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As the Houston Astros continue their chase for a playoff spot, their starting rotation will be without a key piece the rest of this season thanks to Scott Feldman‘s shoulder injury. 

Continue for updates. 

Astros Shut Feldman Down

Friday, Sept. 11

According to the Astros’ official Twitter, a sprained right shoulder will force Feldman to miss the rest of 2015. 

The 32-year-old right-hander last pitched on September 1 against Seattle, going just 2.2 innings and allowing five walks before calling the training staff out to look at him. 

Feldman made 18 starts this season, posting a 3.90 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 108.1 innings. He has started and pitched out of the bullpen in his career, which would have given Astros manager A.J. Hinch versatility with his staff down the stretch. 

Houston is currently 2.5 games ahead of Texas in the American League West. General manager Jeff Luhnow did add rotation depth before the deadline, acquiring Scott Kazmir to pitch behind Cy Young contender Dallas Keuchel. 

The Astros’ rotation behind that top two will have to step up in Feldman’s absence to ensure this surprising run has a happy ending in October. 

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The Los Angeles Angels have been without an official general manager since Jerry DiPoto stepped down in July, but with the season winding down, the search to fill the position is expected to pick up. 

Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reported the team is “hopeful” they’ll name their new GM by the end of the 2015 season. 

Continue for updates. 

Angels Reportedly Favor Yankees’ Assistant GM 

Friday, Sept. 4

According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, New York Yankees assistant general manager Billy Eppler is “expected to be a strong front-runner” for the Angels’ general manager position. 

The Angels know Eppler well, dating back to 2011 when the team hired DiPoto, as noted by Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal:

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reported on September 1 the Angels had finished conducting interviews with internal candidates Matt Klentak and Scott Servais and were preparing to interview additional candidates from outside the organization. 

After losing out to DiPoto for the Angels’ GM job in 2011, Eppler was promoted to his current role with the Yankees by their general manager, Brian Cashman.

DiPoto resigned from the position this summer in part due to a contentious relationship with Angels manager Mike Scioscia, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. Bill Stoneman, who was the team’s general manager from 1999-2007, has taken over the role on an interim basis. 

The Angels are in a unique position to attract whoever they want to hire as general manager. Ownership has spent at least $137 million on payroll in each of the previous five seasons, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, and they have the reigning American League MVP Mike Trout signed through 2020. 

Any GM candidate would love to work for an owner who isn’t afraid to spend money for a championship—not to mention having arguably the single-best player in the sport to build around.

This has been a difficult season for the Angels on and off the field, but there’s a lot to work with heading into 2016.   

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The Cleveland Indians rotation has suffered a huge loss, as reigning American League Cy Young winner Corey Kluber is dealing with an injured hamstring. 

Continue for updates. 

Kluber Out with Hamstring Strain

Friday, Sept. 4

According to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, Kluber will not make his scheduled start Friday against the Detroit Tigers with a strained hamstring that could keep him out for an additional start. 

The good news for Cleveland is Bastian did note Kluber is expected to pitch again this season, though did not specify a potential return date. 

Kluber exploded onto the scene in 2014 with a 2.44 ERA and 269 strikeouts in 235.2 innings, becoming Cleveland’s third Cy Young winner since 2007. He has followed that up with another stellar season, leading the league in innings pitched (200.1) while posting a career-best strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.76). 

As the Indians were making their run to the playoffs two years ago, though, Kluber was on the sideline in September with a sprained right middle finger. He didn’t have any issues last year, making 34 starts, so the 29-year-old is not injury-prone. 

Cleveland’s rotation lost Carlos Carrasco to the disabled list with a sore shoulder at the end of August, so taking Kluber out of the mix leaves two huge holes for manager Terry Francona to work around. 

The Indians have climbed back to within striking distance of the second wild-card spot, entering play on Friday six games behind the Texas Rangers, so the loss of Kluber for even one start will make it difficult for them to have any hope of making up that difference with 30 games left. 

Even though the Indians have been a disappointment this season, Kluber has remained a rock at the top of their rotation. His absence will change the dynamic of Cleveland’s rotation, even if the team’s playoff hopes are slim at this point. 

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Hanley Ramirez‘s return to the Boston Red Sox has not been triumphant for either side in 2015, as the 31-year-old is out of the lineup with a shoulder problem.

After being held out of the lineup on Aug. 28, Ramirez remained out of action the following day against the Mets, Sean McAdam of CSN New England reported.

Continue for updates.

Ramirez Dealing with Fatigue

Friday, Aug. 28

According to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald, Red Sox interim manager Torey Lovullo said Ramirez has fatigue in his right shoulder.

Ramirez, while immensely talented, has always been an inconsistent player. Injuries have been a big part of that, as he played in fewer than 100 games in 2011 and 2013 and hasn’t played in more than 140 games since 2012.

That will be the case again this season, which has been the worst of Ramirez’s career. He is hitting .249/.291/.426, though he’s been only one of many Boston players to underperform in 2015. Dustin Pedroia has played in only 75 games; Pablo Sandoval has a .695 OPS. 

The Red Sox have gone through a difficult two-year stretch since winning the World Series in 2013, though they have been able to work in young talent like Mookie Betts and Blake Swihart because of injuries and the offensive struggles of players like Ramirez.

Considering Ramirez is in the first year of the four-year deal he signed in the offseason, the Red Sox should play things safe with the former All-Star so he can enter 2016 at full strength and prepare for a bounce-back season.  

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After announcing Jack Zduriencik was relieved of his duties as general manager, the Seattle Mariners will need to secure the long-term future of their front office to make a playoff push for the first time since 2001. 

Continue for updates. 

Mather Discusses Mariners’ Plan for Next GM

Saturday, Aug. 29

“I want to avoid the, ‘You can talk to him after the postseason,'” Mariners club president Kevin Mather said, per Bob Dutton of the News Tribune. “Sorry, we’re going to miss him. He’s not going to make my list. I’m not going to wait until November on this. I’d like to move this along sometime in late September to mid-October, so we can hit the ground running when the postseason ends.”

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today on Aug. 28, the Mariners plan to hire a general manager who has previous experience in the role:

Nightengale added on Twitter that the Mariners will have a “slew” of top general manager candidates available to them, noting the team wants to hire someone before the regular season ends. 

Seattle’s roster is in an interesting spot for the new GM, whomever that ends up being. Jonah Keri of Grantland pointed out recently that the team has been bad at developing players, citing examples like Dustin Ackley, Nick Franklin, Jesus Montero, Justin Smoak and Mike Zunino. 

Because of the inability to bring up impact young players, Zduriencik and his staff spent a franchise-record $123 million on a roster in 2015 that’s 10 games under .500 and in fourth place in the American League West. 

The good news is that with expiring contracts, Seattle’s projected payroll for next season is $78.86 million.

As long as the next general manager hires a scouting and coaching staff able to develop major league-caliber players and the front office remains willing to spend money on free agents, the Mariners should be an attractive destination for many GM candidates. 

Contract information via Cot’s Baseball Contracts.

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Detroit Tigers right-hander Shane Greene, currently on the disabled list at Triple-A, has been diagnosed with an artery issue in his shoulder. 

Continue for updates. 

Tigers’ Trainer Issues Diagnosis

Sunday, August 23

Per James Schmehl of MLive.com, Tigers trainer Kevin Rand said Greene is dealing with an “arterial issue” in his shoulder that is causing a pseudo-aneurysm. The 26-year-old will visit a specialist Tuesday. 

On August 18, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus told Schmehl that Greene was placed on the seven-day disabled list with “numbness or coldness” in his fingers. 

Injuries and inconsistent performance have derailed Greene’s 2015 season. He had an MRI in May after feeling a tingling sensation in his right hand, though it didn’t land him on the disabled list. The Tigers demoted him to Triple-A in June when Justin Verlander came off the disabled list. 

In 18 games this season, Greene has posted a 6.88 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 83.2 innings. His last appearance in the big leagues was on August 7 against the Boston Red Sox. He tossed one scoreless inning in relief. 

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For the first time in his career, Chase Utley will be wearing a new uniform, as the Philadelphia Phillies’ star second baseman has agreed to a trade that will send him to the Los Angeles Dodgers, per Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal:

MLB Roster Moves made the deal official.

USA Today noted that the Dodgers “will also receive $2 million to help offset the remainder of the $15 million Utley is paid this season.”

Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reported that Sweeney will take Utley’s roster spot with the Phillies. The Dodgers also announced a corresponding move by designating infielder Alberto Callaspo for assignment.

CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman had a note on Sweeney’s possible value for Philadelphia:

sweeney, who goes to phillies, is fine offensive player w/position issue (2B/CF). scout: “he will play in the big leagues”

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) August 20, 2015

The Phillies are 47-73 in 2015, continuing the downward trend of the franchise over the last several years. 

General manager Ruben Amaro has already taken steps to add long-term assets for Philadelphia, dealing Cole Hamels to the Texas Rangers and Jonathan Papelbon to the Washington Nationals leading up to the July 31 trade deadline. 

Last summer, when there was a chance that Philadelphia could go into sell mode, the then-35-year-old Utley told Zolecki that his ability to veto any trade made it difficult to see a deal going through if the team decided to start blowing its roster up. 

“Well, you’re creating situations that aren’t necessarily going to happen,” Utley said. “I guess we’d have to see at that point, but I don’t plan on going anywhere. … Last year, re-signing here was something I really wanted to do. Great organization. Nothing has changed since then. I mean, honestly, I haven’t thought about it.”

Utley’s no-trade clause became a focal point again after he cleared waivers, making him eligible to be dealt to any team before Aug. 31, as ESPN’s Buster Olney noted:

Playing-time assurances for Utley at this point in his career would seem hard to come by, as he’s no longer the star who was a top-10 MVP candidate three times from 2006-09. 

Things have fallen apart for Utley and the Phillies in 2015. The 36-year-old is hitting a paltry .217/.284/.333 in 73 games. His fall has been stunning considering that he posted a .270/.339/.407 slash line in 2014 and was worth 4.5 FanGraphs wins above replacement. 

Amaro ran into trouble earlier this season when he said that Cesar Hernandez was the Phillies’ best second baseman, per CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury. That seemed to be the latest signal Utley was on his way out of town, though the only question was if anyone would take his contract. 

Utley’s deal is structured with three separate vesting options for 2016-18 that kick in if he reaches 500 plate appearances the previous season. It will take a lot of playing time down the stretch for him to reach that mark in 2015, so he could turn into a rental. 

The Phillies finished last in the National League East in 2014 and own a roster of aging, expensive players that prevents them from committing to a rebuild that has been on the horizon for years. They are going to finish last again this season, though with more young assets to build around.

For the Dodgers, Utley will serve as a veteran presence whom they can’t expect to do much given how bad he’s been this season. However, with starting second baseman Howie Kendrick on the shelf for a few more weeks, the Dodgers will hope that Utley can provide some sort of spark on both sides of the ball.

A change of scenery and leaving a volatile situation may rejuvenate him, as he’s just one year removed from being a very effective second baseman.    

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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The New York Mets‘ pitching staff will be missing a piece for a short period of time as Bartolo Colon will take a leave of absence from the team. 

According to ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin, Colon will be away from the team at least one day, as Aug. 18 marks the one-year anniversary of his mother’s death following a battle with breast cancer. 

It’s not expected to be a long absence, as Rubin noted Colon could return as soon as Wednesday and that the right-hander wasn’t scheduled to pitch during the Mets’ two-game series with the Baltimore Orioles starting on Tuesday. 

Colon has been a steady veteran presence in New York’s rotation since joining the team in 2014. He broke the 200-inning barrier last season and could come close to reaching that mark again, currently sitting 141.1 with less than two months remaining in the regular season. 

The Mets rotation runs deep with Colon, Jon Niese, Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard currently occupying the top five spots.   

Even if Colon were to miss a scheduled start, as he last pitched on Aug. 14 and would be in line to start on Friday at Colorado, the Mets were off on Monday and are off on Thursday. That could allow manager Terry Collins to use Niese or Harvey on regular rest this weekend before the 42-year-old returns. 

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The Miami Marlins‘ disappointing season has gotten worse, as star outfielder Christian Yelich has landed on the disabled list with a knee injury. 

Continue for updates. 

Yelich Out with Knee Contusion

Saturday, August 15

Per the Marlins’ official Twitter, Marcell Ozuna has been called up to take Yelich’s spot after he was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to August 10. 

Even though Yelich’s power hasn’t shown up this year—he’s slugging .376 in 2015—his .343 on-base percentage trails only Dee Gordon and Giancarlo Stanton, who is also on the disabled list, among the team’s regular starters. 

With the Marlins entering play today with a 46-69 record, they are smart to play things safe with Yelich to ensure he’s 100 percent before playing again. The 23-year-old is a big part of the future for the franchise and will be instrumental in the team getting back into contention as soon as 2016. 

Stats via Baseball-Reference.com

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Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell announced Friday that he has been diagnosed with lymphoma. 

WEEI tweeted out the news directly from Farrell:

WHDH-TV in Boston passed along the manager’s full statement:

Per Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald, Farrell will begin chemotherapy Tuesday at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and bench coach Torey Lovullo will manage the team for the remainder of this season.

Farrell described the lymphoma as “localized and highly curable,” per NESN. 

“We’re going to give him the support, like he gives to us, always,” said David Ortiz, per the team. 

Ortiz added more on Farrell and how he heard the news, per John Tomase of WEEI:

Pretty much all of us were in shock. When they mention the word cancer, it’s something that doesn’t matter what it comes from, it’s going to impact you. We’re going to give John the support that we can give him so he can get through this and be back next year, back to normal.

Hopefully everything goes well for him. We’ve got a big family around here and definitely when it comes down to health issues, you want to make sure that everything goes OK. The organization has taken a lot of responsibility on that, to make sure that John gets through it, the way it’s supposed to be.

Another of Farrell’s players, Dustin Pedroia, added, per the team: “Your heart just stops. Obviously, anybody in that room would do anything for John. We know he’s going to get through this, and we’ll all get through it together, and do anything to help him out.”  

Farrell added about his club, “When they show that support, it’s meaningful.”

Earlier in the week, Farrell missed Tuesday’s game against Miami after undergoing hernia surgery. The manager said the lymphoma was first detected during that surgery, according the NESN report.

Farrell started his coaching career as Boston’s pitching coach in 2007, winning a World Series with the club in his first season, before taking over as manager of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011. 

After he spent two years in Toronto, the Boston brass brought Farrell back to the Red Sox as manager prior to the 2013 campaign. He helped lead the franchise to a surprise World Series title in 2013, winning 97 games in the regular season after 69 victories in 2012.  

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