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Jose Torres Suspended For Remainder Of Season Under Domestic Violence Policy

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Major League Baseball has announced that Padres pitcher Jose Torres has been suspended for the remainder of the season for violating the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. Technically, it’s a 100-game ban that will be considered to have started on June 5th.

Torres has been on the restricted list all season long after he was arrested in February and charged with a host of crimes after a domestic disturbance. He stood accused of pointing a gun at a woman with whom he was in a domestic relationship, with criminal charges for assault with a deadly weapon, criminal damage, and intimidation as well as for possession of marijuana.

At one point, at least, Torres was scheduled to go to trial in July, but may well have reached a plea agreement. The league typically awaits resolution of a criminal case before issuing a suspension, though the joint domestic violence policy does not condition the authority to do so upon any legal action.

This ban appears to be the longest yet handed down by commissioner Rob Manfred. Previously, Hector Olivera’s 82-game suspension had been the lengthiest under a policy that was instituted in the summer of 2015.

Astros Designate Tim Federowicz

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The Astros have designated backstop Tim Federowicz for assignment, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic tweets. That move will allow the team to activate fellow receiver Brian McCann from the DL.

Federowicz did not see much game action during his brief stint in the majors, striding to bat only seven teams. He has seen time in seven MLB seasons, but only once has taken more than 78 plate appearances. Federowicz had been hitting quite well at Triple-A, though, with a .337/.407/.584 slash in his 113 plate appearances.

Mets Place Jeurys Familia On 10-Day DL

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The Mets have placed closer Jeurys Familia on the 10-day DL, per a club announcement. He’ll be replaced on the roster by right-hander Jacob Rhame.

Familia is said to be dealing with right shoulder soreness. There’s no further information available at this time as the underlying cause of the issue or the expected duration of his time on the DL.

Thus far in 2018, Familia has put a trying 2017 campaign in the rearview mirror. He’s carrying a 2.48 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 through 29 innings. Though Familia isn’t generating swinging strikes at quite his peak level (12.0% thus far), he is working in range of his career average in fastball velocity (96.7 mph).

For the Mets, they’ll be losing a closer who has been one of the few consistent positives on the field. It’s not clear how they’ll fill in for him in the 9th inning. A.J. Ramos has plenty of experience in that role, but he’s also been shelved with shoulder problems. Seth Lugo has been very effective, but he has been giving multiple innings. Perhaps Robert Gsellman or the recently-activated Anthony Swarzak will be seen as candidates, or the club may utilize a committee approach.

There is at least some more promising injury news to pass along from New York. The club also announced that star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes will embark upon a rehab assignment beginning today. It’s not known just how long he’ll need, but presumably he’s not too far off from returning to the majors from a hip ailment.

Athletics, Kyler Murray Agree To Terms

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FRIDAY: Murray will receive $4.66MM, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter), which checks in just below the $4,761,500 slot value. The sides have yet to put pen to paper, Callis notes.

WEDNESDAY: The Athletics have reached a deal with No. 9 overall draft pick Kyler Murray, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. The agreement will guarantee Murray close to $5MM and allow Murray to play quarterback at Oklahoma for one year, per Heyman. Murray, one of the country’s top multi-sport athletes, could step up as the Sooners’ starting quarterback in place of Baker Mayfield, who was selected with the top overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Of course, Murray is hardly a slouch when it comes to the baseball diamond. Oakland selected the center fielder ninth overall, and scouting reports on him indicate that he has plus-plus speed in addition to promising bat speed the potential for average or better power, though he’s less polished than many college bats given that he has yet to fully commit to baseball.

Heading into the draft, Fangraphs ranked Murray as the No. 20 prospect in this year’s class, while ESPN’s Keith Law tabbed him 35th, MLB.com pegged him 36th and Baseball America rated him No. 77 among available prospects. Murray, who has yet to turn 21 years of age, is coming off a season in which he hit .296/.398/.556 with 10 homers and 10 steals in 51 games. His slot comes with an assigned pick value of $4,761,500, so it seems that his agreement with the A’s will pay him at that level or perhaps a bit more.

It’s an interesting arrangement for Murray, who’ll lose NCAA eligibility in baseball but (clearly) not in football now that he’s agreed to a deal with a Major League organization. The agreement points to the likelihood that Murray’s future lies on the diamond and not on the gridiron, though it’s sure to be a complex arrangement. It’s not known at this time what sort of contingencies are in place in the event that Murray incurs a severe injury while playing football, though it seems likely that the A’s will have some form of safeguards in place, given the size of their investment in Murray and the level of risk that comes with allowing him to play NCAA football.

Pro Hockey Rumors: Your Source For NHL Draft Day Coverage

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Just two weeks remain until the June 22nd NHL Entry Draft, and our sister site Pro Hockey Rumors is all you need to stay up to date on the latest rumblings around the league. The draft floor is shaping up to be a busy one, with several teams looking to move key assets and change their fortunes for 2018-19.

Will Mike Hoffman and Erik Karlsson be sent packing by the Ottawa Senators? Is Ryan O’Reilly part of the long-term future in Buffalo? What will the Carolina Hurricanes do with Jeff Skinner? PHR has you covered by bringing you the most reliable sources and information.

Not only is the draft on the horizon, but the buyout window opens in just a week’s time and free agency is right around the corner. June is one of the busiest times for NHL front offices, so make sure to check in regularly at Pro Hockey Rumors, follow @prohockeyrumors on Twitter and set your notifications accordingly in the Trade Rumors mobile app for iOS and Android!

NL West Notes: Giants, Alexander, Dodgers, Jay, D-backs

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Giants general manager Bobby Evans joined Jim Bowden and Mike Ferrin on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM today (Twitter link, with audio). Evans sidestepped some questions about potential interest in Bryce Harper as a free agent — “Our focus right now is on getting him out … we’ll certainly be aggressive and appropriate with our interest.” — but he did more broadly discuss the organization’s perennial “win-now” philosophy. At a time when more and more teams are pursuing aggressive tear-downs, Evans stated that it’d be a “big adjustment” to ever even consider embarking on a rebuild.

“We want to compete to win every year,” Evans says of his Giants. “That’s our goal. That’s our plan. You get bumps in the road — problems, challenges at times — but I think it’s challenging no matter which route you take. I think when you have such a strong core, with [Brandon] Crawford, [Brandon] Belt, [Buster] Posey, [Johnny] Cueto, [Madison] Bumgarner — it makes it a lot easier to choose to compete. … Building a [minor league] system has never been our ultimate goal. Our ultimate goal is to have success at the big league level, which a strong system helps with, but it doesn’t solve.”

More from the division…

  • The Dodgers recently adopted the Rays’ strategy of using an “opener” — that is, starting a reliever for a few outs before based on matchups — and in an interesting interview, bullpen coach Mark Prior chatted with Fangraphs’ Travis Sawchik to discuss how that came about. Left-handed reliever Scott Alexander had taken note of Sergio Romo’s run in that role with Tampa Bay and approached Prior to simply express that he’d be open to it if ever needed. Prior took it to the coaching staff and, not long after, the Dodgers felt circumstances dictated experimenting with the notion. “He’s a ground-ball pitcher, and we’re in Colorado,” said Prior. “…It just so happened that we needed someone that day, and given Colorado’s lineup with the lefties at the top, it made sense to get him through the fourth or fifth hitter and then go to someone else.”
  • Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen spoke with reporters following his team’s surprisingly early acquisition of Jon Jay to explain some of the thinking that went into the move (links via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and Steve Gilbert of MLB.com). “With the way the division is shaping up, where every day matters more and more, we just felt like this was the right thing to do at the time,” said Hazen, who is currently without both A.J. Pollock and Steven Souza. Hazen explained that the D-backs pursued Jay this offseason as well and praised his strong start to the year as well as his outfield versatility. The GM acknowledged that the move had some logjam potential down the line but declined to delve into any specifics as to how that’d be addressed. It’s a purely hypothetical scenario right now anyhow, as neither Souza nor Pollock appears to be on the verge of returning.

Red Sox Select Contract Of Justin Haley

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The Red Sox announced Friday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Justin Haley from Triple-A Pawtucket and optioned lefty Jalen Beeks back to Pawtucket in his place. Boston’s 40-man roster is now up to 39 players.

While this will mark the Red Sox debut for Haley, whom the club selected in the sixth round of the 2012 draft, it won’t be his MLB debut. Haley was selected by the Twins in the 2016 Rule 5 Draft and broke camp in Minnesota last year, but he was ultimately designated for assignment and returned to the Sox after posting a 6.00 ERA over 18 innings as a seldom-used long reliever.

Things have gone much better for the now-26-year-old Haley in Triple-A, where he owns a career 3.28 ERA with 7.3 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9 in 203 1/3 innings. That production is right in line with his marks so far in 2018: a 3.18 ERA, 8.3 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 44 percent ground-ball rate in 56 2/3 innings out of the Pawtucket rotation.

The 24-year-old Beeks, meanwhile, will head back to Triple-A for continued development. He was called upon to make a spot start last night against the Tigers and was ambushed for five runs in his first Major League inning, though he settled down and allowed just one run over the next three innings. While it wasn’t a great debut, Beeks should still have ample opportunity to factor into Boston’s long-term plans. The former 12th-rounder owns a 3.38 ERA with 10.5 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 in 152 Triple-A innings.

Nationals Recently “Checked In” On J.T. Realmuto

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The Nationals “checked in” on the availability of star Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto within the past couple of weeks, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports in his latest notes column, though it sounds as if little has changed since the offseason. The Marlins are still seeking a “haul” in exchange for Realmuto, which only makes sense given the 27-year-old’s brilliant start to the season. Heyman suggests that the Nats aren’t willing to meet the price at this time.

MLBTR’s Jeff Todd profiled Realmuto’s trade candidacy at length about a month ago, and Realmuto has maintained his strong play since that was written. Realmuto missed nearly a month to open the season thanks to a lower back issue, but he’s been among the game’s best-hitting catchers (if not the best-hitting catcher in the Majors) since being activated. In 179 plate appearances, he’s hitting .311/.376/.534 with six homers, 12 doubles and three triples. He’s also halted eight of 19 stolen-base attempts against him (42 percent) and turned in strong framing and blocking numbers, per Baseball Prospectus.

Given that terrific all-around profile, a modest $2.9MM salary in 2018 and an additional two years of club control beyond the current season, it’s no surprise that the Marlins were seeking a package of multiple young players headlined by an elite talent in the offseason. Reports at the time indicated that Miami was interested in both Victor Robles and meteoric rising star Juan Soto, who has shocked baseball by soaring from Class-A to the Majors in two months and raking at a .346/.443/.538 pace in his first 16 big league games — all at the age of 19. It’s hard to imagine that the asking price on Realmuto has done anything but increase.

Heyman writes that, perhaps unsurprisingly, the Nationals are currently planning to keep Soto in the Majors even when the rest of their outfield is healthy. Washington was loath to part with either Soto or Robles in a Realmuto deal this offseason, and one would have to imagine that Soto, at least, has firmly entrenched himself as an untouchable young talent in the eyes of the D.C. front office. Robles, meanwhile, has played in only four games this year due to a hyperextended elbow, but the Nats have to be dreaming of a controllable outfield anchored by that pair of exciting potential stars beginning no later than 2019.

Other clubs, too, seem likely to gauge the asking price on Realmuto as the trade deadline approaches. The Twins are without Jason Castro for the rest of the season following knee surgery, while more definitive contenders like the Rockies and Brewers have received little in the way of production from their backstops. The market will likely bear other options — Wilson Ramos chief among them — but barring another injury, Realmuto will inevitably be the prize of the trade market in terms of available catching talent. Of course, because the Marlins control him for another two seasons, they also have the luxury of holding onto him should no offers to their liking materialize. Realmuto’s trade value will scarcely diminish from July to November, and rival teams would again line up to express interest should the Marlins hang onto him and market him in the offseason.

Indians Release Richie Shaffer

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The Indians announced that they’ve released corner infielder Richie Shaffer from their Triple-A affiliate in Columbus. The 27-year-old former first-round pick had been in his second season with the organization.

Selected 25th overall by the Rays back in 2012, Shaffer logged fairly pedestrian numbers in the low minors before breaking out with a big 2015 in which he batted .267/.357/.539 in 108 games between Double-A and Triple-A as a 24-year-old. Tampa Bay brought him to the Majors late that season, but he managed just a .213/.310/.410 slash with five homers in 142 plate appearances with the Rays from 2015-16. The Rays traded Shaffer and Taylor Motter to the Mariners in exchange for three minor league pitchers (including Andrew Kittredge) that offseason, and he bounced around the waiver wire before settling in with Cleveland prior to the 2017 campaign.

Shaffer notched an .802 OPS with 30 homers for Cleveland’s top affiliate in 2017, but he’s off to an ugly start in 2018, having batted .164/.216/.310 through 125 PAs in his second season with Columbus. He’s primarily been a third baseman in the minors but also has significant experience at first base and in both corner outfield slots.

MLB Daily Roster Roundup: Bauers, Jay, Reddick, Simmons

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ROSTER MOVES BY TEAM
(June 6th-June 7th)

NATIONAL LEAGUE

  • PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES | Depth Chart
    • Activated from 10-Day DL: SS/3B J.P. Crawford
      • Crawford was not in the starting lineup on Wednesday against a left-handed starting pitcher. He played 3B and batted 9th on Thursday. Scott Kingery played SS on both days.
    • Optioned: 3B/1B Mitch Walding 

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

  • HOUSTON ASTROS | Depth Chart
    • Activated from 10-Day DL: OF Josh Reddick
      • Reddick played RF and batted 6th on Wednesday. He was not in the lineup on Thursday against a left-handed starter.
    • Optioned: INF/OF J.D. Davis
  • KANSAS CITY ROYALS | Depth Chart
    • Promoted: OF Paulo Orlando
      • Orlando took Jay’s roster spot. He played CF and batted 2nd on Thursday.
  • TAMPA BAY RAYS | Depth Chart
    • Promoted: 1B/OF Jake Bauers 
      • Bauers played 1B and batted 6th in his MLB debut on Thursday.
    • Designated for assignment: INF Brad Miller

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FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES

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