Eric Young Jr. headed to disabled list, Mets to promote Matt den Dekker

By Bill BaerMay 25, 2014, 7:40 PM EDT
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ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin reports that outfielder Eric Young, Jr. is headed to the 15-day disabled list with a pulled hamstring. The Mets are expected to call up outfielder Matt den Dekker to fill the void.

den Dekker, 26, is slashing .275/.333/.431 with four home runs and 26 RBI with Triple-A Las Vegas. He made his major league debut last season, but struggled, posting a .207 average with one home run in 63 plate appearances.

Rubin provides some light-hearted trivia to end the weekend:

Nathan Eovaldi to make 2018 debut for Rays soon

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By Bill BaerMay 24, 2018, 5:35 PM EDT
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Rays manager Kevin Cash said that pitcher Nathan Eovaldi will join the starting rotation on Monday or Tuesday to face the Athletics, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Eovaldi’s rehab outing with Triple-A Durham went well, even though he gave up eight runs in four innings.

Eovaldi, 28, hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2016 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He had arthroscopic surgery in March to remove loose bodies in his elbow. It’s been a long road back. Knowing Eovaldi needed to recover from surgery, the Rays signed him to a one-year, $2 million contract in 2017 that included a $2 million club option for 2018 that they exercised last November.

When Eovaldi last pitched, he ranked among baseball’s hardest throwers, particularly among starters. He averaged 97.1 MPH on his fastball in 2016. Among starters who racked up at least 100 innings that season, only the Mets’ Noah Syndergaard had a higher average velocity (97.9 MPH). It remains to be seen if he still has that velocity after undergoing two procedures on his elbow.

The Rays will be glad to have Eovaldi back. The club has sustained injuries to Jake Faria, Yonny Chirinos, and Jose De Leon.