Rafael Betancourt has a torn UCL

By Craig CalcaterraAug 27, 2013, 8:53 AM EDT
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It’s not just promising young starting pitchers who need Tommy John surgery. Veteran relievers sometimes do too. The news on Rockies’ reliever Rafael Betancourt:

 

Bad break for Betancourt, who was already on the 15-day disabled list due to the elbow.

This could be the end of the line for Betancourt. He’s almost 39 and he won’t be under contract after this season. If it is the end, he leaves an 11-year career in which he was one of the most reliable and, for some reason, one of the more unheralded setup men (and occasional closers) in the game.

Andrew McCutchen ‘ready to go’ whenever season begins

Andrew McCutchen
Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
By Bill BaerApr 5, 2020, 7:05 PM EDT
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Phillies outfielder Andrew McCutchen would have opened the regular season on the injured list if it had started on time. Now, with the start of the season pushed back at least a few months due to coronavirus (COVID-19), the veteran five-time All-Star says he will be “ready to go” whenever the season begins, he told NBC Sports Philadelphia.

McCutchen, 33, tore his ACL in early June, ending his 2019 campaign. To that point, he had been quite productive for the Phillies, batting .256/.378/.457 with 10 home runs and 29 RBI over 262 plate appearances. If and when the 2020 season does begin, he will likely reprise his role as the leadoff hitter, this time under new manager Joe Girardi.

2020 marks the second year of McCutchen’s three-year, $50 million contract initially signed with the Phillies in December 2018. The Phillies also hold a $15 million club option for the 2022 season with a $3 million buyout.