Pittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez was named Saturday to the National League All-Star team along with Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff, Major League Baseball announced.
Jun 22, 2019; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Felipe Vazquez (73) pitches against the San Diego Padres during the ninth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 11-10 in eleven innings. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
New York Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka was added to the American League All-Star team, replacing Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman, who missed his July 4 start after suffering discomfort in his left shoulder pectoral muscle.
“It was similar to how everybody else, including you guys reacted: pretty surprised,” Tanaka told reporters through an interpreter Saturday after hearing the news from Yankees manager Aaron Boone.
Tanaka, 30, who has been selected for the second time after coming from Japan for his first season in the U.S. in 2014, has compiled a 5-5 record and a 3.86 ERA with 90 strikeouts over 18 starts this season. The NL pitchers who were replaced were right-hander Zack Greinke of the Arizona Diamondbacks and left-hander Josh Hader of the Brewers.
—Cleveland Indians right-hander Carlos Carrasco, who last pitched on May 30, revealed that he is being treated for leukemia.
The Indians placed him on the 10-day injured list in early June, citing a blood condition. The team said then that future details “will be conveyed at Carlos and his family’s discretion.”
Carrasco, 32, revealed the news during an excerpt of an interview that aired on CDN 37 in the Dominican Republic. The full interview is expected to air Sunday. Saturday afternoon, in a video posted on the Indians’ Twitter account, Carrasco said a blood test after a spring training physical prompted some concern, and he was diagnosed with leukemia in May.
—Texas Rangers left-hander Mike Minor will skip Sunday’s scheduled start to give him an extra day of rest, the team said.
He was set to start against the Twins in Minnesota, but left-hander Joe Palumbo will start in his spot.
Selected to his first All-Star team, Minor was replaced by Cleveland’s Shane Bieber on the American League squad because he was initially scheduled to start on Sunday and wouldn’t be available to pitch in the All-Star Game on Tuesday.
—The Minnesota Twins placed first baseman C.J. Cron on the 10-day injured list due to right thumb inflammation.
Cron is hitting .266 with 17 home runs and 54 RBIs in 78 games this season. He went 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles on Friday as the Twins routed the Texas Rangers 15-6. The 29-year-old is in his first season with the Twins after spending last season with the Tampa Bay Rays.
In a corresponding move, the Twins recalled outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. from Triple-A Rochester. Wade had just been optioned back to Rochester last Saturday after appearing in his major league debut.
—The Pirates placed left-hander Steven Brault on the 10-day injured list after he strained his pitching shoulder during Friday night’s game.
Brault departed the contest against the Milwaukee Brewers, a 7-6 loss, in the fifth inning. He felt discomfort in the shoulder and an MRI exam on Saturday detected the strain.
Brault said he was encouraged to be told that his stay on the injured list should be brief. The Pirates also placed right-hander Trevor Williams on the paternity list, optioned right-hander Dovydas Neverauskas to Triple-A Indianapolis and recalled right-handers Dario Agrazal, Luis Escobar and Montana DuRapau from Indianapolis.
—Field Level Media