Kevin Kouzmanoff to undergo back surgery on Tuesday, will miss 8-12 weeks - MLB

Last week, it was reported that Rangers third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff was diagnosed with a herniated disk in his back and surgery was a possibility. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports that Kouzmanoff will indeed require surgery. The procedure is to be done on Tuesday, and Kouzmanoff will need eight to 12 weeks to recover.

Kouzmanoff, 32, proved to be a godsend after Adrian Beltre went on the disabled list with a strained left quad. Signed by the Rangers to a minor league deal back in December, Kouzmanoff posted a 1.029 OPS with two home runs and 10 RBI in 51 plate appearances before his back issues flared up.

Fortunately for the Rangers, Beltre is back so they won’t have to go digging further down into the system for a third baseman. However, since returning from the DL, Beltre is slashing .217/.250/.304 in 24 plate appearances.

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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.