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Texas Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels will miss at least one start due to groin soreness. An exact return date has yet to be announced. 

Continue for updates. 

Daniels Comments on Hamels’ Injury

Sunday, April 24

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels commented on the decision to skip Hamels in the rotation during an appearance on MLB Network Radio:

Hamels Out vs. Yankees 

Sunday, April 24

“The Rangers have scratched [Hamels] from Monday’s start [against the New York Yankees] with a mild strain of his left groin muscle. It is not considered serious and there are no plans to put him on the disabled list,” revealed T.R. Sullivan of Rangers.com. “Hamels missed one start last season in August because of a similar problem.”

Hamels Is the Key to Rangers’ Pitching Success

The 2008 World Series MVP and most experienced postseason arm on the Rangers roster is now shelved, forcing Texas to search for a new ace. Hamels is currently 3-0 with 23 strikeouts, a 2.52 ERA and 1.24 WHIP on the 2016 campaign.

The pitcher was traded to the Rangers from the Philadelphia Phillies at the 2015 trade deadline in order to help the Rangers win the American League West. He overcame a tough start in which he went 0-1 with a 5.93 ERA by winning his next seven decisions to close out the regular season.

Hamels’ last start was arguably the most important of the regular season, pitching a complete game that clinched the American League West for the Rangers.

The MLB shared footage of the final out:

This is a Rangers staff that has been dealing with injuries for more than a year now. The team’s ace Yu Darvish hasn’t appeared in a game since the 2014 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2015. 

They also saw Yovani Gallardo head to the Baltimore Orioles in free agency this offseason.

Now with Hamels out and Darvish still on the shelf, the Rangers will have to turn to the likes of Derek Holland and Chi Chi Gonzalez to step up and be top-of-the-rotation-caliber starters. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com

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In an interview published Monday, Rafael Palmeiro—after more than a decade of silence and ambiguity—spoke with FoxSports.com’s Flinder Boyd about his career and fall from grace.

It’s been nearly 11 years since Palmeiro last played in the major leagues. He defiantly denied his use of steroids on Capitol Hill in March 2005, but in August of that year, it was revealed he had tested positive for stanozolol.

He remained adamant that his failed test was due to a “tainted B-12 vitamin vial injected by his wife and given to him by teammate Miguel Tejada,” per Boyd.

Because of Palmeiro’s actions, then-MLB Commissioner Bud Selig suspended him for 10 games.

“I called Selig and begged for my life,” Palmeiro told Boyd. “He s–t on me. ‘You know, man, I can’t do anything for you. After your suspension—I’ll be here for you, anything you need,’ he told me.”

Before his name became synonymous with steroids, Palmeiro was on track to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. In 20 big league seasons with the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles, he hit 569 home runs and recorded 3,020 hits.

But perhaps the biggest moment of his career—his 3,000th hit in July 2005—was tainted.

“When I got to second, I didn’t feel like a person who just got 3,000 hits,” Palmeiro told Boyd. “I felt like, OK, now I have to prepare for the destruction.”

The suspension came two-and-a-half weeks later, and Palmeiro played only seven more games. He missed a few because of injury, then retired.

“I crawled the rest of the way,” Palmeiro told Boyd. “I was barely functional.

“That’s how it ended—no announcement, no celebration. That was my retirement. I got sent home.”

After losing the fans’ trust, Palmeiro was done with the game:

I was done with baseball. I hated it.

[…]

You know what was hard? Going back to Baltimore and being booed and having signs at the ballpark—liar, steroid monster. I could see that happening on the road in Boston or Toronto. People are bad, throwing [stuff] at me. But I couldn’t see that from the fans that two weeks before were embracing me. I’ve never been back to Baltimore.

It doesn’t look like baseball will welcome back Palmeiro either, at least not in Cooperstown, New York. In his first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame in 2011, Palmeiro received just 11 percent of votes in what he called “a knife in the back.”

Now 51 years old, Palmeiro said he thinks he could still be productive: “If I had to play a full season, I could probably hit .270, with 25 home runs. It’s between the ears, man.”

But a player who was once the class of the major leagues and the epitome of a role model has become an outcast.

“This isn’t how I envisioned my life to be,” Palmeiro told Boyd.

Most baseball fans who watched Palmeiro during his stellar career probably didn’t envision it this way either.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Veteran pitcher Justin Masterson agreed to a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported. Adam Berry of MLB.com later confirmed the news.  

Masterson spent last season with the Boston Red Sox, posting a 4-2 record with a 5.61 ERA as both a starter and reliever.

In his previous seven years, Masterson was a full-time starter who struggled to be a productive arm in the lower parts of rotations.

His ERA was at least 4.50 or higher in seven of his eight years in the league, including a 2014 that saw him post a 5.88 mark.

Masterson did have a flash-in-the-pan All-Star season in 2013 with the Cleveland Indians in which he went 14-10 with a 3.45 ERA and three shutouts, which led the league. 

If he has a set spot in a rotation, Masterson is capable of eating some innings as a best-case scenario, which is valuable in fourth or fifth starters. The Pirates could be looking for some help there too, especially after the Detroit Tigers hammered starter Juan Nicasio on Tuesday. 

Nicasio threw 94 pitches to get through three innings, allowing four runs and five walks. Of the 19 batters he faced, 11 reached base. 

It’s just one start, though, so there’s always room for improvement. 

Given Masterson’s past in which he’s had problems keeping his ERA down, don’t expect Pittsburgh to rely too heavily on him if it does call him up to the big leagues, as the Pirates are in a National League Central that features dangerous offensive teams like the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey is dealing with a foot injury suffered last week. However, he’s ready to make his return to the field. 

Continue reading for updates.

Posey Active vs. Rockies

Thursday, April 14

The Giants announced Posey is starting and batting third on Thursday against Colorado. 

Posey Comments on Playing Status

Tuesday, April 12

Posey told reporters he thinks he can play Wednesday and hadn’t tested his foot running Tuesday.

When asked if he would have to be more limited in his running upon his return, Posey said, “I hope not. That’s a big part of my game,” per Andrew Baggarly of Bay Area News Group.

Posey Crucial to Giants’ Hopes

As the face of the Giants franchise during its semi-dynastic run of three World Series titles in five seasons, Posey is the signal-caller for San Francisco’s pitching staff and one of the most productive bats in the lineup.

In seasons during which he’s played at least 100 games, Posey has never hit below .294 or fewer than 15 home runs. It’s helped him garner three All-Star appearances, three Silver Sluggers and a batting title in 2012.

He’s solidified his spot as the No. 3 hitter in a Giants lineup that is lacking power. Posey was second on the team in home runs in 2015 with just 19, trailing shortstop Brandon Crawford’s 21.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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The Milwaukee Brewers sealed their second win of the season thanks to a change in the MLB rulebook concerning slides at second base.

With the Brewers up 6-4 in the top of the ninth with one out, the Astros had Colby Rasmus on first base with Jose Altuve at the plate. Altuve hit a grounder to second base that might have been too slow to double him up on. Scooter Gennett fielded it and quickly threw the ball to shortstop Jonathan Villar, who was covering second, to get the force out on Rasmus.

The throw beat Rasmus, who slid through the bag with a foot raised, but Villar made no attempt to throw the ball to first.

Due to the manner of Rasmus’ slide, though, Altuve was called out due to the league’s new automatic double-play rule.

The rule states, per MLB.com:

Under the new Rule 6.01(j), a runner will have to make a “bona fide slide,” which is defined as making contact with the ground before reaching the base, being able to and attempting to reach the base with a hand or foot, being able to and attempting to remain on the base at the completion of the slide (except at home plate) and not changing his path for the purpose of initiating contact with a fielder.

The umpiring crew, as well as the league after the play was reviewed, deemed Rasmus’ slide to be illegal, thus ending the game.

“My interpretation is that it’s a shame,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said, per Genaro C. Armas of the Associated Press. “The game ends on a play that the rule isn’t intended to protect.” Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle provided more from Hinch:

It was interpreted right, but the rule needs clarification because I think it’s wrong. Especially when you’re asking athletes to compete at the highest level as fast as they can in last-minute decisions. It is a joke we lost the game based on that when there wasn’t intent or contact. It was a baseball slide. …

These games count. If this happens in September everybody will freak out, too. But I’ll remember this one if it impacts us. He broke the rule. The rule was applied, and it’s a shame.

The decision also didn’t sit well with Hall of Fame pitcher and MLB Network analyst Pedro Martinez:

This is already the second instance this season where a game ended on an illegal slide rule. Jose Bautista’s slide during the top of the ninth inning of Wednesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays was deemed illegal:

The rule change stems from the famous Chase Utley incident during the 2015 National League Division Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets. Utley seriously injured Ruben Tejada after he lunged into the Mets shortstop well past the second base bag.

Rasmus defended his slide after the game, per Kaplan.

Since I got into this game we’ve been taught how to play and to me that was very mild of a slide, so it’s kind of hard. It’s so bang-bang. It’s quick and it happens fast. … There wasn’t anything malicious about that slide. I just picked my leg up and went on past the bag a little bit there. It’s crazy. They didn’t even attempt to make a throw, and they can end the game on that.

While neither Bautista’s nor Rasmus’ slide was as dangerous, the league deemed them questionable enough to enforce its new rule.

However, it looks like this change is meeting plenty of opposition in the pair of times that it has been used, especially because these slides didn’t look like they could have caused serious injury.

Instead, people like Blue Jays manager John Gibbons believe this kind of change will make players soft, via NESN:

It will be important for the league and its umpires to draw the line as to what can be considered a slide that invokes the automatic double-play rule. Simply calling both offensive players out because of a hard slide does too much to benefit the defense, as there could be no possible way a baserunner could disturb a double-play attempt.

Once a complete guideline is set, players will be able to understand the rule better and adjust their play to avoid the call, and this rule won’t cause as much of a problem.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Mets removed starting pitcher Jacob deGrom from Friday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies due to lat tightness, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. It’s unclear when he will return.

Continue for updates.

DeGrom Will Miss Next Start  

Sunday, April 10

Mets manager Terry Collins announced that deGrom will miss Wednesday’s start against the Miami Marlins, per DiComo, who also noted that Logan Verrett will start on Wednesday and that the Mets are not considering placing deGrom on the disabled list.

DeGrom Comments on Injury Status

Sunday, April 10

ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin noted that “deGrom says he feels considerably better. Just being cautious. No plans for MRI. Expects to miss only one start.”

DeGrom Becoming One of NL’s Strongest Pitchers

DeGrom followed up his National League Rookie of the Year campaign from 2014 with another solid year as a part of a fearsome Mets pitching rotation in 2015. 

The 27-year-old went 14-8 as the Mets’ No. 2 starter behind Matt Harvey and posted a 2.54 ERA with 205 strikeouts on his way to his first All-Star Game appearance. 

At the Midsummer Classic in Cincinnati, he stole the show:

He’s just one of five possible starters who can throw over 95 miles per hour in the Mets rotation alongside Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery. 

That pitching staff—minus Wheeler—was the foundation of a Mets team that came out of nowhere in 2015 to win the National League pennant before falling to the Kansas City Royals in the World Series. 

Friday’s start was deGrom’s 2016 debut. He tallied six strikeouts in six innings while surrendering one run and five hits.

With deGrom out, Syndergaard will take over the No. 2 role in the Mets’ deep rotation, while Rafael Montero, one of the Mets’ top pitching prospects, could make some spot starts.

In a reloaded National League East that expects to have the Mets battling the Washington Nationals for supremacy, a healthy pitching staff is needed if New York wants to make another trip to the postseason.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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First baseman James Loney agreed to sign a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres on Thursday, sources told MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. ESPN’s Buster Olney confirmed the news.

The Tampa Bay Rays released Loney on Sunday after he had spent three years with the team.

Loney hasn’t provided much power at first base, which traditionally supplies pop in MLB lineups. In the past four years, he’s hit double-digit home runs just once.

The Rays were not satisfied with Loney’s performance and created a logjam at the position in the offseason, bringing in Logan Morrison and Steve Pearce, two more first basemen. Those acquisitions made Loney expendable.

San Diego, on the other hand, is in need of some help at first base, as Wil Myers, a natural outfielder, has been the team’s starter. As Olney pointed out, Loney’s signing can eventually return Myers to the outfield, where he can back up Matt Kemp, Jon Jay or Melvin Upton Jr.

Through the first three games of the season, Myers has just two hits in 11 at-bats, but that doesn’t mean much given his entire team’s struggles. San Diego did not score a single run in its opening three games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who recorded 25 runs. 

Loney, who has a .285 career batting average, could inject some offense into San Diego’s anemic lineup if he does join the big league club.

A change of scenery to the West Coast could be beneficial. Loney spent seven-plus seasons with the Dodgers, hitting .284 with 71 home runs and 451 RBI during the most productive years of his career.

But his numbers over the last few years don’t suggest he’ll be able to kick San Diego’s struggling offense into gear.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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The Washington Nationals placed outfielder Ben Revere on the 15-day disabled list with a right oblique strain, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com.

Continue for updates.

Den Dekker to Take Revere’s Spot on MLB Roster

Wednesday, April 6

As a result of Revere’s trip to the DL, the Nationals called up Matt den Dekker from their Triple-A affiliate. Den Dekker hit five home runs, drove in 12 runs and batted .253 in 55 games for the team last year.

Washington’s outfield takes a hit here in losing Revere, who signed a one-year, $6.25 million deal this offseason as a free agent, via Spotrac.com.

Last season with the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays, Revere pieced together another solid campaign and showed that he is a threat at the top of any lineup. He recorded 181 hits with 31 stolen bases while batting .306 along with a career-high .342 on-base percentage.

With the Nationals, he was expected to be setting the table for the likes of Ryan Zimmerman and reigning National League MVP Bryce Harper in their quest to take the NL East back from the New York Mets.

But in losing the pace and contact ability of Revere, there will be fewer ducks on the pond for the big bats of Washington.

He’s proved that he can produce runs on the basepaths too, as the Blue Jays showed:

In his absence, look for the young Michael Taylor to jump at the chance for regular playing time in his second full season in the majors. Last season as a 24-year-old, Taylor hit 14 home runs with 63 RBI in 138 games.

While he does have good speed too, stealing 16 bases, he doesn’t have Revere’s speed. Pair that with a lower on-base percentage and he might not be the best option to lead off games like Revere could.

That honor might fall to third baseman Anthony Rendon.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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It can’t get much better for Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story. On Wednesday afternoon, the Rockies rookie hit a home run in his first at-bat against the Arizona Diamondbacks to give his team a 2-0 lead. 

The blast was his fourth home run of the season, as he’s homered in each of his first three games this year, including twice in his debut on Monday. According to ESPN Stats & Info, no rookie has accomplished such a feat since 1900.

The 23-year-old Story did hit 20 home runs in 130 combined games in Double-A and Triple-A ball last season, so the power numbers have been there. 

But no one thought he would be on pace to hit 216 home runs in his rookie season after just 27 innings of baseball. 

It’s been feast or famine with Story too. He’s had four hits in his first 11 career at-bats, and all of them have gone over the fence. 

Story got his career started on the right track with a pair of home runs on Opening Day, becoming the first rookie to hit two dingers in his major league debut since J.P. Arencibia with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2010:

He followed it up with this moonshot on Tuesday:

His sudden rise to fame is going to affect fantasy leagues, according to Yahoo Sports’ Brad Evans:

Story has displayed some big-time power to all parts of the field in his historic run. Doubters can’t use the thin air at Coors Field in Colorado as an excuse either, as these came at Chase Field, home of the Diamondbacks. 

It’s not a little park either. According to Ballparks.com, Chase Field has 374-foot power alleys, with its deepest parts at left- and right-center at 413 feet. Story already abused that portion of the park with his blast on Wednesday. 

Once the word is out on Story, pitchers around the league will know how to prepare for his power. But for now, the Rockies have the league’s home run leader in their lineup, and it’s not who anyone expected.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa had himself a solid day in his team’s 5-3 season-opening win over the New York Yankees on Tuesday with a home run and two RBI. But it was a slow-roller in the top of the eighth inning with the score tied at two that was the most impactful.

With Jose Altuve on second base after a walk and stolen base with one out, Correa‘s little roller was fielded by relief pitcher Dellin Betances, who had little space to throw to first because the Astro was running on the grass inside of the first-base line. 

Instead of trying to throw around Correa, Betances tried to throw it over him and skied it into foul territory in short-right field. Altuve scored, which gave Houston the lead and helped open up a three-run eighth inning—all the runs the Astros needed.   

Yankees manager Joe Girardi came out to dispute the call with the umpires, claiming that Correa should have been out for running out of the base line. As the manager’s arguments didn’t do much to change the umpire’s mind, Girardi and his team played the rest of the game under protest.

However, on Wednesday, Girardi said the team decided not to file a protest with the league, per Chad Jennings of LoHud.com.

Correa spoke with the media after the game about the play, via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com:

Correa conceded that if Betances hit him in the back instead of trying to throw it over, he might have been out. Girardi also presented that scenario after the game, via YES Network:

Crew chief Dana DeMuth told reporters after the game that Betances could of thrown the ball at his back and it would of been considered impeding. 

YES Network’s A.J. Herrmann provided some insight on the situation as he referred to the league’s rulebook:   

Had the umpire ruled out Correa, Altuve would have been forced to stay at third base, and the inning would have ended when Carlos Gomez struck out looking. The game would have remained 2-2, and the Yankees could have taken the lead and maybe won the game when Didi Gregorius homered in the bottom of the eighth. 

While the Yankees might feel like the umpire’s call ultimately stole the game from them, they luckily have 161 more chances to make up for the tough loss created by the guile of Houston’s young star. 

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