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NEW YORK — José Iglesias had appeared in 1,096 major league games for six organizations across 11 seasons before Friday. The slick-fielding shortstop is fully pensioned, having accrued 10 seasons of service time. He’s a bona fide veteran. But he felt like he was about to make his big league debut all over again standing in the New York Mets‘ clubhouse Friday afternoon hours before playing in his first major league game in nearly two years.

“I feel like a rookie right now,” Iglesias said.

Iglesias was called up from Triple-A Syracuse to join the Mets on Friday as their whirlwind week continued with a flurry of roster moves. The club, in the midst of playing 26 games in 27 days, executed six player transactions. In came Iglesias, reliever Dedniel Núñez and catcher Luis Torrens. Out went third baseman Brett Baty, starter Christian Scott and catcher Omar Narvaez.

The moves come at the end of a frenzied week for the Mets, who have lost eight of 10 games and designated Jorge López for assignment after the reliever threw his glove into the stands Wednesday and showed no remorse for his actions.

The Mets replaced Baty with Iglesias for middle infield depth, Scott with Núñez for another bullpen arm and Narváez with Torrens for better production at catcher. The club envisions Baty and Scott, two young promising players optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, as parts of their future. Going with Torrens over Narváez, however, was a performance-based decision.

Narváez, 32, slashed .154/.191/.185 in 28 games. The metrics indicated Narváez, who is making $8 million in the final year of his contract, was also one of the worst defensive catchers in the majors two months into the season. New York, as a result, sought a different option to split with Tomas Nido so they acquired Torrens from the New York Yankees for cash.

“There’s always competition,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said .”And, look, we thought that there was an opportunity here to get a player here in Luis Torrens that was going to make our roster a little bit better, or better. And we made the move. But nothing to say about Narvy too because he worked really, really hard. And he was a big part of our team.”

Iglesias is a Met because the team has needed a backup middle infielder since designating Joey Wendle for assignment earlier this month. The left-handed-hitting Baty, a former top prospect, isn’t in New York, for now, because the club chose the right-handed-hitting Mark Vientos over him to play third base.

Baty, 24, batted .225 with four home runs and a .628 OPS in 49 games this season.

“Where we were on the schedule, playing a doubleheader the other day and also facing four lefties in the next six games, there wasn’t going to be much playing time for Brett,” Mendoza said. “Not an easy decision, but it’s time for him to go down there and continue to get some playing time, continue to get reps, continue to develop. And then he’ll be back here. We told him that.”

Scott has been one of the few positives for the Mets this season. The 25-year-old right-hander made his big league debut May 4 and posted a 3.90 ERA in five starts. He held the Arizona Diamondbacks to two runs over five innings Thursday.

Mendoza explained that Scott was sent down to have another reliever on the roster instead of a six-man rotation with three off days sandwiched around the team’s upcoming two-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies in London. Scott is expected to rejoin the Mets soon thereafter.

“He’s a big league pitcher,” Mendoza said.

Núñez, 27, returned to New York for his fourth stint this season. He’s given up three runs over 8⅓ innings across five outings with the Mets, making his major-league debut with the team in April. He owns a 1.38 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 13 innings for Triple-A Syracuse this season.

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Rangers’ Gray fractures wrist on comebacker

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Rangers' Gray fractures wrist on comebacker

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.

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Ohtani hits long home run in return to Japan

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Ohtani hits long home run in return to Japan

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.

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Dodgers’ Betts to miss Japan games with illness

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Dodgers' Betts to miss Japan games with illness

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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