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Minnesota Twins pitching coach Neil Allen has been suspended indefinitely by the team after he was arrested early Thursday morning for driving while intoxicated.    

“The Minnesota Twins are aware of the pending DWI charge against pitching coach Neil Allen,” the team said in a statement, per Fox 9’s Hobie Artigue. “Mr. Allen has been suspended, with pay, indefinitely, and the matter will be handled in accordance with the policies and procedures of the Minnesota Twins Baseball Club.”

According to the statement, Allen will temporarily be replaced by Eric Rasmussen, who has spent the last eight seasons as the organization’s minor league pitching coordinator.

An 11-year MLB veteran, the 58-year-old Allen was hired by the Twins in November 2014 after Paul Molitor took over as manager. Prior to joining Minnesota’s bench, Allen spent four years as the pitching coach for the Tampa Bay Rays‘ Triple-A affiliate. 

Following Wednesday’s 7-5 win over the Kansas City Royals, the Twins are 12-34 with a collective earned run average of 5.07. That mark ranks 29th in all of Major League Baseball and last among American League clubs. 

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Atlanta Braves outfielder Hector Olivera has been suspended without pay through Aug. 1 for violating Major League Baseball’s joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy.   

MLB announced the ruling Thursday and added that Olivera won’t appeal the 82-game ban—which is retroactive to April 30. 

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred released the following statement once the suspension was official, according to MLB.com’s Chad Thornburg: 

Having reviewed all of the available evidence, I have concluded that Mr. Olivera violated the Policy and should be subject to discipline in the form of an unpaid suspension that will expire on August 1st. Mr. Olivera has also agreed to make a significant charitable contribution to one or more charitable organizations focused on preventing and treating survivors of domestic violence.

Olivera was previously placed on administrative leave after he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman at the team’s hotel in Arlington, Virginia, according to USA Today‘s A.J. Perez. 

WJLA-TV’s Jeff Goldberg first broke the news of Olivera’s arrest on April 13, and he reported that the 31-year-old was arrested after the female victim called police “saying she had been assaulted.” Arlington police spokesperson Ashley Savage told Perez the victim “had visible bruising.” 

Olivera was subsequently charged with misdemeanor assault and battery, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution‘s David O’Brien.

Olivera joins Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes and New York Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman as those who have been disciplined under the domestic violence policy this season.

Reyes was recently suspended 52 games following an alleged domestic dispute with his wife in Hawaii. Chapman was banned 30 games after allegedly brandishing and firing a gun, choking his girlfriend and pushing her against a wall, per Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown and Jeff Passan.

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San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt suffered an ankle injury Wednesday against the San Diego Padres. It is unclear when he will be able to return to the lineup.

Continue for updates. 

Belt Out vs. Rockies 

Friday, May 27 

The Giants announced Belt was not in the lineup against the Colorado Rockies on Friday.

Injuries Nothing New to Belt

Belt has had trouble avoiding the injury bug each of the past two seasons, with a concussion, thumb ailment and a minor meniscus tear all cropping up. However, he’s been a solid contributor when healthy. 

All told, Belt finished 2015 with a career-high 18 home runs, 68 RBI and a .280 batting average. Entering Wednesday’s clash with the Padres, Belt was batting .281 with four home runs and 22 RBI through 47 appearances. 

Giants manager Bruce Bochy has the luxury of shuffling pieces around and moving catcher Buster Posey up the line to first. Last season, Posey logged 323.2 innings at first base and posted a defensive wins above replacement total of plus-1.8 between the two positions, per Baseball-Reference.com. This year, Posey has accrued 29 innings worth of work at first. 

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Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier suffered two fractures in his left hand when he attempted to dive for a ball during his team’s game against the Detroit Tigers. 

Continue for updates. 

Kiermaier‘s Timetable for Recovery Yet to Be Determined

Saturday, May 21

According to the team’s official Twitter account, Kiermaier will return to St. Petersburg, Florida, for re-evaluation Sunday.

Kiermaier tweeted a thank you to Rays fans after the game:

The injury occurred in the fifth inning, when Kiermaier attempted to field a shallow fly ball in center field and began to writhe in pain after failing to make the first out of the inning. 

Kiermaier is hitting just .236 with five home runs and 16 RBI during a mundane season at the plate, but his defense has been invaluable to the Rays over the past few seasons.

After piecing together a solid 2014 campaign, Kiermaier broke out in 2015 and cemented his status as one of the league’s premier defensive outfielders. According to Baseball-Reference.com, he posted 5.0 defensive wins above replacement en route to snagging Gold Glove honors. He also secured a Platinum Glove in 2015.

Desmond Jennings replaced Kiermaier in center field Saturday, and he figures to be one potential long-term solution in the middle of the outfield while the 26-year-old is on the shelf. However, the Rays could also opt to call up Mike Mahtook in order to keep Jennings slotted as the team’s left fielder if the injury proves to be serious. 

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Cleveland Indians left fielder Michael Brantley is dealing with a shoulder issue that saw him land on the disabled list Saturday. It’s unclear when he’ll return to the field.

Continue for updates.

Brantley Placed on DL

Saturday, May 14

The Indians announced Brantley’s move to the DL was retroactive to May 10, and they promoted Michael Martinez to take his place on the active roster.

Brantley put together a stellar 2015 season, as he batted .310 with 84 RBI, 15 home runs and a league-leading 45 doubles. Operating in the heart of Cleveland’s order, Brantley posted the second-best offensive wins above replacement mark (3.7) of his career to date, per Baseball-Reference.com.

However, the 28-year-old’s stellar campaign came to a screeching halt when he suffered a shoulder injury in late September. According to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com), Brantley wound up suffering a small tear in his right labrum that required surgery.

As a result, his 2016 debut was delayed until April 25 as he progressed through a lengthy rehabilitation process.

But even though Brantley returned within the first few weeks of the season, he didn’t immediately resemble the player who stuffed stat sheets last season.

“I’m kind of kicking myself a little bit,” Indians manager Terry Francona said of Brantley’s return to the diamond, per Cleveland.com’s Zack Meisel. “I think we might have gone a little too far, too much, too fast. I didn’t want to do that, and I think we probably did.”

Through 11 games this season, Brantley is batting .231 with no home runs and seven RBI as he seeks to work back into a groove following extended time on the shelf.

So long as Brantley is dinged up, Rajai Davis should shift over to left field as Francona reshuffles his batting order and outfield alignment.

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Major League Baseball has suspended Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes without pay through May 31 after he was ordered to stand trial on domestic abuse charges, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.

Yahoo Sports’ Big League Stew provided the league’s official statement Friday, which confirmed the unpaid suspension is retroactive to Feb. 23:

Reyes also released a statement shortly after MLB‘s announcement, according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal:

Commissioner Rob Manfred previously placed Reyes on paid leave after the 32-year-old allegedly assaulted his wife in a Hawaii hotel room, according to Hawaii News Now’s Chelsea Davis, but he’ll officially lose $7.06 million in game checks now that terms of the cumulative 52-game suspension are official, per Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan.

“His wife told responding officers that Reyes grabbed her off the bed and shoved her,” Davis reported. “Sources say she also told police that he grabbed her throat and shoved her into the sliding glass balcony door.”

According to ESPN.com, Reyes posted $1,000 bail and was ordered to stay away from his wife for three days following the incident.

However, charges against the shortstop were dropped after his wife failed to cooperate with prosecutors, according to the Associated Press. Should she change her mind and decide to cooperate within the next two years, charges can be refiled.

In baseball terms, Reyes is becoming an afterthought for the Rockies.

Rookie Trevor Story has been a revelation, batting .266 with 11 home runs and 27 RBI. He’s also clubbed three triples and seven doubles during his rapid rise in the Rockies’ order, earning National League Rookie of the Month honors in April.

Beyond Story’s development into an offensive linchpin for the Rockies, Reyes is staring at a long road back from a polish perspective.

“He has been working out on his own in New York, away from the Rockies’ facilities in Colorado and Arizona, but even if he returned tomorrow, Reyes would still likely need weeks to ready himself for major league games,” the Denver Post‘s Nick Groke wrote. “He missed all of spring training and any live competition since last fall.”

And then there’s the matter of the Rockies’ monetary commitment to Reyes. The veteran shortstop is earning $22 million this season—part of which the team will recoup following the suspension, per Groke—and another $22 million next season before the team can decline his $22 million club option for 2018.

With Story established as the franchise’s future shortstop and Reyes a past-his-prime piece who figures to have a hard time garnering regular playing time, the Rockies could be in a bind when it comes to relieving themselves of a hefty financial burden.

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Los Angeles Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons suffered a torn ligament in his left thumb Sunday during his team’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. He will require surgery, and it’s uncertain when he will be able to return to action.

Continue for updates.

Simmons to Undergo Surgery

Monday, May 9

The Angels announced Simmons suffered “a full thickness tear of the ulnar collateral ligament” in his left thumb and will need to go under the knife.

The rehab for a surgery of this nature is “typically” six to eight weeks, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. 

Simmons’ Absence Will Impact Angels Defense

The Angels acquired Simmons in November as the Atlanta Braves entered rebuild mode, and the move was a major win for a club that needed an upgrade at shortstop.

One of the league’s premier defensive players, Simmons posted 5.4 defensive wins above replacement in 2013 before that number dipped slightly to 3.9 in 2014 and 3.5 last year.

And while he’s never been a power hitter, Simmons established himself as a solid contributor by batting .256 with a .304 on-base percentage, 31 home runs and 168 RBI over his first four seasons in the majors.

Thus far in his first season with the Angels, Simmons is batting .219 with one home run and eight RBI. He’s also tallied a dWAR rating of 1.0.

“You want to be productive, whatever it is,” Simmons said during spring training, according to the Los Angeles Times‘ Pedro Moura. “You want to move the guy over when you have to. You want to come up with a big hit.”

With Simmons on the shelf, utility man Cliff Pennington projects as his primary replacement at shortstop.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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The start of the New York Yankees‘ 2016 season has been a nightmare, and things got worse Friday when the team announced starting pitcher CC Sabathia was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a groin strain. It’s unclear when he’ll return to the field. 

Continue for updates. 

Sabathia Comments on Recovery Timeline

Saturday, May 7

Sabathia told reporters he should only need 15 days on the disabled list, adding he’s unsure whether a rehab start will be necessary.

Sabathia’s DL Stint Retroactive to May 5

Friday, May 6

The Star-Ledger‘s Ryan Hatch relayed the news. In a corresponding move, the Yankees reportedly called up relief pitcher Phil Coke, per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

Sabathia Crucial to Yankees’ Rotation 

Although the Yankees have sputtered to the tune of an American League East-worst record of 10-17 to start the season, Sabathia has been one of the team’s few bright spots. 

After spending time in an alcohol rehabilitation center during the offseason, per USA Today, following a lackluster 2015 campaign, Sabathia kicked off 2016 on the right foot with a win on his first start of the season, against the Detroit Tigers. 

While two losses and a no-decision followed that outing, Sabathia rebounded with a great game Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles. The 35-year-old struck out six batters and allowed just six hits over seven innings, as the Yankees shut out their divisional foe. The start seemed to provide the team with an emotional boost.

“It felt great, and it all starts with CC,” Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner said after the team snapped its six-game losing streak, according to the New York Post‘s George A. King III. “After the game it felt like we clinched a playoff spot.”

But now Sabathia’s on the shelf, the Yankees will need to lean on Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda and Nathan Eovaldi to shoulder the load. 

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Major League Baseball hasn’t expanded since the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays came aboard in 1998, but MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is open to the possibility of adding new franchises down the line. 

Speaking to Jason Benetti and Steve Stone of CSN Chicago on Thursday night (via Fox Sports’ Jon Morosi), Manfred explained that he would “love to see” MLB expand once the league’s new labor deal is finalized and stadium situations in Tampa Bay and Oakland are resolved.    

Manfred also had a couple of ideas regarding locales for prospective franchises. 

“My personal frontrunner would be either Montreal or Mexico City,” he said, per Morosi. “…Mexico City, in particular, would be new ground for us.”

While the possibility of playing in Mexico City is uncharted territory, as Manfred mentioned, a return to Montreal would be compelling. MLB hasn’t had a presence in Montreal since the Expos became the Washington Nationals—which ended a 35-year stint for the franchise north of the border—but the city has the infrastructure necessary to support a return. 

“To summarize: Montreal has well-documented passion for professional sports, including baseball,” Morosi wrote. “The city has drawn an average of more than 48,000 fans per game to Toronto Blue Jays exhibitions in 2014 and 2015; advance ticket sales are even more robust for this year’s series between Toronto and Boston.” 

Morosi also noted Montreal is the largest metropolitan area in the United States or Canada that doesn’t boast a MLB club. 

However, even if expansion is firmly on Manfred’s radar, it likely won’t materialize until the next decade.

Manfred previously said the timeline for expansion is “not immediate,” and Morosi pegged the possible time frame around “five or six years—at the very earliest.”

But even if the addition of new franchises is still merely aspirational at this point, chatter regarding expansion likely won’t die down so long as Manfred continues to try to grow the sport throughout North America. 

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Miami Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon has been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for performance-enhancing substances, Major League Baseball announced Friday morning. 

According to Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan, MLB confirmed Gordon tested positive for testosterone and clostebol.

Gordon, the National League‘s reigning batting champion, will begin serving his suspension immediately.

Yahoo Sports’ Big League Stew relayed MLB’s official statement on the suspension: 

According to Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown, the “announcement came tonight because he only just dropped his appeal and wanted to tell his teammates what happened.”

ESPN.com‘s Jayson Stark reported Gordon tested positive during spring training.

Gordon released a statement on Friday, via Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press:

Marlins president David P. Samson also released a statement:

Shortly after the news broke, Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander provided a pointed take regarding MLB’s PED policy (warning: NSFW language): 

Losing Gordon for 80 games is a crippling blow to a Marlins offense that was already struggling to produce runs with him in the lineup.

Through 21 games, the Marlins have pushed just 79 baserunners across home plate. That mark ranks 13th among all National League teams and ahead of only the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies.

Gordon was hardly producing up to his All-Star standards with a .266 batting average, six stolen bases and five RBI. But as a sensational 2015 season demonstrated, his consistency at the plate quickly became an invaluable piece of the puzzle in Miami. 

ESPN Stats & Info put Gordon’s recent production in perspective: 

The Marlins banked on Gordon holding down the fort atop their batting order when they signed him to a five-year, $50 million extension during the offseason, but now they’ll need to turn to a less established alternative. 

Derek Dietrich has appeared in two games at second base this season and projects as Gordon’s likely replacement. However, he owns a lowly .238 career batting average and a cumulative defensive WAR rating of minus-2.6, per Baseball-Reference.com. 

If there’s good news for the Marlins, it’s that Dietrich has started the 2016 season in relatively strong fashion. In 31 plate appearances, Dietrich is batting .321 with six RBI, one home run, three doubles and a triple. 

The Marlins could also plug Miguel Rojas in at second base if they’re inclined to go with a more polished defensive option, but he’s batting a meager .222 in 2016. 

Stats courtesy of MLB.com and Baseball-Reference.com. 

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