Baseball Notes: Mets' Wheeler has Tommy John surgery
New York Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler had Tommy John surgery, which likely will sideline him until late next spring.
New York Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler had Tommy John surgery, which likely will sideline him until late next spring.
The Mets said team medical director David Altchek operated in New York on Wednesday to reconstruct the 24-year-old righthander's ulnar collateral ligament and repair the flexor pronator tendon.
Wheeler was 11-11 with a 3.54 ERA and 187 strikeouts last year, when he threw a career-high 1851/3 innings
Player investigated
Miami pitcher Jarred Cosart is being investigated by Major League Baseball for online comments he may have made about gambling.
Marlins spokesman Matt Roebuck confirmed the investigation in a statement but declined further comment.
The 24-year-old Cosart deleted his Twitter account Tuesday after screen shots of comments he purportedly made to a gambling expert were published on the social media site.
It is an MLB rules violation for players or any other employees to bet on baseball games. A player who bets on a game his team isn't playing in faces a mandatory one-year suspension. A player who bets on or against his own team faces a lifetime ban. The commissioner, at his discretion, can discipline a player for placing other types of bets with an illegal bookmaker.
Oh, the dreads
Andrew McCutchen's trademark dreadlocks won't be heading north with the rest of the Pittsburgh star.
The 2013 National League Most Valuable Player spent a portion of his team's off day at the mercy of his barber, who clipped off McCutchen's long locks and gave him a decidedly more aerodynamic 'do heading into the 2014 regular season.
McCutchen said he would auction off the dreadlocks through mlb.com, with all proceeds going to Pirates charities.
Nats' Rendon out?
Third baseman Anthony Rendon may miss Washington's opener against the Mets on April 6 because of a sprained left knee.
Rendon hasn't played since March 9. When he was scratched from the starting lineup the following day, manager Matt Williams said Rendon just needed a day off. But the problem has lingered, and Rendon underwent a second MRI Tuesday on his medial collateral ligament.
Rendon hit .287 with 21 homers last year, when he led the NL with 111 runs and finished fifth in MVP voting.
A-Rod makes DH case
New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Alex Rodriguez was making a case to be the team's full-time designated hitter and Adam Warren has taken a big lead to become the fifth starter.
Rodriguez, who turns 40 in July, is returning from a one-year drug suspension. A-Rod entered Wednesday hitting .286 (8 for 28) with two homers.
Following the re-signing of third baseman Chase Headley, Rodriguez is competing for at-bats at DH with lefthanded-hitting Garrett Jones. He might get limited playing time at third base and first base.
Rodriguez ranks fifth on the career home run list with 654. He has not played a full season since 2007 because of the suspension, operations on both hips, and other injuries.
Warren is competing with a group that includes Esmil Rogers.