Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger returns to IL with left hamstring strain

Associated PressJun 16, 2021, 6:23 PM EDT
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
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LOS ANGELES — Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger is returning to the injured list with a left hamstring strain.

Los Angeles recalled right-hander Mitch White before the game against the Philadelphia Phillies to take the roster spot of Bellinger, who left Friday’s game against Texas in the fifth inning.

The hamstring injury is the latest physical ailment for the 2019 NL MVP. Bellinger missed 46 games earlier this season with a hairline fracture to his left leg. He had shoulder surgery in the offseason.

Bellinger was 10 for 33 with eight RBIs this month. He hit a grand slam – his only homer this season – and set a franchise record with six RBIs in the first inning of the Dodgers’ 14-3 rout of the St. Louis Cardinals on June 2.

Bellinger is batting .226 with 10 RBIs in 16 games.

The defending World Series champions have been hit hard by injuries but still entered Tuesday one game behind first-place San Francisco in the NL West.

Max Muncy was placed on the IL Saturday with an oblique strain. World Series MVP Corey Seager, whose hand was broken by a pitch May 15, is still at least three weeks away from returning to the lineup.

Infielder Gavin Lux, outfielder AJ Pollock and rookie Zach McKinstry have also spent time on the IL. Starting pitcher Dustin May (right elbow) and infielder Edwin Rios (right shoulder) are out for the remainder of the season, while reliever Corey Knebel (right lat strain) is unlikely to return until the late stages of the season.

Padres claim 2-time All-Star catcher Gary Sánchez off waivers from Mets

Associated PressMay 30, 2023, 11:24 AM EDT
Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
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SAN DIEGO — The scuffling San Diego Padres claimed catcher Gary Sánchez off waivers from the New York Mets.

The two-time All-Star was designated for assignment after playing in three games for the Mets. He went 1 for 6 with three strikeouts and an RBI, looking shaky at times behind the plate.

With the disappointing Padres (24-29) getting meager offensive production at catcher, they hope Sánchez can provide a boost. Austin Nola is batting .131 with three extra-base hits and a paltry .434 OPS in 39 games. His part-time platoon partner, second-stringer Brett Sullivan, is hitting .170 with four extra-base hits and a .482 OPS in 21 games since getting called up from the minors April 16.

Luis Campusano has been on the injured list since April 17 and is expected to be sidelined until around the All-Star break following left thumb surgery.

San Diego is responsible for just over $1 million in salary for Sánchez after assuming his $1.5 million, one-year contract.

The star-studded Padres have lost seven of 11 and are 3-3 on a nine-game East Coast trip. They open a three-game series at Miami.

San Diego becomes the third National League team to take a close look at the 30-year-old Sánchez this season. He spent time in the minors with San Francisco before getting released May 2 and signing a minor league contract a week later with the Mets, who were minus a couple of injured catchers at the time.

After hitting well in a short stint at Triple-A Syracuse, he was promoted to the big leagues May 19. When the Mets reinstated catcher Tomás Nido from the injured list last week, Sánchez was cut.

Sánchez’s best seasons came early in his career with the New York Yankees, where he was runner-up in 2016 AL Rookie of the Year voting and made the AL All-Star team in 2017 and 2019.

He was traded to Minnesota before the 2022 season and batted .205 with 16 homers and 61 RBIs in 128 games last year.

With the Padres, Sánchez could also be a candidate for at-bats at designated hitter, where 42-year-old Nelson Cruz is batting .245 with three homers, 16 RBIs and a .670 OPS, and 37-year-old Matt Carpenter is hitting .174 with four homers, 21 RBIs and a .652 OPS.