Connect with us

Published

on

The Cleveland Guardians hired Stephen Vogt as their new manager Monday, tabbing the former All-Star catcher with no managerial experience but who has widespread respect through the game for his knowledge and leadership skills.

Vogt agreed to a three-year deal, sources told ESPN.

The Guardians will introduce Vogt during a news conference Friday at Progressive Field.

Vogt, 39, replaces Terry Francona, the future Hall of Fame manager who retired after 11 seasons with Cleveland. Vogt inherits a team in transition after a 76-86 season but just one year removed from winning the American League Central.

For the past year, Vogt served as bullpen and quality control coach for the Seattle Mariners. He retired as a player following the 2022 season after a 10-year major league career that included two All-Star appearances.

Almost immediately upon his retirement from playing, Vogt was seen as a future manager. Teams often target former catchers as managerial prospects — Vogt is the 14th former catcher among big league managers — and his experience as a clubhouse force players rallied around prompted Cleveland to look beyond his lack of experience running a team.

“Stephen earned a reputation as one of the best teammates in the game across his 16-year career as a player, and we’ve greatly enjoyed the opportunity to get to know him over the past several weeks,” Chris Antonetti, the Guardians’ president of baseball operations, said in a statement.

“Stephen has thought critically about the type of leader and manager he wants to be. His deep care for others, his ability to build meaningful relationships with those around him, and his open-mindedness and curiosity make him an ideal fit to lead our club moving forward. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Stephen.”

The Guardians return one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with the emergence of three rookie starters — Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Logan Allen — to complement Triston McKenzie and Shane Bieber, the latter of whom could be traded this winter. Cleveland’s offense remains something of a black hole, though Josh Naylor’s emergence alongside star third baseman Jose Ramirez, and the potential signing of a free agent outfielder could help in a wide-open AL Central.

Cleveland’s managerial search spanned a wide variety of candidates, including Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell, New York Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza, Los Angeles Dodgers first-base coach Clayton McCullough, Chicago Cubs bench coach Andy Green and San Francisco Giants bullpen coach Craig Albernaz.

Continue Reading

Sports

Follow live: Jets, Stars battle in Game 3 as series shifts to Dallas

Published

on

By

null

Continue Reading

Sports

Jung hits HR for mom while facing brother Jace

Published

on

By

Jung hits HR for mom while facing brother Jace

DETROIT — Josh Jung delivered a special Mother’s Day gift to his mom, Mary.

The Texas Rangers third baseman hit a two-out, two-run homer in the fifth inning off Beau Brieske at Detroit on Sunday. Jung’s brother, Jace, was in the Tigers’ lineup at the same position.

Before the game, Mary Jung delivered the game ball to the mound and her sons joined her on the field.

“My heart is just exploding,” Mary Jung said in an interview on the Rangers’ telecast. “I mean, I couldn’t ask for a better Mother’s Day gift. We’re all in the same place, to begin with. But then to watch them live their dream, do what they love to do, I couldn’t be more proud.”

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first home run by a player facing his brother’s team on Mother’s Day since at least 1969.

The Jungs’ parents, Mary and Jeff, have been in attendance throughout the three-game series. The brothers also started Saturday when Texas recorded a 10-3 victory.

Continue Reading

Sports

Yankees’ Stroman has setback in rehab of knee

Published

on

By

Yankees' Stroman has setback in rehab of knee

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — New York Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman had a setback as he tries to return from a left knee injury that has sidelined him for the past month.

Manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Stroman still had “discomfort” in the knee after throwing a live batting practice session in Tampa, Florida, on Friday and will be reevaluated before the team figures out the next step in his rehabilitation process.

“He’s gotten a lot of treatments on it and stuff,” Boone said. “It just can’t kind of get over that final hump to really allow him to get to that next level on the mound. We’ll try and continue to get our arms around it and try and make sure we get that out of there.”

Stroman hasn’t pitched since allowing five runs in two-thirds of an inning against the San Francisco Giants on April 11. He was placed on the 15-day injured list the next day with what Boone hoped at the time would be a short-term absence.

But there is no timeline for the right-hander’s return, and Boone said the injury likely impacted the way Stroman pitched before going on the IL. He was 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA in three starts.

“Certainly that last start, I think he just couldn’t really step on that front side like he needed to,” Boone said. “I talk about how these guys are like race cars, and one little thing off and it can affect just that last level of command or that last level of extra stuff that you need. So we’ll continue to try to get him where we need to.”

Stroman had surgery March 19, 2015, to repair a torn ACL in his left knee. He returned to a major league mound that Sept. 12.

Stroman, 34, is in the second season of a two-year contract guaranteeing $37 million. His deal includes a $16 million conditional player option for 2026 that could be exercised if he pitches in at least 140 innings this year.

Last season, Stroman was 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA in 30 games (29 starts) when he threw 154⅔ innings, his most since 2021 with the Mets. Stroman struggled in the second half and did not pitch in the postseason, when the Yankees made their first World Series appearance since 2009.

In other injury news, DJ LeMahieu played for the second straight day on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday and could join the team in Seattle this week to make his season debut. LeMahieu had a cortisone injection last week in his right hip, dealing with an injury stemming from last year.

Continue Reading

Trending