The Weekly Rundown: 6/9/24 - 6/15/24
Jose Abreu released, more betting in baseball, and much more.
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Now, let’s jump into this week’s rundown…
Adios, Abreu
The Astros released former AL MVP Jose Abreu in the middle of his second season with the club. Houston signed Abreu to a three-year, $58.5 million contract before the 2023 campaign and will eat the $30.8 million remaining on his deal.
Abreu, 37, slashed just .124/.167/.195 in 35 MLB games this season. The 2014 Rookie of the Year spent time in the minor leagues to work on his swing.
“Very tough day,” Astros GM Dana Brown said. “It was not an easy conversation. Jose Abreu has meant (a lot) to this organization, helping us get to another championship series last year. And with what he’s done in this game, it was not easy.”
Abreu is in the midst of his 11th MLB season. He was a three-time All-Star with the White Sox and earned the MVP award during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.
Last season, Abreu hit .237/.296/.383 with 18 homers and 90 RBI through 141 games with Houston. At this point, it’s fair to wonder whether his days as a feared slugger are far behind him.
Another Week, Another Betting Violation
We had the Ohtani/Ippei scandal, several players getting banned for betting last week, and now we have an umpire in the mix.
MLB has disciplined ump Pat Hoberg for violating the league’s gambling rules. It’s unclear how Hoberg is being disciplined, but he is appealing and denying that he bet on baseball. If he did bet on baseball, he would be given either a lifetime ban or a yearlong suspension depending on whether he was involved in the games he bet on.
"During this year's Spring Training, Major League Baseball commenced an investigation regarding a potential violation of MLB's sports betting policies by Umpire Pat Hoberg,” MLB’s statement read. “Mr. Hoberg was removed from the field during the pendency of that investigation. While MLB's investigation did not find any evidence that games worked by Mr. Hoberg were compromised or manipulated in any way, MLB determined that discipline was warranted. Mr. Hoberg has chosen to appeal that determination. Therefore, we cannot comment further until the appeal process is concluded."
Here is Hoberg’s statement:
"I am appealing Major League Baseball's determination that I should be disciplined for violating the sports betting policies. While that appeal is pending, it would not be appropriate to discuss the case. That said, I have devoted my adult life to the profession of umpiring, and the integrity of baseball is of the utmost importance to me. I look forward to the appeal process, and I am grateful that the Major League Baseball Umpires Association is supporting me in the appeal.''
Hoberg has been a full-time MLB umpire since 2017. He has not worked any regular-season games this year.
Dominant on the Bump
Miles Mikolas, St. Louis Cardinals
7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 1 BB vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates
6.1 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 0 BB vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Bryce Miller, Seattle Mariners
7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 2 BB vs. Chicago White Sox
Sonny Gray, St. Louis Cardinals
7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 9 K, 1 BB vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Garrett Crochet, Chicago White Sox
7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 13 K, 1 BB vs. Seattle Mariners
Alec Marsh, Kansas City Royals
7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 2 BB vs. New York Yankees
Taj Bradley, Tampa Bay Rays
7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 11 K, 2 BB vs. Chicago Cubs
Reynaldo Lopez, Atlanta Braves
6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 1 BB vs. Baltimore Orioles
Roddery Munoz, Miami Marlins
6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 5 K, 1 BB vs. New York Mets
Kyle Gibson, Baltimore Orioles
7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 1 BB vs. Chicago Cubs
Hunter Brown, Houston Astros
7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 9 K, 0 BB vs. Detroit Tigers
DJ Herz, Washington Nationals
6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 13 K, 0 BB vs. Miami Marlins
Big Bombs
Adley Rutschman belted a grand slam for the Orioles against the Rays.
Padres prospect Jackson Merrill hit two homers against the A’s, including a walk-off.
Cody Bellinger put the Cubs ahead of the Rays in the seventh with a three-run bomb.
J.D. Martinez hit his first career walk-off homer for the Mets vs. the Marlins.
Joc Pederson hit a grand slam for the Diamondbacks vs. the Angels.
Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe crushed a 467-foot moonshot vs. the Giants.
After being greeted with boos at Fenway Park, Alex Verdugo homered on the first pitch he saw against his former team.
Web Gem of the Week
Guardians outfielder Tyler Freeman made a beautiful grab to rob Reds slugger Spencer Steer.
Welcome to the Show
Braves top pitching prospect Hurston Waldrep allowed seven runs on four hits and four walks while striking out one across 3.2 innings in his MLB debut vs. the Nationals on Sunday.
Brewers pitching prospect Carlos Rodriguez made his big-league debut against the Blue Jays on Tuesday, allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out four in 3.2 innings.
Rockies top prospect Adael Amador, the No. 32 ranked prospect in MLB, made his debut Sunday against the Cardinals and recorded his first hit.
White Sox top pitching prospect Drew Thorpe allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out four in his MLB debut Tuesday vs. the Mariners.
Mariners first base prospect Tyler Locklear recorded an RBI double for his first hit in his big-league debut Sunday against the Royals.
Notable Injuries
The Mariners placed first baseman Ty France on the 10-day injured list with a fractured heel.
Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto was placed on the 10-day IL with right knee pain and underwent a right knee meniscectomy surgery. He is expected to miss about a month.
The Royals placed outfielder Hunter Renfroe on the 10-day IL with a bone bruise in his toe.
The Pirates placed catcher Henry Davis on the 7-day concussion IL.
The Braves placed Michael Harris II on the 10-day IL with left hamstring strain.
The Cubs placed left-hander Jordan Wicks on the 15-day IL with a right oblique strain.
The Angels placed right-hander Adam Cimber on the 15-day IL due to right shoulder inflammation.
The Orioles placed righty Kyle Bradish on the 15-day IL due to a right UCL sprain.
The Rockies placed catcher Elias Díaz on the 10-day IL due to a strained left calf.
Rapid Fire
The Mets designated catcher Tomás Nido for assignment.
The Red Sox DFA’d first baseman Garrett Cooper.
The Blue Jays traded infielder/outfielder Cavan Biggio to the Dodgers in exchange for minor league right-hander Braydon Fisher.
Right-hander Jorge López signed a minor league deal with the Cubs.
The Blue Jays DFA’d DH Daniel Vogelbach.
Thanks for reading. Catch you next Sunday!