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SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners will head into the offseason with four key players needing downtime or surgery to heal injuries, including AL Rookie of the Year favorite Julio Rodriguez.

Jerry Dipoto, Seattle’s president of baseball operations, said Wednesday that Rodriguez broke his left pinkie during Game 3 of the AL Division Series against the Houston Astros. Dipoto said an exit exam this week revealed the injury to the 21-year-old All-Star, but he’s not expected to need surgery.

Also needing downtime to recover from injuries are catcher Cal Raleigh (thumb) and standout reliever Andres Munoz (foot), while outfielder Jesse Winker has already undergone one of two operations needed to repair injuries he dealt with during the season.

“There’s quite a few,” Dipoto said.

Rodriguez got hurt sliding headfirst into second base on a double in the eighth inning of what became an 18-inning marathon the Mariners lost 1-0 to Houston that ended their season. Rodriguez also dealt with back and wrist injuries during the season, with the lower back strain popping up late in the season and costing him time when the Mariners were pushing for a postseason spot.

“He just needs to have some downtime, get his body feeling good again,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “He went through a lot. He’s never played this much baseball, certainly at this level, the intensity and the emotional toll that it takes on you when you go through a season like that.”

Raleigh played the final month of the season with a torn ligament in his left thumb, a painful injury that never got worse but never improved. Raleigh is expected to see a hand specialist in the coming days to determine whether surgery will be needed.

Raleigh was a huge piece of Seattle’s run to the postseason, including the home run on Sept. 30 that clinched its first playoff berth since 2001 and another long ball in Game 1 of the wild-card series in Toronto.

“The physical and emotional toughness that he showed in the final six weeks of this season when he was playing a lot, and especially in September when he was playing through a pretty painful injury,” Dipoto said. “Especially when you catch baseballs that are flying at very high speeds with unpredictable movement. I can’t say enough about the job that Cal did and gutted his way through it and had huge moments for us.”

There was some question about the situation with Winker when he wasn’t around the team during its postseason run. That was cleared up a bit when Dipoto said Winker was in New York having surgery on his left knee and is expected to undergo another operation to repair an issue with his neck.

Winker struggled badly in his first season with the Mariners after being the centerpiece of a spring training trade that brought him and third baseman Eugenio Suarez to Seattle. Suarez exceeded expectations both at the plate and in the field, while Winker was a defensive liability and hit just .219, more than 80 points lower than he did in 2021 when he was an All-Star with the Cincinnati Reds.

The Mariners believe Winker can rebound, but he might end up fighting for a role next season.

“(He) has a really good track record hitting in this league,” Servais said. “He has other some things you need to improve on, yes. There’s no question about that and he’ll be the first admit it. So I think there’s a spot for him on this club going forward.”

Seattle doesn’t face many free-agent questions, but the biggest involves right fielder Mitch Haniger, who is coming off another season that was derailed by injuries. When he was healthy, Haniger looked great. But he missed more than four months with an ankle injury.

“I think everyone would like to see us find a way to find common ground with Mitch,” general manager Justin Hollander said. “But players work a long time to get to free agency. It’s really hard to get six years of service to get there, and I know Mitch, as much as he wants to be here, also wants to gauge what else is out there. So we’ll keep talking.”

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MLB: Iassogna crew chief, plate umpire for ASG

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MLB: Iassogna crew chief, plate umpire for ASG

NEW YORK — Dan Iassogna will be the umpire crew chief and work the plate during Tuesday night’s All-Star Game at Atlanta’s Truist Park.

His crew will include Marvin Hudson at first, Chris Segal at second, Jansen Visconti at third, Jeremie Rehak in left and Erich Bacchus in right, Major League Baseball said Thursday.

Iassogna, 56, will work his second All-Star Game. He was at third base for the 2011 game at Arizona.

He worked his first big league game in 1999, was hired to the major league staff in 2004 and appointed a crew chief ahead of the 2020 season. Iassogna umpired the World Series in 2012, ’17 and ’22 along with eight League Championship Series and seven Division Series.

Segal, Visconti, Rehak and Bacchus will work their first All-Star Games and Hudson his second after being in left field in 2004 at Houston.

Tony Randazzo will be the replay umpire in New York.

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A’s Rooker joins list of HR Derby participants

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A's Rooker joins list of HR Derby participants

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Athletics slugger Brent Rooker is adding his name to the list of Home Run Derby participants.

Rooker announced Thursday that he’s participating in the event, which takes place Monday in Atlanta. He will become the first Athletics player in the Home Run Derby since Matt Olson in 2021.

“Competing in the Home Run Derby has always been a dream of mine,” Rooker said in an Instagram post. “Can’t wait to make it happen next week in Atlanta! See ya there!”

Rooker, 30, entered Thursday with a .270 batting average, 19 homers and 50 RBIs, putting him on pace for a third straight season of at least 30 homers. He went deep 30 times in 2023 and had 39 homers in 2024.

His 58 homers since the start of the 2024 season rank him third among all American League players.

The only A’s to win the Derby were Mark McGwire in 1992 and Yoenis Céspedes in 2013 and 2014.

Other announced participants include Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr., Minnesota’s Byron Buxton, Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero, Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz, Seattle’s Cal Raleigh and Washington’s James Wood.

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Mets recall Acuna from Triple-A, DFA Jankowski

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Mets recall Acuna from Triple-A, DFA Jankowski

BALTIMORE — The New York Mets recalled 23-year-old utility man Luisangel Acuna from Triple-A Syracuse before Thursday’s split doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles.

The brother of Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr., Luisangel Acuña went 13-for-45 (.286) for Syracuse after the Mets optioned him in late June.

Capable of playing second base, shortstop or the outfield, Acuna had batted .241 in 65 games before going to the minors.

“He was a big part of this team the first couple of months,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters. “We got to a point where we felt like, ‘Hey, let’s get him some everyday playing time. ‘And now it’s time for him to be back up here, continuing to help us win baseball games.”

In a corresponding move, the Mets designated outfielder Travis Jankowski for assignment.

Acuna was on the bench for New York’s first game of the doubleheader.

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