Padres to pay baseball operations employees through October

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The San Diego Padres told baseball operations employees yesterday that they will be paid through October. Some members of the baseball operations staff who make more money will receive pay cuts. Non-baseball operations employees, which include people in marketing, sales, and other departments on the business side of things, are still only guaranteed salaries through May 15.

The baseball operations employees, which include Padres manager Jayce Tingler, major league coaches, most scouts and members of the front office, are subject to Major League Baseball’s Uniform Employment Contract, which Rob Manfred moved over the weekend to suspend. That move allows teams to furlough workers subject to the UEC if they so choose. This move is the Padres’ response to that. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, there are around 200 baseball operations employees. There are a little more than 200 full and part-time non-baseball operations employees.

The Padres are the first team to make a commitment to any part of their workforce throughout what would have been the entirety of the regular season. Some teams have committed to all employees through the end of May. Others have only made commitments through April. There will, without question, be pressure on other teams to follow the Padres’ lead in this regard.

As for the pay cuts, one report last night said that they will begin for people making $60,000 or higher. Pay cuts will get deeper the higher the salary in question. The pay cuts will be one-time occurrences the team told employees.

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.