 to 2013, and he only missed one game in 2010. 

In a bit of sad irony, Baseball-Reference.com noted that Fielder’s 319 career home runs are the same as his father, Cecil Fielder, when his career ended. Prince Fielder also had a terrific .283/.382/.506 slash line in 1,611 career games. 

Fielder was a huge part of the Milwaukee Brewers‘ renaissance, in which they made the playoffs twice in 2008 and 2011, reaching the National League Championship Series in 2011. He led the National League with 50 home runs in 2007, played in six All-Star Games and had four top-10 MVP finishes. 

Even though Fielder was never able to consistently recapture some of his early-career heights after leaving the Brewers, he did play in a World Series in 2012 and an American League Championship Series in 2013 with the Detroit Tigers before he was traded to the Rangers for Ian Kinsler prior to 2014. 

Fielder looked like a throwback slugger because of his big body, but he was an outstanding hitter for average and had a keen eye at the plate to go along with his power. The abrupt end of his career does not define his overall legacy of greatness that started with his debut as a 21-year-old kid in 2005. 

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Amid the worst season of his MLB career, New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez announced Sunday he will play his final game Friday before assuming a new role with the club.

The three-time American League MVP made his decision public in a press conference, according to YES Network. Per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, A-Rod will become a special advisor and instructor for the Yanks after Friday’s clash with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Yankees and managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner released a statement following the announcement, per Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal:

Rodriguez was emotional when addressing the media, per Jack Curry of YES Network:

Rodriguez said during Sunday’s press conference that he wanted to continue playing but that the Yankees were no longer on board with that idea, via MLB.com’s Richard Justice: “No athlete ever ends [their] career the way they want to. They all want to keep playing. Saying goodbye may be the hardest part of the job. … I think I can play baseball. You always think you have one more hit in you. That wasn’t in the cards. That was the Yankees’ decision.”

Rodriguez said he is “excited” about his new role and “at peace with the organization’s decision,” per Justice.

There had been whispers that New York would release Rodriguez before his contract was up following the 2017 season.

After the Yankees dealt Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, Ivan Nova and Carlos Beltran before the non-waiver trade deadline, Peter Botte and Christian Red of the New York Daily News cited a source who said Rodriguez “could” be released by the end of this season.

Rodriguez did his best to keep a level head when reporters asked him about the possibility of being released.

“I’ve had a great career,” he said Tuesday, per ESPN.com’s Wallace Matthews. “Whatever happens, happens.”

Rodriguez also said he was hopeful the Yankees wouldn’t release him, per Matthews, but that “it’s out of my control.”

Rodriguez has been used sparingly this season. He’s hitting .204/.252/.356, and Yankees manager Joe Girardi has expressed frustration when answering questions about Rodriguez’s status.

“When I don’t play him, I’m questioned,” Girardi said July 30, per Matthews. “When I play him, I’m questioned. Anyone who wants to do it can do it next time.”

Rodriguez said prior to the 2016 season that he would play out his contract, but he and the Yankees have altered their course.

Despite the fact that he will no longer be on the field, Rodriguez is still in line to earn a huge salary, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today:

After a bounce-back 2015 season in which he hit 33 home runs, Rodriguez is no longer an impact hitter and can’t play the field, so his value is negligible.

His 13-year tenure with the Yankees was never smooth sailing. Though he won MVP Awards in 2005 and 2007, he played second fiddle to Derek Jeter until Jeter’s retirement in 2014.

There were off-field issues, too, notably a season-long suspension in 2014 for his role in the Biogenesis scandal, and Rodriguez never quite endeared himself to the notoriously tough New York crowd.

But now that his career has reached its conclusion, there’s no denying he was one of the best players of his generation. Rodriguez’s three MVP Awards are tied for the second-most in MLB history, and he ranks fourth all time with 696 homers.

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Ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte has been dealt from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Seattle Mariners in a waiver trade.  

The Blue Jays officially announced the move, adding they will be receiving a player to be named later. 

Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune initially reported news of the trade, adding the team designated Donn Roach for assignment to make room for the 31-year-old.  

Venditte made his major league debut in 2015 as a member of the Oakland Athletics. He became the first switch pitcher to play in the big leagues since Greg A. Harris in 1995. 

A 20th-round pick by the New York Yankees in 2008, Venditte spent six full seasons in the minors before getting his call to The Show. He made four appearances for the A’s in June 2015 before being placed on the disabled list for two months with a right shoulder strain. 

He did appear in 26 games for the A’s last season, posting a 4.40 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 28.2 innings. The Blue Jays claimed him off waivers in October, and he made eight appearances with the team, posting a 5.19 ERA in just 8.2 innings. 

Venditte has spent most of the season with Triple-A Buffalo. His numbers in the minors are solid, with 52 strikeouts in 35 innings. But he has given up a lot of contact, with 39 hits allowed. 

The Mariners are just looking for depth in their bullpen at this point in the season. They are still fighting for a second wild-card spot in the American League but enter Saturday trailing the Boston Red Sox by five games. 

Seattle relievers rank 14th in the league with a 3.76 ERA. The Mariners’ starting rotation hasn’t been strong thanks in large part to an uncharacteristically poor season from Felix Hernandez, so their best chance to improve the pitching staff is to gamble on one of the most unique relievers in baseball. 

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Major League Baseball is taking a closer look at the San Diego Padres following two of their recent trades prior to the August 1 deadline. 

Per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune, MLB is looking into the exchange of medical information regarding deals that sent Drew Pomeranz to the Boston Red Sox and a package trade that sent Colin Rea to the Miami Marlins. 

“In response to several unrelated issues that arose during the trade deadline, we are reviewing our policies regarding maintenance of medical files to ensure uniformity between clubs,” an MLB spokesperson said in a statement included in Lin’s report.

Lin also noted a Padres spokesperson had “no comment” on the review being conducted by MLB but added the team “is confident it will be cleared of any alleged wrongdoing.”

Rea made his first start for the Marlins on July 30 against the St. Louis Cardinals but lasted just 3.1 innings due to an elbow injury. He was traded back to the Padres the following day, with Luis Castillo coming to the Marlins after he was included in the original deal.

On Friday, Padres manager Andy Green announced that Rea would undergo Tommy John surgery. Lin said the Marlins asked Rea if he was “taking any medications, presumably for elbow discomfort” and the right-hander admitted he was, which the Marlins said was not disclosed when the original trade happened.

Lin added the Padres’ deal with the Red Sox involving Pomeranz will stand, but “the Red Sox have raised concerns about the exchange of medical information in that deal.”

Lin reported that MLB does not have established “hard-and-fast rules” for governing the exchange of medical records before a trade.

Before any transaction is completed—whether it is a trade or a free-agent signing—teams will go through all of the medical information to ensure players are in peak physical condition.

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Oakland Athletics strength and conditioning coach Michael Henriques is under investigation by Major League Baseball for reportedly spying on players and personnel.  

According to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports, Henriques admitted to installing a hidden camera in the weight room at Oakland Coliseum “to observe players working out and rehabilitating injuries while the team traveled.”

Brown added that MLB, the MLB Department of Investigations and the MLB Players Association were monitoring the investigation. An independent law firm hired by the team is scheduled to present its findings to the players on Monday. 

Brown, citing sources, noted that findings in the investigation concluded Henriques installed the camera on July 24. An unnamed player discovered it “inside a box the following afternoon and notified Sean Doolittle, the team’s union representative, who took the camera to team management.”

A’s executive vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane notified MLB about the camera. Sources said he was “furious” and that he “suggested to MLB an independent law firm would be hired to determine the source of the camera and how the club would proceed legally.”

Per the report, Beane said Henriques’ “intentions were good [but] his judgment was very poor.”

Brown noted that Henriques “would be allowed to continue as the team’s strength and condition coach in a probationary capacity, as his actions were not deemed to be malicious.”

Brown wrote that a past request by an MLB team to get permission to install cameras because it suspected items were being stolen from the clubhouse was denied because of privacy concerns, and that any use of cameras in certain areas was a collective bargaining issue. 

Henriques has been with the A’s since 2010 when he took over as the minor league strength and conditioning coordinator before joining the major league team on an interim basis in May 2011. Oakland hired him on a permanent basis five months later.

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Free-agent outfielder Nate Schierholtz has been suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball for violating the league’s joint drug agreement.

Per Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk, MLB announced that Schierholtz tested positive for the growth hormone Ibutamoren.

Since Schierholtz is not currently with an MLB team, his suspension will not begin until after he signs a deal, if that happens.

The 32-year-old last played in the big leagues during the 2014 season, splitting time with the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals. He set career-worst marks in batting average (.195), on-base percentage (.243) and slugging percentage (.309).

Schierholtz signed minor league deals with the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers in each of the last two seasons. The Rangers released him before the 2015 season started, which allowed him to play part of the year with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.

This spring the Tigers kept Schierholtz on their Triple-A team for 31 games, where he hit .246/.280/.356, before releasing him May 22.

The last few years have not been kind to Schierholtz, but he was part of the San Francisco Giants’ World Series team in 2010. He has played for four teams in eight MLB seasons, hitting .253/.302/.405 in 799 games.

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A key piece of the Houston Astros bullpen is on the shelf, as Luke Gregerson suffered an injury to his left oblique. 

Continue for updates.

Gregerson Placed on DL

Tuesday, August 2

Per the Astros‘ official Twitter account, Gregerson was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique. 

It’s been apparent something was wrong with Gregerson in recent days, as he hasn’t appeared in a game since July 27, and the Astros played 14 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night. 

Gregerson has been Houston’s primary closer this season, racking up 14 saves in 44 games. The 32-year-old has a 3.09 ERA with 51 strikeouts, 0.893 WHIP and 26 hits allowed in 43.2 innings. 

Gregerson is an atypical closer because he doesn’t have overpowering stuff with a fastball that averages 89.4 mph this season, per FanGraphs, but his excellent command and slider allow him to miss bats at a good rate.

Will Harris has also been used as the Astros closer this season. He has a 2.08 ERA and 11 saves in 43.1 innings despite blowing two consecutive saves. Ken Giles also has experience in the role from his days with the Philadelphia Phillies. 

The Astros are still chasing the Texas Rangers in the American League West and three teams for one of the wild-card spots, so losing a key piece of the relief corps like Gregerson right now is a huge blow for a Houston bullpen that was already short on depth.

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Already boasting a lineup with outstanding young hitters, the Boston Red Sox are adding another one to the mix by calling up top prospect Andrew Benintendi from Double-A Portland.

The Red Sox officially announced Benintendi‘s promotion on Twitter.

The seventh overall pick in last year’s draft, Benintendi‘s stock has done nothing but rise in the 13 months he’s been in the Red Sox farm system.

Benintendi, who was named SEC Player of the Year and Golden Spikes Award winner in 2015, has posted a .312/.378/.532 slash line in 97 games between High-A Salem and Double-A Portland this season. 

ESPN.com’s Keith Law ranked Benintendi as the No. 3 overall prospect in his midseason update released on July 14, behind Houston‘s Alex Bregman and Washington‘s Lucas Giolito. 

Law noted that Benintendi‘s “hands are super-quick and very strong, and he’s fast enough to stay in center field for the near term.”

Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe noted the Red Sox will use the same tactic they did in 2013 when Xander Bogaerts was called up, as Benintendi will sit for Tuesday night’s game against Seattle before starting on Wednesday. 

The Red Sox are secure in center field with Jackie Bradley Jr. enjoying a breakout season. Left field has been one of the few black holes in Boston’s lineup this year with a collective slash line of .256/.322/.394, per Baseball-Reference.com. 

Boston president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski explained the team’s decision to promote the 22-year-old right now, per Ian Browne of MLB.com:

Our people kept coming up and saying, ‘We think he can play at the big league level and we think he’s ready.’ Now, don’t look for him to hit in the middle of the lineup like he will eventually. But he’s a well-rounded player, he’s a good defensive player, he runs the bases well, he has a good arm, we’ve been working him out at left field and he’s been able to play the wall well in Portland there.

The Red Sox don’t necessarily need an offensive boost, even with the problems in left field, because they lead MLB with 576 runs scored, 55 more than anyone else in the American League. 

Yet the Red Sox have had problems with their starting rotation this year, an area they were unable to upgrade before Monday’s non-waiver trade deadline, so the next-best solution is to create a deep lineup that will cause more problems for opposing pitchers over the final two months. 

Benintendi has done nothing but hit since his junior season at Arkansas. He’s never looked overmatched at any level and will be ready to step in any role the Red Sox need him to serve as they hope to secure a playoff spot. 

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Julio Teheran’s lat problems won’t go away, as the Atlanta Braves ace will miss an extended period of time with a recurrence of the injury.

Continue for updates. 

Teheran to DL

Tuesday, August 2

The Braves announced Tuesday on Twitter that Teheran was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to a right lat strain. 

Teheran left his start on July 22 against the Colorado Rockies following an at-bat in the fifth inning due to tightness in his right lat. He sat out the next seven days before making his return Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies. 

The 25-year-old Teheran did not look bad against the Phillies. He gave up three runs on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk in five innings. 

After the game, Teheran said he didn’t notice anything physically wrong with his body during the start, per Pat James and Todd Zolecki of MLB.com: “I didn’t feel anything like I felt last game, and that’s something good to know. But just the one mistake I made [on the pitch to Jeremy Hellickson]—I think I was doing well until that point.”

If the Braves were competing for a playoff spot right now, they might be able to push Teheran through this injury. They enter play Tuesday with a 37-68 record, the worst in Major League Baseball. There is no need to overextend the right-hander in a lost season. 

Teheran is having the best year of his career with a 2.81 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP and 119 strikeouts in 134.2 innings. His absence does leave a massive void in Atlanta’s rotation; MLB.com‘s depth chart currently lists a total of three pitchers, including Teheran. 

Finding even a competent rotation to get through the final two months of the season is a big concern for the Braves, but at least they are aware this a rebuilding year and can throw players on the field as needed. 

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With their season slipping away, the New York Yankees have traded All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran to the Texas Rangers.   

The Rangers announced that they have acquired Beltran and cash in exchange for Dillon Tate, Erik Swanson and Nick Green. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports first reported the trade.

Beltran has been one of the few bright spots for the Yankees in 2016. The 39-year-old was named to his first All-Star team in three years thanks to leading the team in home runs (22), doubles (21), RBI (64) and slugging percentage (.546). 

The Yankees had to make a decision about where they were headed down the stretch this season, with Beltran being a perfect test case. 

Wallace Matthews of ESPN.com reported after the All-Star break that people within the Yankees front office were divided on what path to take:

According to a baseball source who spoke to ESPN on condition of anonymity, the opposing factions are composed of the baseball operations people, led by general manager Brian Cashman, who believe the team should sell off its assets and plan for the future, and the business side, which is led by owner Hal Steinbrenner and team president Randy Levine, who hold to the belief that the club is still in contention.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports later reported that even though there was “nothing certain,” the Yankees would “take offers for both [Beltran] and [Aroldis] Chapman if they [fell] out.” They already dealt Chapman to the Chicago Cubs last week.

Ultimately, Cashman’s side won out. It’s also the right decision for the franchise at this moment. The Yankees have plenty of contracts that aren’t movable, such as Mark Teixeira’s, CC Sabathia’s, Jacoby Ellsbury’s and Alex Rodriguez‘s. 

Beltran is making a reasonable $15 million salary this season, especially given his offensive production, and was likely to net a good return. 

The Yankees will get more salary relief this offseason when Teixeira becomes a free agent. Per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the team will have $95 million coming off the books in 2017. That may not include Sabathia’s $25 million salary for his vesting option, but at least the team is going to have more money to work with soon. 

Beltran may be nearing the end of his career, but he doesn’t play like someone who is 39 years old. He’s a tremendous hitter for average and still providing plenty of pop to be a great asset for the Rangers’ playoff push.

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