Misc Rumor - Baseball Wiretap

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is drawing widespread interest ahead of the August 3 trade deadline as the two-time Cy Young Award winner recovers from elbow surgery and his club sinks further out of playoff contention.

Skubal, who underwent an innovative procedure to remove a loose body from his left elbow, is scheduled to throw a simulated game Monday. If his recovery continues at its current pace, he could return within weeks. The Tigers are expected to delay any trade decision as long as possible to allow Skubal to demonstrate full health and maximize his value.

Detroit has gone 4-21 since Skubal's injury was announced, leaving the club 16 games below .500 and 11.5 games out in the AL Central. No team this far under .500 has reached the postseason under the current playoff format, which began in 2022. To win 85 games, the Tigers would need to go 63-39 the rest of the season.

A rival executive, speaking anonymously, described the difficulty of Detroit's position.

"Once you start your ascent, you can never stop it. You're done with your slumps," he said.

Should Detroit trade Skubal, his return would be reduced by his rental status, the remaining portion of his $32 million salary, and his ineligibility for a qualifying offer if dealt mid-season. Keeping him and losing him to free agency would yield only a compensatory draft pick for the Tigers.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, and Tampa Bay Rays all have plausible cases for pursuing Skubal.

Fernando Tatis Jr. finally connected for his first home run of the season -- and it was a blast.

Tatis slugged a 451-foot solo shot to left field in the fifth inning against Washington on Saturday, although the San Diego Padres went on to lose 9-4 to the Nationals. Tatis, who has five 20-homer seasons in his career and hit 42 in 2021, had not gone deep in 240 plate appearances before this game -- the longest drought in the major leagues.

He then singled in the first inning and struck out in the third before his fifth-inning drive off Foster Griffin gave San Diego a 3-1 lead.

"I just knew right away," Tatis said. "About f---ing time."

The last-place Mets are making a change to their pitching rotation, demoting David Peterson to the bullpen and replacing him with fellow left-hander Sean Manaea.

It's a promotion for Manaea, who has been used mainly in long relief and mop-up duty this season after signing a three-year, $75 million contract in December 2024.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said antics on the mound by Milwaukee reliever Abner Uribe after an inning-ending strikeout in a 6-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night were unacceptable.

Uribe got Alec Burleson on a called third strike with two outs and runners on first and second in the eighth, the only inning he pitched. Uribe then made three WWE-style crotch chops while facing the Cardinals dugout.

The Cardinals challenged the call, which was close, but narrowly confirmed to be at the bottom of the strike zone.

"I don't know what got over him. I mean, he's been an emotional guy, but that kind of things, that's just not how we do things," Murphy said. "I was embarrassed by it. Why are we doing it? It's a 6-0 game. What are we doing there?"

The Athletics are calling up Gage Jump, one of the best left-handed pitching prospects in baseball, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Monday.

The No. 2 prospect in the A's system, Jump, 23, runs his fastball up to 97 mph and has struck out 56 in 38 innings at Triple-A Las Vegas.

The Athletics (27-27) are atop the American League West standings, but their pitching staff ranks in the bottom third in the majors in strikeout rate.

Los Angeles Dodgers utilityman Kiké Hernandez is expected to be activated in time to make his season debut Monday after recovering from surgery on his left elbow.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Hernández should be available for the start of their home series against the Colorado Rockies.

"There's a different energy with Kiké," Roberts said Sunday. "There's a levity. There's an intensity. There's a good worker in there, a winning player. So I'm looking forward to having that edge."

Aaron Judge hit a fly to right field, briefly watched the ball go over the wall and dropped his bat at first base before starting his trot.

His long home run drought was over, and there was a celebration waiting for him at the plate.

Judge ended a career-high, 11-game slump without an RBI, hitting a two-run homer off Kevin Kelly in the ninth inning that lifted the New York Yankees over the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0 Sunday for their first win in five games this year against their American League East rival.

"That's just a great swing from him," manager Aaron Boone said.

Four years after considering retirement, Bryan Torres made it to the major leagues at age 28 and homered for the St. Louis Cardinals in his debut.

"Eleven years to get to here," Torres said, fighting back tears after helping the Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-1 in the opener of Saturday's doubleheader. "I'm not a homer guy. Today, my debut, it just happened. I've been learning to manage the pressure. When the heart is going too fast, you have to slow things down. I felt a little pounding in my chest today."

Torres, who first played minor league ball in 2015, hit seventh and played left field.

George Springer hit his 65th leadoff home run and the Toronto Blue Jays sent Paul Skenes to losses in consecutive starts for the first time this season, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2 Saturday for their fourth straight win and seventh in 10 games.

Skenes (6-4), the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, allowed four runs, one walk and a career-high nine hits in five-plus innings with two strikeouts, just his second time with fewer than five this season. His ERA rose to 3.00.

The New York Mets designated pitcher Craig Kimbrel for assignment Friday, ending the veteran reliever's short stint with the club.

Kimbrel appeared in 14 games for the Mets and allowed 10 runs over 15 innings. Kimbrel pitched the final 2⅔ innings of New York's 8-4 loss at Washington on Wednesday and gave up a two-run home run to Jacob Young.

"Super tough," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Friday of the decision to part ways with Kimbrel. "He understood. He was very professional but it wasn't an easy one for me when we talked to him last night."