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The Oakland Athletics announced Sunday they placed starting pitcher Sonny Gray on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right trapezius. It is uncertain when he will return to action.

Continue for updates.

Gray Comments on Injury, Recovery

Sunday, May 22

Gray told reporters he received a cortisone shot after Friday’s start against the New York Yankees. He said he believes the injury is “minor” and doesn’t expect to miss more than the minimum 15 days.

Gray also told reporters his trapezius started to bother him after a bullpen session in Tampa Bay last weekend.

Injury Adds to Disappointing 2016 Season for Gray

The Bay Area News Group’s John Hickey noted how unlucky Oakland has been with injuries this year:

Gray entered 2016 as the ace of the A’s staff. He won 14 games for the second season in a row last year and finished with a 2.73 ERA.

In doing so, the 26-year-old relied on his defense. He ranked 13th among qualified starters in ground-ball percentage (52.7), and opposing hitters averaged .255 on balls in play, the fifth-lowest mark in baseball. As a result, his FIP (3.45) and xFIP (3.69) told a somewhat different story than his ERA.

The BABIP gods can be fickle from one season to the next, so repeating his third-place finish in American League Cy Young Award voting could be difficult for Gray.

His performance this year is a testament to that fact. In nine starts, he is 3-5 with a 6.19 ERA and 5.09 FIP, which is the 12th-highest mark among qualified starters. He also leads the majors by a wide margin with nine wild pitches.

The Athletics need Gray to be excellent again if they are to have any chance of contending for the playoffs. In their rotation, Rich Hill continues to defy skeptics, but neither Sean Manaea nor Kendall Graveman inspires much confidence. Henderson Alvarez has also missed the start of the season while recovering from shoulder surgery.

That lack of depth is what makes Gray’s recovery all the more important. Oakland’s fortunes don’t hinge solely on the 2015 All-Star, but if he misses a large chunk of the year, it will all but seal a lost season.

Stats are courtesy of FanGraphs.

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Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward suffered an injury to his right torso and abdominal region against the San Francisco Giants on Friday when Denard Span hit a ball that looked destined for extra bases in right-center field. Heyward spread out to make a diving catch, landed hard on his shoulder and then made contact with the wall, staying down and rolling in pain while clutching his side. 

It is uncertain exactly when Heyward will be ready to return to the field.

Continue for updates.

Latest on Heyward’s Playing Status 

Saturday, May 21

Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com reported Heyward will miss three to five days with a contusion to the ribs area, but he won’t hit the disabled list.

Heyward Comments on Injury, to Undergo Additional Testing

Saturday, May 21

“Uncomfortable, in pain, but relieved nothing is broken,” Heyward said, per Rogers. “MRI [on Saturday] to see what else is going on in there.”

Rogers noted Heyward had an ice wrap around his waist and said he was in pain but hoping for the best.

“My lower rib bone and hip bone hit each other,” Heyward said. “Got pushed up against the wall, and that was it.”

Maddon Comments on Heyward‘s Catch

Saturday, May 21

“That might have been the game right there,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said, per Rogers. “As crazy as it might sound, if that falls, that’s probably an inside-the-park home run, and all of a sudden they have a different vibe about them.”

Heyward Important to Cubs’ Long-Term Success

The Cubs pulled off one of the biggest coups of the offseason when they signed Heyward away from their biggest rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. Chicago signed him to a team-record, eight-year, $184 million deal.

Adding the 26-year-old wasn’t the proverbial final piece of the puzzle, but to a certain extent, the move firmly cemented the Cubs’ transition from a relatively young, rebuilding team to one that aspires to end its historic World Series drought, which dates back to 1908.

Given his overall consistency since he entered MLB with the Atlanta Braves in 2010, signing Heyward, even for $180 million-plus, looked like a good deal for the Cubs. However, Heyward has struggled offensively at the start of this season. He’s hitting .225 with one home run, 14 runs batted in and a .282 slugging percentage.

Chicago is deep enough across the board that it could get lackluster production from its biggest investment and still be a title favorite. Losing Heyward altogether would be a different issue, though, especially with Kyle Schwarber out for the rest of the year.

When Heyward missed time earlier in the year with a wrist injury, Maddon turned to Jorge Soler to patrol left field, with Kris Bryant moving from third base to right field.

While Maddon may not move so many pieces around following Heyward‘s latest injury, Soler is the likeliest candidate to take over the vacant spot in the starting lineup.

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Boston Red Sox infielder Brock Holt will be out for at least one week because of a concussion. 

Continue for updates.

Holt Placed on 7-Day DL

Friday, May 20

Per the official Red Sox Twitter account, Holt was placed on the seven-day concussion disabled list retroactive to May 19 with a “mild concussion.”

Holt enjoyed a productive 2015. His performance at the plate dipped in the second half, but he finished with a .280/.349/.727 slash line and drove in 45 runs. One could argue the 27-year-old was the most versatile defender in the league. He occupied all but two positions in the lineup over the course of last year, per Baseball-Reference.com:

This season hasn’t been as kind to Holt, who is hitting .239/.310/.354 in 35 games. He has already surpassed his home run total from 2015 with three, but the rest of his offensive game is scuffling for the otherwise stellar Boston lineup that leads Major League Baseball in runs scored. 

Holt’s absence will give Chris Young additional opportunities to play. The 32-year-old has spent most of the season as a platoon player, hitting against left-handed pitching, and as a late-inning defensive replacement. 

The Red Sox haven’t skipped a beat offensively, even with Holt scuffling, but if they can get him going when he returns, this lineup will be even more lethal in a wide-open American League East. 

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The Atlanta Braves may have broken new ground for awkwardness with the way in which manager Fredi Gonzalez reportedly found out he was fired.   

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution‘s David O’Brien, Gonzalez became aware he was likely on the way out Monday after the team booked him on a flight back to Atlanta even though the Braves’ current road series against the Pittsburgh Pirates doesn’t end until Thursday:

The Braves had already made the decision to fire him and booked his commercial flight home Tuesday, but didn’t plan to tell him he’d been fired until Tuesday morning, after president of baseball operations John Hart flew to Pittsburgh to join general manager John Coppolella.

Later Monday night after getting the email, Gonzalez eventually had confirmed by Braves top officials what he already was certain about by then: He was fired.

ESPN.com’s Travis Haney was disappointed with the way the Braves handled Gonzalez’s dismissal:

The Wall Street Journal‘s Jared Diamond might have found the explanation for the situation:

Gonzalez doesn’t deserve all of the blame for Atlanta’s MLB-worst 9-28 start. The front office has traded away almost all of the team’s best players in an effort to build for the future.

Still, Gonzalez dug his own grave to a certain extent. Questions over his tactical nous go back to at least 2012, when FanGraphs’ Jason Roberts criticized his handling of the bullpen and starting lineup. Gonzalez also failed to get the best out of the Braves teams that were positioned to be title contenders from 2011 to 2013.

Atlanta isn’t in the wrong if it wants to hire a manager who is more of a long-term option to help develop the team in the coming years. Essentially letting Gonzalez know he was fired by moving his flight schedule around doesn’t reflect well on the powers that be in the Braves’ front office, though.

The team announced Tuesday that Brian Snitker, who was managing the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves, will replace Gonzalez on an interim basis.

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Following Brad Ausmus’ outburst in the Detroit Tigers’ 10-8 win over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night, MLB suspended the Detroit manager one game, per MLB.com’s Jason Beck.

Home plate umpire Doug Eddings ejected Ausmus before the top of the fifth inning following a called strikeout of Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos to end the fourth. After arguing with Eddings, Ausmus removed his sweatshirt and placed it on home plate. He also threw his hat as he left the field:

In a statement, Joe Garagiola Jr., MLB’s senior vice president of standards and on-field operations, said the league suspended Ausmus for “excessive arguing” and “inappropriate actions,” per Yahoo Sports’ Big League Stew. MLB also slapped the manager with an undisclosed fine.

The Detroit Free Press‘ Brian J. Manzullo thought the suspension was a bit excessive:

Ausmus’ reaction was likely a result of his frustration with both the umpiring crew and his team’s performance. After scoring eight runs in the bottom of the first inning, the Tigers surrendered seven runs over the next three innings. The Twins tied the game in the top of the seventh before Detroit scored one run in each of the seventh and eighth innings.

After the game, Ausmus offered his side of the story, per Beck and Chris Vannini of MLB.com:

There was a culmination of a lot of things. There were some defensive miscues. There were some unbelievably unfortunate dribblers. One hit the base at second. As far as the blowup, there comes a point when you get seven or eight guys coming back from home plate complaining about the strike zone, they can’t all be wrong.

Ausmus is also dealing with the weight of unfulfilled expectations. Entering Tuesday, the Tigers were fourth in the American League Central with a 17-21 record. Detroit is paying Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander a combined $56 million in 2016, per Spotrac, and signed big-name free agents Jordan Zimmermann and Justin Upton in the offseason. Anything short of a playoff appearance will be a disappointment for the Tigers.

On May 10, Ausmus acknowledged he’s “in the crosshairs” with his job security, per ESPN.com’s Katie Strang. Every game could have an impact on his future with the team, so it’s not hard to see why the 47-year-old reacted the way he did Monday.

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Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor will make $522,700 in 2016, according to Spotrac, but that didn’t stop one fan from creating a GoFundMe page to pay for any fine Odor receives for punching Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista in the face, per the Dallas Morning News.

Odor took exception to a hard slide by Bautista in the eighth inning of a 7-6 win over the Blue Jays on Sunday. The two players squared up, and Odor landed a right-handed hook. Both dugouts and bullpens emptied, and a melee ensued:

The league has yet to make a ruling regarding discipline for the players involved. Odor will almost certainly be suspended and fined, and he is preparing for the inevitability, per Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

USA Today‘s Gabe Lacques speculated MLB could ban the 22-year-old for up to 15 games:

The most macho among us might simply say that Odor cannot be blamed simply because he won the fight. Good point—if this were the MGM Grand and not Globe Life Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. No, Odor chose to escalate this battle, stepping to Bautista, shoving him and punching him.

Certainly, it appeared Bautista was squaring off to do…something, but Odor acted preemptively at every turn, playing the role of escalator, doing so with such quickness before teammates such as Adrian Beltre could step on the scene and save everyone from dozens of games lost to suspension.

Odor’s absence will leave a big hole in the Rangers lineup. According to FanGraphs, he’s tied for second on the team in WAR (1.2) among position players, and he’s batting an impressive .286 with seven home runs, 21 RBI and a .500 slugging percentage.

Even if Odor is suspended for fewer than 10-15 games, only three games separated the American League West champion Rangers from the third-place Los Angeles Angels in 2015, and the second-place Seattle Mariners were just one-half game behind Texas after Sunday’s contests.

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After having one of the worst seasons in his MLB career, Kyle Lohse will look to rebound with the Texas Rangers. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Lohse and Texas agreed to terms on a deal. 

Joel Sherman of the New York Post confirmed the report, and added the deal was worth $2 million, with another $1.5 million in performance bonuses. 

In a way, Lohse’s decline serves as a microcosm for the Milwaukee Brewers‘ fortunes in recent years.

When Milwaukee signed the 37-year-old right-hander for three years and $33 million, he was coming off a successful 2012 season in which he finished 16-3 and posted a 2.86 ERA. The Brewers had finished 83-79, missing out on the playoffs after reaching the National League Championship Series in 2011.

Lohse was supposed to be one of the anchors of Milwaukee’s starting rotation and help get the team back into the playoffs. Instead, his performance declined over the next three seasons, and the Brewers went from contending to all-out rebuilding.

There’s no way getting around how poorly Lohse pitched in 2015. Brewers manager Craig Counsell moved him to the bullpen in August after he posted a 6.31 ERA and 5.19 FIP to start the year.

Following a loss to the Cleveland Indians on July 22, Lohse perfectly summed up how his season was unfolding, per Genaro C. Armas of the Associated Press: “Ever see a guy try to pull something off the shelf, drops it, tries to put it back, knocks it over some more and the whole thing falls down? Yeah, about like that.”

Beyond the obvious concerns about his performance, Lohse’s drop in velocity, per BrooksBaseball.net, raises a major question about whether he still has any value as a major league pitcher:

Lohse is a sinker-ball pitcher, which is notable considering how successful opposing hitters were against the pitch, also courtesy of BrooksBaseball.net:

Even if Lohse deviates from his past tendencies and relies less on his sinker, hitters had a lot of success against what is historically his secondary weapon—a changeup—last year.

A number of former starting pitchers have transitioned well to a bullpen role in the past, so there’s the chance Lohse could have a career renaissance as a reliever.

If 2015 is any indicator, a transformation won’t be on the cards. Lohse had a 3.81 ERA in his 15 relief appearances, while his strikeout-to-walk rate fell from 2.87 as a starter to 1.69 out of the pen.

The Rangers seem a somewhat odd destination for Lohse since they aren’t in dire need of starting pitching. Their starters rank eighth in combined ERA (3.69). Granted, they also rank 21st in combined FIP (4.46). Texas has room for improvement, but nothing from Lohse’s performance last year leads one to believe he’s the guy to address the issue.

A.J. Griffin left his start on May 7 with shoulder stiffness, which opened up a spot in the rotation. Yet, Yu Darvish’s return to the active roster appears to be imminent. Assuming Darvish doesn’t suffer any setbacks in his rehab, he won’t be in the minors much longer.

Perhaps Rangers general manager Jon Daniels views Lohse as insurance in case any other starting pitcher goes down between now and the end of the year.

Stats are courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.

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The Oakland Athletics placed second baseman Jed Lowrie on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a bruised right shin, per MLB.com’s Jane Lee.

Continue for updates.  

Athletics Taking Cautious Approach with Lowrie

Wednesday, May 11

A’s manager Bob Melvin explained how Lowrie’s trip to the DL is more of a proactive move to ensure he comes back fully healthy, per Lee: “It’s a severe contusion, and we didn’t feel like he was even going to be able to do baseball activity for seven or eight days, so it made sense to put him on the DL and make sure that when we get him back this isn’t something he’s fighting through and trying to manage while he’s playing.”

The injury occurred during Oakland’s 14-7 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Monday when Lowrie fouled the ball off his right shin. He left after the top of the seventh inning, with Billy Butler taking his place in the lineup and Chris Coghlan moving from third base to second.

The 32-year-old is on pace for a relatively strong season compared to his output the last two years. He’s batting .302 with 17 RBI, though his .345 slugging percentage leaves a lot to be desired.

Injuries have been Lowrie’s biggest problem since hitting the big leagues. Only twice in nine years has he played in more than 100 games.

Coghlan will likely remain at second for the next couple of weeks. He’s only hitting .165 in 107 plate appearances, but the Athletics don’t have many other choices, especially after announcing they moved Eric Sogard to the 60-day DL on Wednesday.

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Agent Scott Boras may not be done directing his clients to stay with the Washington Nationals after securing a seven-year, $175 million extension for starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg on Tuesday, per MLB.com’s Bill Ladson.

“Bryce Harper is a scenario where this ownership certainly has the financial wherewithal to do what they want to do,” Boras said of the star outfielder, who is set to be a free agent in 2019, per USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale. “It’s really up to the Lerners what they want to do with [Harper].”

Re-signing Strasburg on its own is big for the Nationals since they secured their No. 2 starter behind Max Scherzer for the long term. What it signifies—a Nationals player eschewing free agency to sign a new deal—might be bigger.

Boras didn’t give any indication Harper would take a hometown discount to stay in the nation’s capital. As long as he stays healthy, he’s likely to get the richest contract in baseball history:

NBC Sports’ Joe Posnanski wrote that the reigning National League MVP could command $500 million. If the Miami Marlins can give Giancarlo Stanton $325 million over 13 years—albeit in a back-loaded deal—then $500 million for Harper isn’t inconceivable.

The Nationals will have to pay a king’s ransom in order to sign Harper beyond his arbitration years, whether he becomes a free agent or not. Avoiding a bidding war could save Washington some money, though, and the team would receive a significant boost should Boras and Harper be willing to negotiate an extension before the end of the 2018 season.

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The New York Yankees announced Monday they added closer Aroldis Chapman to the active roster after MLB reinstated him from the restricted list.

The team sent relief pitcher Johnny Barbato down to Triple-A in order to open up a spot for Chapman.   

The 28-year-old finished serving a 30-game suspension to start the 2016 season, which MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred handed down after Chapman was investigated for an alleged domestic violence incident last October. In January, prosecutors in Broward County, Florida, declined to pursue charges against Chapman, who said in a statement he wouldn’t appeal Manfred’s ruling, per ESPN.com:

The decision to accept a suspension, as opposed to appealing one, was made after careful consideration. I made this decision in an effort to minimize the distractions that an appeal would cause the Yankees, my new teammates and most importantly, my family. I have learned from this matter, and I look forward to being part of the Yankees’ quest for a 28th World Series title. Out of respect for my teammates and my family, I will have no further comment.

Despite the fact Andrew Miller has picked up six saves and failed to surrender an earned run in 12 appearances, Chapman will likely assume ninth-inning duties—if not immediately upon his reinstatement, then in a relatively short time.

Manager Joe Girardi announced on YES Network (h/t ESPN.com’s Andrew Marchand) in January that Chapman would be the Yankees’ closer, and he reiterated the stance Saturday.

“It’s something I’ve thought about,” Girardi said, per the New York Post‘s Dan Martin. “It could depend on what’s available on Monday. My plan is to use [Chapman] in the ninth inning.”

The manager added he wouldn’t hesitate to use Chapman in a tight situation in his first game back: “You don’t necessarily do that with any other pitcher in the sense that when it’s [the] first game of the year, you don’t. You want to get their feet wet. I think it would be different if he were a rookie. This is an experienced closer. I expect to pitch him in the ninth.”

Between Chapman, Miller and Dellin Betances, the Yankees should have the most potent bullpen trio in baseball:

Of course, a strong bullpen isn’t all that valuable when a team isn’t any good. Chapman, Miller and Betances can’t lift the Yankees out of last place all by themselves.

The Yankees rank 27th in team batting average (.232), 24th in on-base percentage (.302) and 29th in slugging percentage (.356). They’ve also scored the second-fewest runs in MLB.

Chapman’s return may have little impact on New York’s playoff chances if Girardi is unable to get more from his offense.

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