Alex Cobb will undergo surgery on his left hip labrum Tuesday, the San Francisco Giants announced.

The surgery will address an issue that ended Cobb's 2023 season midway through September.

The left-hander will need approximately six months to return to pitching, which means he won't be ready for Opening Day 2024.

Cobb has a $10 million club option for next season, with a $2 million buyout.

Game 1 of the World Series between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night was the least-watched Game 1 in World Series TV history.

The Rangers' 6-5 win over the Diamondbacks in 11 innings averaged 9.35 million viewers on Fox, Fox Deportes and Fox's streaming service. 

The previous low was 9.48 for the opening game in 2020 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays. 

Average viewer ratings have been calculated since at least 1969.

Frank Howard, a four-time All-Star who slugged 382 home runs during a lengthy major league career that included a World Series title with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1963, has died. He was 87.

A spokesperson for the Washington Nationals said the team was informed of Howard's death by his family Monday. A cause of death was not provided.

"He was the ultimate teammate," Dick Bosman, who played six-plus seasons with Howard with Washington and Texas and remained friends with him for decades, told The Associated Press on Monday. "Next to my dad, he's the greatest guy I know."

Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell is meeting with the Cleveland Guardians about their managerial opening, according to multiple reports.

Counsell, who has led the Brewers to the postseason five times in the past six years, is at Progressive Field for his interview with the Guardians, according to the Associated Press.

Counsell's contract with Milwaukee is set to expire this week, but the Brewers are allowing him to look elsewhere while also hoping they can re-sign the coveted 53-year-old. 

There haven't yet been talks between the Philadelphia Phillies and Rob Thomson about a contract extension, says Dave Dombrowski.

Thomson was named interim manager during the 2022 season after Joe Girardi was fired. He then led the Phillies to the World Series and to Game 7 of the NLCS this season.

He was given a new two-year pact as the club's new full-time manager prior to the 2023 season. The contract has no club options.

The Los Angeles Angels are still looking for a manager and Torii Hunter has emerged as a candidate, according to a report.

Hunter played five seasons for the Angels and is a favorite of owner Arte Moreno.

Los Angeles has discussed other former players such as Darin Erstad and Tim Salmon, while also looking at experienced candidates in Ron Roenicke, Benji Gil and Buck Showalter.

The Chicago Cubs will be involved in trade talks for Juan Soto if the San Diego Padres decide to shop the superstar, according to a report.

Soto, 25, hit .275/.410/.519 with 35 home runs in 162 games this past season.

Coming off a disappointing season, the Padres are rumored to be looking to cut payroll by a significant margin heading into 2024. San Diego had the largest Opening Day payroll of any club outside of New York this spring.

Calling it a "true team moment," Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo had nothing but praise for outfielder/designated hitter Tommy Pham after the veteran offered to give up his final at-bat in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday in order for teammate Jace Peterson to get a turn at the plate versus the Texas Rangers.

"He came to me and he said, 'I need to you get my boy an [at-bat],'" Lovullo recalled on Sunday. "And I said, 'Are you sure? 100 percent sure?'"

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte broke the postseason hitting streak record in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday night, recording a hit for the 18th consecutive game.

The 30-year-old Marte unseated Hall of Famer Derek Jeter, 12-time All-Star Manny Ramirez and Hank Bauer, a seven-time World Series champion with the New York Yankees. The first four games of Marte's streak came in 2017, and he has hit safely in all 14 of Arizona's games this postseason.

Max Scherzer is set to start Game 3 of the World Series for Texas against Arizona. The Rangers will be the third team the three-time Cy Young Award winner has pitched for in a Fall Classic.

Scherzer had missed more than a month because of a muscle strain in his shoulder before starting twice in the AL Championship Series against the Houston Astros. He pitched in the pennant-clinching Game 7 last Monday, exiting with the lead after allowing two runs on 44 pitches over 2 2/3 innings.