Johan Santana leaves Thursday start with pectoral strain - MLB

From New York’s WFAN comes word that Mets left-hander Johan Santana was lifted from his Thursday start against the Braves due to a strained pectoral muscle.

Santana threw only 65 pitches and lasted only five innings. He was great while on the rubber, allowing just three hits and one earned run while racking up three strikeouts, but he apparently injured himself while throwing a pitch and could be in danger of missing his next start.

The Mets, for now, are calling him “day-to-day,” but that status could change when Santana is reevaluated on Friday morning.

He has a 10-9 record, a 2.98 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP over 29 starts this season and has been one of the few bright spots for the fourth-place Metropolitans.

ST. LOUIS — Miles Mikolas is sticking with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The right-hander signed a three-year, $55.75 million contract on Friday that will carry through the 2025 season.

The new deal replaces a $68 million, four-year contract signed in February 2019 that covered the 2020-23 seasons and was set to pay $15.75 million this year.

Mikolas will receive a $5 million signing bonus payable July 1 and will make $18.75 million in 2023 and $16 million in each of the following two seasons. Mikolas can earn a $250,000 bonus for winning a Cy Young Award, $50,000 for All-Star election or selection or winning a Gold Glove, $100,000 for League Championship Series MVP and $150,000 for World Series MVP.

Mikolas is scheduled to make the second opening-day start of his big league career next Thursday when the Cardinals host Toronto. Mikolas went 12-13 with a 3.29 ERA last season while helping St. Louis to the NL Central title.

“Miles stands among the top pitchers in the game today, and has continued to provide a steady presence for us both in the rotation and inside the clubhouse,” St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak said in a statement.

Mikolas is 45-40 with a 3.79 in 143 games with San Diego, Texas and St. Louis. He recently pitched six shutout innings in two appearances for the U.S. in the World Baseball Classic.