Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman was the No. 1 overall selection by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2019 MLB Draft on Monday night. The switch-hitting Rutschman batted .411 with 17 homers and 58 RBIs in 57 games for the Beavers this season as a junior.
FILE PHOTO – Jun 27, 2018; Omaha, NE, USA; Oregon State Beavers catcher Adley Rutschman (35) hits a solo home run during the fourth inning against the Arkansas Razorbacks in game two of the championship series of the College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Rutschman is the first catcher to be selected at the top of the draft since the Minnesota Twins tabbed Joe Mauer in 2001. He was rated the No. 1 prospect in the draft by MLB Pipeline and by ESPN’s Keith Law.
The Kansas City Royals selected high school shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. with the second pick. The Chicago White Sox tabbed college first baseman Andrew Vaughn of California with the third choice. The Miami Marlins selected slugging outfielder J.J. Bleday of Vanderbilt with the fourth pick. Outfielder Riley Greene of Hagerty High in Oviedo, Fla., went fifth overall to the Detroit Tigers.
Rounding out the top 10 were shortstop CJ Abrams from Blessed Trinity High School in Roswell, Ga., to the San Diego Padres; TCU junior left-hander Nick Lodolo to the Cincinnati Reds; Texas Tech junior third baseman Josh Jung to the Texas Rangers; Baylor junior catcher Shea Langeliers to the Atlanta Braves; and Arizona State junior outfielder Hunter Bishop to the San Francisco Giants.
— Designated hitter Nelson Cruz, 38, rejoined the Minnesota Twins.
Cruz went on the 10-day injured list on May 17 with a strained left wrist but has been out of action since May 12. He played in two games this weekend on a rehab assignment at Class-A Fort Myers, going 2-for-7.
The six-time All-Star was batting .270 with seven homers and 22 RBIs in 35 games before the injury.
—The Chicago Cubs called up veteran outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, less than a week after signing the three-time All-Star to a minor league contract last week.
He was designated for assignment by the Cleveland Indians on May 22. Gonzalez, 33, was in his first season with Cleveland, hitting .210 with two home runs in 117 plate appearances.
He spent the past 10 seasons with the Colorado Rockies before signing with the Indians as a free agent in March. He has a career average of .285 with 233 home runs in 12 seasons, including a rookie year with the Oakland A’s in 2008.
—New York Mets broadcaster Ron Darling will return to the booth Tuesday after doctors confirmed that his thyroid cancer has stabilized.
The 58-year-old former major league pitcher had surgery last month to remove a mass from his chest.
Darling said he would be in the SNY booth in New York to call Tuesday’s game against the San Francisco Giants alongside broadcast partners Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez.
—Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera’s administrative leave was extended through June 17, Major League Baseball announced.
Herrera was on a seven-day administrative leave after being arrested for an alleged domestic violence incident on May 27. He is due in on court on June 17.
The 27-year-old Herrera is batting .222 with one homer and 16 RBIs in 39 games this season. He was an All-Star in 2016 when he batted .286 with a career-high 25 stolen bases.
—Third baseman Hunter Dozier, who is leading the Kansas City Royals with a .314 batting average, went on the 10-day injured list due to a chest injury.
The move was retroactive to Friday. Dozier hasn’t played since leaving Thursday’s game with what was described by the team as “right-sided thorax tightness.”
The 27-year-old Dozier is having a breakout season after hitting .229 with 11 home runs in 102 games last season. In addition to batting average, he leads the Royals in on-base percentage (.398) and slugging percentage (.589), and he ranks second in home runs with 11 in 52 games.
—Field Level Media