Evan Longoria admits to having nerve problem in foot - MLB

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria, an accomplished .278/.357/.513 career hitter, has registered a lowly .221 batting average and .281 on-base percentage since the beginning of June.

After another 0-for-4 performance in Tuesday’s loss to the Twins, Longoria may have revealed to reporters the primary cause for that extended slump.

According to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, the talented 25-year-old has been experiencing occasional discomfort in his left foot this season, the result of a nerve problem called a Morton’s neuroma. He tried to downplay the matter on Tuesday night:

“Every once in a while I take a bad swing and it just acts up. At this point I’ve gotten used to it. It’s something I’m going to battle through and it’s not going to affect playing time.”

The Rays are likely hoping that Longoria can limp his way to the All-Star break and then return as a refreshed player in mid-July. He was not named to the American League All-Star roster this year for the first time since breaking into the majors in 2008 and is sporting an OPS (.781) that is 89 points below his career mean (.870).

The frosted tips and “Wild Thing” haircut he’s been sporting this week may be part of a slump-busting effort.

CINCINNATI — The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Noah Syndergaard on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a blister on the index finger of his right throwing hand.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the timetable for Syndergaard’s return is unknown despite the 15-day designation.

“The physical, the mental, the emotional part, as he’s talked about, has taken a toll on him,” Roberts said. “So, the ability to get him away from this. He left today to go back to Los Angeles to kind of get back to normalcy.”

Syndergaard allowed six runs and seven hits in three innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, raising his ERA to 7.16.

Syndergaard (1-4) has surrendered at least five runs in three straight starts.

Syndergaard has been trying to return to the player he was before Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the better part of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Roberts said Syndergaard will need at least “a few weeks” to both heal and get away from baseball and “reset.”

“I think searching and not being comfortable with where he was at in the moment is certainly evident in performance,” Roberts said. “So hopefully this time away will provide more clarity on who he is right now as a pitcher.

“Trying to perform when you’re searching at this level is extremely difficult. I applaud him from not running from it, but it’s still very difficult. Hopefully it can be a tale of two stories, two halves when he does come back.”