MLB notebook: Hall of Fame manager Cox still can’t speak

Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox still can’t speak more than three weeks since suffering a stroke, according to multiple reports

FILE PHOTO – Former Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox waves to the crowd after throwing out the first pitch at the start of their home opening MLB National League baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies in Atlanta, Georgia, April 8, 2011. REUTERS/Tami Chappell

No official updates have been provided about the 77-year-old Cox, but reports say the former Atlanta Braves manager and general manager still faces a long recovery. He suffered the stroke on April 2. He is reportedly still hospitalized but has regained feeling in his right side.

Braves manager Brian Snitker, who was a coach under Cox, told reporters he plans to visit his former boss on Sunday, adding, “He’s a fighter, and it’s going to take a while.”

Cox was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. He ranks fourth in baseball history with 2,504 wins. Cox served two stints with Atlanta — 1978-81 and 1990-2010 — and guided the Braves to the 1995 World Series title. He also was manager of the Toronto Blue Jays from 1982-85.

—The Chicago White Sox designated veteran right-handed pitcher Ervin Santana for assignment Friday and reinstated outfielder Eloy Jimenez from the bereavement list.

Santana, in his 15th season, was 0-2 with a 9.45 ERA for the White Sox, who signed him as a minor-league free agent in February. The White Sox brought him up from Triple-A Charlotte on April 9, and he made three starts.

Jimenez, 22, went on the bereavement list on Monday, when he traveled to the Dominican Republic following the death of his grandmother. The rookie is hitting .231 with three home runs and eight RBIs in 20 games this season.

Jimenez left the White Sox game Friday night with a right ankle injury after he crashed into the wall in pursuit of Grayson Greiner’s two-run home run.

—The New York Mets activated ace right-hander Jacob deGrom to start Friday night’s game against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers.

The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner went on the injured list after experiencing elbow pain last week. An MRI exam displayed no problems and deGrom had no issues in throwing sessions.

The Mets optioned right-hander Jacob Rhame to Triple-A Syracuse to open up a roster spot. Rhame was given a two-game suspension on Thursday for throwing two pitches over the head of Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins on Tuesday. Rhame will appeal the suspension, New York manager Mickey Callaway told reporters.

—The Seattle Mariners have called up top prospect Justus Sheffield, and he was expected to pitch Friday night when the team was scheduled to face the visiting Texas Rangers.

Sheffield, a lefty, was the key acquisition for the Mariners when they traded pitcher James Paxton to the New York Yankees for three players in the offseason.

The pitcher, who turns 23 next month, entered the 2019 season as the No. 1 prospect in the Mariners organization, as rated by MLB.com and Baseball America. In a corresponding move, the Mariners designated right-handed pitcher Shawn Armstrong for assignment.

—Field Level Media

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
source: reuters.com