Sports

Astros to option 1B Abreu to spring training facility

Published

1 year ago

May 1, 2024

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ESPN News Services

Apr 30, 2024, 05:30 PM ET

HOUSTON — The Houston Astros will option slumping first baseman Jose Abreu to their spring training facility to try to get the 2020 American League MVP back on track.

General manager Dana Brown made the announcement Tuesday, saying that they’d make the move Wednesday. The 37-year-old will report to the Astros complex in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Brown said the decision was made after a meeting that included himself, Abreu, coaches and front-office personnel.

Abreu, in the second season of a $58.5 million, three-year contract, is hitting .099 with just one extra-base hit and three RBIs. In 77 plate appearances across 22 games this season, Abreu has seven hits.

“You know what’s been the hardest thing for me? And I say this from the bottom of my heart — I feel embarrassed,” Abreu said in Spanish during last weekend’s series vs. the Colorado Rockies in Mexico. “The people in this organization brought me here to do a good job. I haven’t done that. The hard thing, too, is that my teammates see that I haven’t done my job, although they’ve always supported me, always been by my side. But I won’t stay down.”

Brown said Abreu was very receptive during their conversation and had a good attitude about the move.

“Jose Abreu is an outstanding human being,” Brown said. “He is unselfish and he’s a teammate’s guy and he wants to get himself back to what he was doing last fall. And so, in the midst of this conversation, you could see that this guy is passionate and determined to get back to helping his team.

“And so he unselfishly was on board with an agreement with going back to West Palm Beach and getting some extra bats, getting some detailed instruction on what we could do to get him back.”

The Astros selected the contract of Joey Loperfido from Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, and he will likely play some first base, but Brown indicated that he’d mostly be used in the outfield. The 24-year-old was set to make his major league debut Tuesday night against the Guardians in left field, leaving Jon Singleton to fill in for Abreu at first base. Singleton entered Tuesday hitting .238 with 10 hits and no RBIs.

Abreu was the 2014 AL Rookie of the Year and is a three-time All-Star and a three-time Silver Slugger award winner. He in his 11th big league season.

“He got to the point where he was frustrated,” Brown said. “It’s rare to do it. But I think it tells us about his dedication and commitment and I don’t think he sees this as a long term and I don’t think we see it as a long term thing. I think it’s more like … let’s go down, let’s make some adjustments. Let’s get the rhythm and timing back. And I think in his eyes, he’s looking at it as I’ll be back in a couple of weeks or whatever it takes to get better.”

Abreu hit .237 with 18 home runs and 90 RBIs last season in his first year in Houston after nine seasons with the White Sox. He had four homers and 13 RBIs in 11 postseason games.

“The bat speed is still pretty good,” Brown said. “So, we’ve got to get his timing right and we’ve got to get his rhythm right, so that he can consistently do it. And so I still feel very optimistic about it.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sports

Gonsolin among 14 Dodgers pitchers now on IL

Published

12 hours ago

June 8, 2025

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Gonsolin among 14 Dodgers pitchers now on IL

Associated Press

Jun 7, 2025, 04:16 PM ET

ST. LOUIS — Tony Gonsolin was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday by the Dodgers because of right elbow discomfort, joining fellow rotation members Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki and Blake Snell among 14 Los Angeles pitchers on the IL.

NL West-leading Los Angeles activated relievers Kirby Yates from the 15-day IL and Michael Kopech from the 60-day IL before Saturday’s game against St. Louis and designated right-hander Chris Stratton for assignment, one day after he rejoined the team.

Gonsolin, a 31-year-old right-hander, made his season debut on April 30 after recovering from Tommy John surgery on Aug. 18, 2023, and was 3-2 with a 5.00 ERA in seven starts. He last pitched Wednesday in a 6-1 loss to the New York Mets, allowing three runs — two earned — three hits and three walks in five innings.

Other Dodgers pitchers on the IL are right-handers Luis Garcia, Brusdar Graterol, Michael Grove, Edgardo Henriquez, Kyle Hurt, Evan Phillips, River Ryan, Emmet Sheehan, Gavin Stone and Blake Treinen.

Kopech, a 29-year-old right-hander, had been sidelined since spring training with right shoulder impingement and had a 15.63 ERA in nine rehab appearances with Triple-A Oklahoma City from May 8 through last Sunday.

Yates, a 38-year-old right-hander, had been sidelined since May 17 because of a strained right hamstring. He is 3-2 with a 4.34 ERA in 22 relief appearances, striking out 31 and walking six in 18⅔ innings.

Stratton, 34, signed with the Dodgers on May 25, three days after he was released by Kansas City. He was designated for assignment on June 2, refused an outright assignment to Oklahoma City, then re-signed with the Dodgers a day later. He has made a pair of appearances for Los Angeles, totaling three innings.

Sports

Phillies put Harper on IL with wrist inflammation

Published

12 hours ago

June 8, 2025

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Phillies put Harper on IL with wrist inflammation

Associated Press

Jun 7, 2025, 01:12 PM ET

PITTSBURGH — The scuffling Philadelphia Phillies suffered a blow Saturday when they placed first baseman Bryce Harper on the 10-day injured list because of right wrist inflammation before their game against the Pirates.

Harper sat out Friday night’s 5-4 loss to the Pirates, and the move is retroactive to Friday.

The two-time National League MVP and eight-time All-Star is hitting .258 with 9 home runs, 34 RBIs and 8 stolen bases in 57 games. He missed five games from May 26 to June 2 with a bruised right elbow after being hit by a pitch from Atlanta’s Spencer Strider.

The Phillies are expected to play third baseman Alec Bohm at first while Harper is out, with utility player Edmundo Sosa taking over at third.

The Phillies have lost seven of their last eight games, going from leading the NL East by two games to trailing the New York Mets by 2½ games entering Saturday. Philadelphia had won 11 of 12 games before the skid.

Infielder/outfielder Otto Kemp‘s contract was purchased from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The 25-year-old, who has yet to play in the majors, was hitting .317 with 14 homers, 55 RBIs and 11 steals in 57 games at Triple-A.

Kemp was the International League Player of the Month in April.

The Phillies also recalled right-hander Daniel Robert from Lehigh Valley and optioned righty Alan Rangel. Rangel, 27, made his major league debut Friday night, allowing two runs in three innings of relief.

This will be Robert’s third stint of the season with the Phillies. The 30-year-old has given up one run in two-thirds of an inning over two games.

Sports

Red Sox prospect Anthony hits longest HR of ’25

Published

12 hours ago

June 8, 2025

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Red Sox prospect Anthony hits longest HR of '25

ESPN News Services

Jun 8, 2025, 12:03 AM ET

Boston Red Sox fans keep hoping top prospect Roman Anthony gets promoted to the majors.

What he did for Triple-A Worcester on Saturday night was the latest evidence of why.

Anthony, ESPN’s No. 1-rated prospect, smashed a 497-foot grand slam for the WooSox in a 10-4 victory over Rochester during an International League game in Worcester, Massachusetts.

The 21-year-old put the WooSox ahead 9-4 in the eighth inning when he drove a 91.1 mph sinker from Carlos Romero deep over the right-center-field wall, a drive that left his bat at 115.6 mph.

According to Statcast, that was the longest home run in affiliated baseball this season.

“Got it and didn’t really miss it,” Anthony said, according to the Telegram & Gazette of Worcester. “So, it felt great.”

Added WooSox manager Chad Tracy: “That ball was murdered.”

In the majors in 2025, only one home run has traveled over 475 feet — a 484-footer hit by Mike Trout against the San Francisco Giants on April 19.

And since Statcast started tracking in the major leagues in 2015, only Nomar Mazara (505 feet in 2019), Giancarlo Stanton (504 feet in 2016), C.J. Cron (504 feet in 2022) and Christian Yelich (499 feet in 2022) have hit longer big league homers than Anthony’s on Saturday night.

A second-round pick in the 2022 amateur draft, Anthony is batting .290 with 10 homers and 29 RBIs in 57 games this season. He has two grand slams.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.