Astros interested in Stephen Drew - MLB

Last week the Astros were linked to free agent shortstop Jed Lowrie and now Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports that they’ve met with free agent shortstop Stephen Drew (or at least his agent Scott Boras).

Drew had a miserable 2014 season, sitting out until mid-May after turning down a one-year, $14.1 million qualifying offer from Boston and then hitting .162 in 85 games for the Red Sox and Yankees.

However, if you ignore his 2014 and focus on his previous track record Drew has generally been a solid all-around shortstop and at age 31 he’s one of the few viable starting-caliber options on the open market.

Back in 2013, for instance, he played 124 games and hit .253 with 13 homers and a .776 OPS for a World Series winner.

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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.”