Tony Clark gets contract extension, to lead the union through at least 2022

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Tony Clark took over as Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players Association since 2013. The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that he just got a contract extension that will keep him in the post through at least 2022. That puts him in the position beyond the expiration of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement which expires on December 1, 2021.

Having certainty and security in the role is important for everyone involved at this point. As noted, we are three years out from the expiration of the current CBA and, based on general dissatisfaction by many players and agents with it, there will be a lot of work to do in the very short term to get the large and dispersed union membership all on the same page and ready to bargain for a better one. The union simply cannot be in the business of messing with its leadership structure in 2019 and 2020. It’d be a waste of valuable time.

That said, it was Clark who was responsible for the negotiation of the current bad CBA and there are many around the game who speculated that his job could be in jeopardy as a result. Based on the MLBPA board voting to extend Clark, those doing the speculating and those in charge of his job security are apparently a different group of people.

MLB homer leader Pete Alonso to IL with bone bruise, sprain in wrist

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PITTSBURGH — The New York Mets will have to dig out of an early-season hole without star first baseman Pete Alonso.

The leading home run hitter in the majors will miss three-to-four weeks with a bone bruise and a sprain in his left wrist.

The Mets placed Alonso on the 10-day injured list Friday, retroactive to June 8. Alonso was hit in the wrist by a 96 mph fastball from Charlie Morton in the first inning of a 7-5 loss to Atlanta on Wednesday.

Alonso traveled to New York for testing on Thursday. X-rays revealed no broken bones, but the Mets will be missing one of the premier power hitters in the game as they try to work their way back into contention in the NL East.

“We got better news than it could have been,” New York manager Buck Showalter said. “So we take that as a positive. It could have been worse.”

New York had lost six straight heading into a three-game series at Pittsburgh that began Friday. Mark Canha started at first for the Mets in the opener. Mark Vientos could also be an option, though Showalter said the coaching staff may have to use its “imagination” in thinking of ways to get by without Alonso.

“I’m not going to say someone has to step up and all that stuff,” Showalter said. “You’ve just got to be who you are.”

Even with Alonso in the lineup, the Mets have struggled to score consistently. New York is 16th in the majors in runs scored.

The team also said Friday that reliever Edwin Uceta had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Uceta initially went on the IL in April with what the team called a sprained left ankle. He is expected to be out for at least an additional eight weeks.

New York recalled infielder Luis Guillorme and left-handed reliever Zach Muckenhirn from Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets sent catcher Tomás Nido to Triple-A and designated reliever Stephen Nogosek for assignment.

Nogosek is 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in 13 games this season.