Jesse Crain’s latest injury problem: bursitis in his right elbow

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Jesse Crain’s last two years have been a bumpy ride. As a reliever with the White Sox, Crain landed on the 60-day disabled list in early July last season with a strained right shoulder. Despite the injury, the Rays decided to gamble and traded for him in late July, hoping he’d be able to make a return and help the team for a playoff push in September. It never materialized.

Crain became a free agent, underwent shoulder surgery in October, and eventually signed with the Astros on a one-year, $3.25 million deal. The Astros were making a similar gamble as the Rays, hopeful that Crain would be healthy enough to contribute at some point during the season.

Crain strained his calf early in spring training, adding insult to literal injury. And now there’s even more. As Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle reports, Crain has developed bursitis in his right shoulder. Bursitis is the inflammation of the bursae sacs of synovial fluid. They sit where muscle and tendons slide across the bone, allowing for movement without friction. As a result of the latest developments, GM Jeff Luhnow scrapped Crain’s most recent timetable of early May, and did not offer an updated timetable.

The Astros could have certainly used the help. They enter Friday night’s action with the fourth-worst bullpen ERA in baseball at 5.45, behind only the Tigers, Phillies, and White Sox. In the 36 2/3 innings Crain pitched leading up to his initial injury last season, Crain had a 0.74 ERA along with 46 strikeouts and 10 unintentional walks. The 32-year-old has a career 3.05 ERA over 532 innings.

AP Source: Minor leaguers reach five-year labor deal with MLB

Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch
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NEW YORK – Minor league players reached a historic initial collective bargaining agreement with Major League Baseball on Wednesday that will more than double player salaries, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details were not announced.

As part of the five-year deal, MLB agreed during the contract not to reduce minor league affiliates from the current 120.

The sides reached the deal two days before the start of the minor league season and hours after a federal judge gave final approval to a $185 million settlement reached with MLB last May of a lawsuit filed in 2014 alleging violations of federal minimum wage laws.

Union staff recommended approval and about 5,500 minor leaguers were expected to vote on Thursday. MLB teams must also vote to approve and are expected to do so over the next week.

Minimum salaries will rise from $4,800 to $19,800 at rookie ball, $11,000 to $26,200 at Low Class A, $11,000 to $27,300 at High Class A, $13,800 to $27,300 at Double A and $17,500 to $45,800 at Triple-A. Players will be paid in the offseason for the first time.

Most players will be guaranteed housing, and players at Double-A and Triple-A will be given a single room. Players below Double-A will have the option of exchanging club housing for a stipend. The domestic violence and drug policies will be covered by the union agreement. Players who sign for the first time at 19 or older can become minor league free agents after six seasons instead of seven.

Major leaguers have been covered by a labor contract since 1968 and the average salary has soared from $17,000 in 1967 to an average of $4.22 million last season. Full-season minor leaguers earned as little as $10,400 last year.

The Major League Baseball Players Association took over as the bargaining representative of the roughly 5,500 players with minor league contracts last September after a lightning 17-day organization drive.

Minor leaguers players will receive four weeks of retroactive spring training pay for this year. They will get $625 weekly for spring training and offseason training camp and $250 weekly for offseason workouts at home.

Beginning in 2024, teams can have a maximum of 165 players under contract during the season and 175 during the offseason, down from the current 190 and 180.

The union will take over group licensing rights for players.

Negotiating for players was led by Tony Clark, Bruce Meyer, Harry Marino, Ian Penny and Matt Nussbaum. MLB Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem headed management’s bargainers.