Latest news with #SilverSlugger
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Braves' Schwellenbach out with broken elbow. Profar returns from drug suspension and Verdugo cut
ATLANTA (AP) — Braves right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach broke his right elbow during a start last weekend and was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday as left fielder Jurickson Profar returned from an 80-game drug suspension and slumping outfielder Alex Verdugo was designated for assignment. Schwellenbach said he felt tightness while pitching for Atlanta against Philadelphia on Saturday, when he threw 90 pitches. He allowed one run and three hits over seven innings. He felt sore the following day and imaging Monday revealed a small fracture at the top of the elbow. Schwellenbach said he was told this was a freak accident and said he hopes to be back this season. A 25-year-old in his second big league season, Schwellenbach is 7-4 with a 3.09 ERA and leads the Braves in wins, WHIP (0.967) and innings (110 2/3). He has won six of his last seven decisions. Atlanta's rotation already was missing Chris Sale (broken rib), AJ Smith-Shawver (Tommy John surgery) and Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder surgery). "We're pushing young guys all the time, and may end up that we have to do it again," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. Schwellenbach was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to Sunday. Right-hander Daysbel Hernández, sidelined from the Braves since June 4 by right forearm inflammation, finished his rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett and was activated from the 15-day IL. Left-hander Austin Cox was recalled from the Stripers and right-hander Kevin Herget optioned to Gwinnett. Profar returned after an 80-game suspension announced March 31 following a positive test for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG) in violation of the league's joint drug prevention and treatment program. He missed 93 days, causing him to lose exactly half his $12 million salary. He is ineligible for the postseason. 'I'm responsible,' said Profar, who addressed his teammates Wednesday. 'There's there's no excuses. I'm responsible for what goes into my body.' The 32-year-old was an All-Star and won a Silver Slugger last season when he batted .280 and set career highs with 24 homers and 85 RBIs for San Diego. He signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Braves in the offseason. In his absence, Braves left fielders entered Wednesday last in the major leagues with two home runs and a .523 OPS. Verdugo agreed to a $1.5 million, one-year contract late in spring training. The 29-year-old made his big league season debut on April 18 and hit .239 with no homers and 12 RBIs in 56 games. ___
Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Braves' Schwellenbach out with broken elbow. Profar returns from drug suspension and Verdugo cut
Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Braves right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach broke his right elbow during a start last weekend and was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday as left fielder Jurickson Profar returned from an 80-game drug suspension and slumping outfielder Alex Verdugo was designated for assignment. Schwellenbach said he felt tightness while pitching for Atlanta against Philadelphia on Saturday, when he threw 90 pitches. He allowed one run and three hits over seven innings. He felt sore the following day and imaging Monday revealed a small fracture at the top of the elbow. Schwellenbach said he was told this was a freak accident and said he hopes to be back this season. A 25-year-old in his second big league season, Schwellenbach is 7-4 with a 3.09 ERA and leads the Braves in wins, WHIP (0.967) and innings (110 2/3). He has won six of his last seven decisions. Atlanta's rotation already was missing Chris Sale (broken rib), AJ Smith-Shawver (Tommy John surgery) and Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder surgery). "We're pushing young guys all the time, and may end up that we have to do it again," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. Schwellenbach was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to Sunday. Right-hander Daysbel Hernandez, sidelined from the Braves since June 4 by right forearm inflammation, finished his rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett and was activated from the 15-day IL. Left-hander Austin Cox was recalled from the Stripers and right-hander Kevin Herget optioned to Gwinnett. Profar returned after an 80-game suspension announced March 31 following a positive test for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG) in violation of the league's joint drug prevention and treatment program. He missed 93 days, causing him to lose exactly half his $12 million salary. He is ineligible for the postseason. 'I'm responsible,' said Profar, who addressed his teammates Wednesday. 'There's there's no excuses. I'm responsible for what goes into my body.' The 32-year-old was an All-Star and won a Silver Slugger last season when he batted .280 and set career highs with 24 homers and 85 RBIs for San Diego. He signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Braves in the offseason. In his absence, Braves left fielders entered Wednesday last in the major leagues with two home runs and a .523 OPS. Verdugo agreed to a $1.5 million, one-year contract late in spring training. The 29-year-old made his big league season debut on April 18 and hit .239 with no homers and 12 RBIs in 56 games. ___ AP MLB: recommended
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Braves' Schwellenbach out with broken elbow. Profar returns from drug suspension and Verdugo cut
ATLANTA (AP) — Braves right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach broke his right elbow during a start last weekend and was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday as left fielder Jurickson Profar returned from an 80-game drug suspension and slumping outfielder Alex Verdugo was designated for assignment. Schwellenbach said he felt tightness while pitching for Atlanta against Philadelphia on Saturday, when he threw 90 pitches. He allowed one run and three hits over seven innings. He felt sore the following day and imaging Monday revealed a small fracture at the top of the elbow. Schwellenbach said he was told this was a freak accident and said he hopes to be back this season. A 25-year-old in his second big league season, Schwellenbach is 7-4 with a 3.09 ERA and leads the Braves in wins, WHIP (0.967) and innings (110 2/3). He has won six of his last seven decisions. Atlanta's rotation already was missing Chris Sale (broken rib), AJ Smith-Shawver (Tommy John surgery) and Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder surgery). 'We're pushing young guys all the time, and may end up that we have to do it again,' Braves manager Brian Snitker said. Schwellenbach was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to Sunday. Right-hander Daysbel Hernández, sidelined from the Braves since June 4 by right forearm inflammation, finished his rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett and was activated from the 15-day IL. Left-hander Austin Cox was recalled from the Stripers and right-hander Kevin Herget optioned to Gwinnett. Profar returned after an 80-game suspension announced March 31 following a positive test for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG) in violation of the league's joint drug prevention and treatment program. He missed 93 days, causing him to lose exactly half his $12 million salary. He is ineligible for the postseason. 'I'm responsible,' said Profar, who addressed his teammates Wednesday. 'There's there's no excuses. I'm responsible for what goes into my body.' Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. The 32-year-old was an All-Star and won a Silver Slugger last season when he batted .280 and set career highs with 24 homers and 85 RBIs for San Diego. He signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Braves in the offseason. In his absence, Braves left fielders entered Wednesday last in the major leagues with two home runs and a .523 OPS. Verdugo agreed to a $1.5 million, one-year contract late in spring training. The 29-year-old made his big league season debut on April 18 and hit .239 with no homers and 12 RBIs in 56 games. ___ AP MLB:
Newsweek
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Yankees Castoff May Be Casualty of Braves' Banned $42 Million Star's Return
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Following a difficult season with the New York Yankees last year, outfielder Alex Verdugo — now most vividly remembered by Yankees fans for striking out to end the World Series — tested free agency for the first time. It didn't go well. Verdugo reportedly received no offers from any team until only a week before the start of the regular season. That's when he heard from the Atlanta Braves who — after the Yankees paid him $9.2 million, and the Red Sox $6.3 million the year before that — handed Verdugo a $1.5 million offer. ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 13: Alex Verdugo #8 of the Atlanta Braves in the dugout against the Colorado Rockies in the fourth inning at Truist Park on June 13, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 13: Alex Verdugo #8 of the Atlanta Braves in the dugout against the Colorado Rockies in the fourth inning at Truist Park on June 13, 2025 in Atlanta, was a minor league deal. Take it or leave it — and Verdugo took it. Though with more than five years of major league service he had the right to refuse, Verdugo chose to start the season at the Triple-A level, his first return to the minors since being named the Los Angeles Dodgers' No. 1 overall prospect in 2019. After 2019, Verdugo was included in the trade that brought former American League MVP Mookie Betts to Los Angeles, and the 2015 second-round Dodgers draft pick was a big leaguer ever since. Until this season. But Verdugo caught what for him became a lucky break, though for the Braves, not so much. Just four games into the season, the Braves' major offseason free agent signing, former San Diego Padres All-Star Jurickson Profar, was hit with an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use. More MLB: Ex-Yankee With 'Off-Field Issues' Expected Back in Majors After Braves Shocker Verdugo was called up and played his first Braves game on April 18. But his season soon went south, statistically. And now, with the Braves set to play their 85th game on Wednesday, Profar is eligible to make his comeback. The 32-year-old who won a Silver Slugger award last year has played the last two weeks on a minor league rehab assignment. The Curacao native is expected to resume his place in the Braves starting lineup against the Los Angeles Angels. The Braves signed Profar for $42 million over three years, so it seems unlikely that they would prefer to continue playing Verdugo, who, "unfortunately, doesn't fit into any meaningful role off the bench - not even as a veteran pinch hitter," according to Lindsay Crosby of the Braves Today newsletter. More MLB: Braves Urged to 'Pull Plug' on Yankees Castoff Alex Verdugo as Numbers Plummet "Today's the day — the Atlanta Braves need to cut ties with the former Dodgers, Red Sox, and Yankees outfielder," Crosby wrote on Wednesday. Per Statcast figures, Crosby notes, Verdugo has been the lowest-rated outfielder on the Braves "at -5 Fielding Run Value and -5 Outs Above Average," adding that Verdugo, defensively, "doesn't do anything well." He also serves no purpose even as a lefty pinch hitter off the bench, according to Crosby, who notes that in the role, Verdugo has "struck out twice as much as he's walked, 10 strikeouts to five walks. And this season — granted, in a small sample size — he's been a disaster when called upon late: 1-for-7 with two strikeouts." So will the return of Profar spell the end for Verdugo? Crosby says it should. "If Verdugo isn't offering defense, speed, or recent offensive production, what exactly is the value in keeping him around?" the Braves Today writer asks. As of early Wednesday afternoon, however, the Braves had not announced a corresponding roster move to allow the expected return of Profar. More MLB: Braves Gain Offseason Signing Back Wednesday Following PED Suspension
New York Post
a day ago
- Business
- New York Post
Bobby Bonilla Day hits its 15th year with Mets still on the hook for $1.19 million
By now, the Mets might as well declare July 1 an official holiday. It's Bobby Bonilla Day, and the 62-year-old will be receiving a fresh check of $1.19 million from the Mets as part of one of the most bizarre contracts in sports history. Advertisement The saga began in 1991, when Bonilla, a six-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger, signed a five-year, $29 million contract with the Mets, then the richest deal in team sports. Bonilla never lived up to that contract, and the Mets traded him to the Orioles in 1995, before he landed with the Marlins and eventually back at Shea Stadium in 1998. The Mets bought out Bonilla's deal in January 2000, with the team agreeing to defer the $5.9 million sum with 8 percent interest, spread across the span of 2011-35. Bobby Bonilla and Mets owner Steve Cohen at the MLB London Series in June 2024. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Advertisement Bonilla also receives $500,000 annually from the Orioles, with payments to continue through 2028. Mets ownership, led by then-owner Fred Wilpon, was in the midst of getting scammed by Bernie Madoff when the team struck its deal with Bonilla. Wilpon and the Mets believed they'd be getting huge returns on their investment with Madoff, which would enable them to pay off the buyout. Advertisement That did not work out, and the Mets instead found themself in the embarrassing predicament of owing Bonilla the huge annual payday. Bobby Bonilla with the Mets during a game in April 1999. New York Post The situation has become a source of camaraderie for fans in recent years — especially now that billionaire Steve Cohen is in charge of the team. When he first bought the team in November 2020, Cohen joked on X about handing Bonilla an oversized check and driving a car around Citi Field each July 1. Advertisement In 2021, the Mets listed a promotion for fans to book an Airbnb stay at Citi Field that included use of the team gym and shower, and throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, under the header: 'Private room hosted by Bobby.' Bonilla, too, has embraced the wacky nature of the situation. Of course, that's easy for him to do with $1.19 million hitting his account every July. 'It's kind of become like my birthday so to speak, right? It's become that big,' Bonilla told The Post by phone in 2024. 'I don't think people know the exact date of my birthday, but they certainly know when this deferred comp comes in, so it's pretty cool in that respect.'
