Mets’ Alonso injured vs. Dodgers, Díaz put on IL
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Jorge Castillo, ESPN Staff Writer
NEW YORK — The New York Mets, mired in a nightmare season spiraling out of control, were walloped with a one-two punch minutes apart Wednesday afternoon.
First, the club placed struggling closer Edwin Díaz on the injured list with a shoulder impingement moments before first pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Then came the second blow: All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso exiting the series finale in the first inning when he was hit on the right hand by a pitch.
Alonso took a 93 mph fastball from Dodgers left-hander James Paxton while checking his swing, instantly falling to his left knee upon impact. He walked down to first base but exited the field with a trainer moments later.
The Mets said they’d provide an update on Alonso after he undergoes tests.
A free agent this winter, Alonso, 29, has been the best hitter for an anemic Mets offense, with a team-leading 12 home runs and a .758 OPS. He is a prime candidate for the Mets to trade by the July 30 deadline should president of baseball operations David Stearns choose to sell, though a significant hand injury could complicate the endeavor.
The Mets entered Wednesday 22-32, having lost seven of their past eight games.
“Nothing’s changed with Pete’s situation,” Stearns said Tuesday. “Our goal is, on a daily basis, to help this team succeed as much as possible so we can win as many games as possible.”
Díaz has been one of a few core veterans underperforming for the Mets this season.
The two-time All-Star was charged with one earned run in his first 10 appearances this season before April 29, but it has been a disaster since then. In his last 10 games, Díaz has surrendered 11 runs on 14 hits in 10⅓ innings.
He blew his fourth save in three weeks Saturday against the San Francisco Giants, pitching on the second day of a back-to-back after Mets manager Carlos Mendoza chose not to have him pitch during a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians.
Afterwards, Díaz insisted he was encouraged by the performance and didn’t hint at a physical issue. But he didn’t pitch in the Mets’ doubleheader Tuesday. Instead, Adam Ottavino given the ninth inning for a save opportunity in the first game and squandered the Mets’ 2-1 lead.
Díaz, 30, signed a five-year, $102 million contract — the richest ever for a reliever — after a historic 2022 season. He then tore his right ACL celebrating a win for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic in March 2023, ending his 2023 season before it started.
The Texas Rangers‘ pitching staff took another hit Friday, when right-hander Jon Gray suffered a right wrist fracture.
Gray was struck by a line drive from Colorado Rockies first baseman Michael Toglia to lead off the fourth inning that knocked him out of the game.
“Not good news, not good news,” manager Bruce Bochy told reporters. “It’s terrible. I feel awful for him, to be this close to getting the season going. It’s just not good news. I’ll get back in there and find out more, but right now, there is a fracture.”
Gray’s injury is the third setback for the Rangers rotation this week. The team said Thursday that left-hander Cody Bradford would start the season on the injured list because of soreness in his throwing elbow. Tyler Mahle had been scratched from a start with forearm soreness, but the right-hander returned to pitch in a minor league game Thursday.
Gray went 5-6 with a 4.47 ERA in 23 appearances (19 starts) for the Rangers last season, when he was shut down in September for a foot injury that required surgery. He is in the final year of a four-year, $56 million deal.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
TOKYO — Japanese star Shohei Ohtani showed off some prodigious power in his return to the Tokyo Dome on Saturday night.
In an exhibition game against the Yomiuri Giants, the three-time Most Valuable Player belted a long two-run homer to right field in the third inning to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead, setting off a roar from the roughly 42,000 fans in attendance.
The Dodgers put on quite a power display in the third with Michael Conforto, Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández all going deep to give Los Angeles a 5-0 advantage.
The Dodgers are playing in Japan as part of the Tokyo Series. The team is playing two exhibition games against Japanese teams before starting the regular season with two games against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to have at least 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in one season in 2024. He played several seasons for the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan before coming to the U.S. in 2018 with the Los Angeles Angels.
TOKYO — Shortstop Mookie Betts will miss the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ two exhibition games in Japan because of an illness, manager Dave Roberts said Saturday.
Roberts said he’s still hopeful that the eight-time All-Star will be available for the team’s first regular season game against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday at the Tokyo Dome. The Dodgers are playing the Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers — two teams from Japan — in exhibition games on Saturday and Sunday.
Roberts said the 32-year-old Betts started to feel flu-like symptoms during the team’s final day in Arizona, but team doctors said he was OK to make the long trip to Japan.
“Mookie is here today, but he’s been really sick,” Roberts said. “Lost some weight, so we’re trying to get him hydrated. He’s going to work out a little today, but he won’t be playing either tonight or tomorrow.
“Then when we have our off day, our workout day, we’ll see how he is.”
Betts is making the full-time transition to shortstop this season after playing most of his career in right field and second base. The 2018 AL MVP hit .289 with 19 homers and 75 RBI last season, helping the Dodgers win the World Series.
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