AROUND THE HORN
▪ Yankees: Yankees reliever Michael King instantly knew something was very wrong. Walking off the mound after a pitch Friday night, the righthander simply said to manager Aaron Boone: “My elbow.” Boone’s worst fears were realized Saturday when the valuable member of the Yankees’ bullpen was ruled out for the season with a fractured right elbow. The injury occurred when he threw an 0-2 slider to the Orioles’ Ramón Urías. “It’s part of baseball, it’s part of sports,” Boone said in the dugout at Camden Yards. “You’re going to face some adversity usually on the injury front that you have to be able to deal with handle and move on from.” “Right now, we just feel for the person, Michael King, and just how good of a pitcher he’s become, and to see his growth over the last couple of years with us has really been fun to witness. Our heart breaks for the individual,” he said. King returned to New York on Saturday getting and was getting an MRI/CT Scan to get a clearer picture of the injury. Boone did not know if there was any ligament damage and expected to get more information Saturday night or Sunday. King was put on the 60-day injured list.
▪ Red Sox: The Red Sox put All-Star third baseman Rafael Devers on the 10-day injured list Saturday because of right hamstring inflammation, making the move after his early exit in a blowout loss. Devers was pulled in the fifth inning of a 28-5 blowout loss to the Blue Jays on Friday night. The Red Sox began the day trailing the Blue Jays by 2
½ games for the third and final wild-card spot in the American League. Devers experienced tightness in his hamstring on a swing during his final at-bat Friday night.
Manager Alex Cora said he noticed something when Devers doubled in the first inning.in his pitching wrist, the team said Friday. The team said he is responding well to an anti-inflammatory injection and is expected to resume throwing this week.
▪ Brewers: Left-hander Aaron Ashby and the Brewers agreed Saturday to a $20.5 million, five-year contract through 2027, and the NL Central leaders made a short-term addition in former Giants reliever Jake McGee. Ashby’s deal includes club options for 2028 and 2029. The 23-year-old is 2-7 with a 4.56 ERA and one save in 12 starts and six relief appearances, striking out 83 in 69 innings. McGee, who turns 36 on Aug. 6, was 1-2 with a 7.17 ERA and three saves in 24 games for the Giants this year. That followed a 2021 season in which the lefthander had 31 saves and a 2.72 ERA.
▪ Mets, Pirates: The Mets acquired catcher Michael Perez from Pittsburgh for cash on Saturday, the second day in a row the NL East leaders made a trade with the Pirates. The 29-year-old Perez was designated for assignment on Friday. A lefty hitter, he batted .150 with six home runs and 11 RBIs in 39 games and 107 at-bats this season. In parts of five seasons with the Pirates and the Rays, he is hitting .175 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs.
▪ Guardians: Josh Naylor snapped a ninth-inning tie with a pinch-hit single, and the streaking Guardians beat the White Sox 7-4 on Saturday in the opener of a split doubleheader. Steven Kwan had three hits and José Ramírez drove in two runs with a pair of sacrifice flies as Cleveland matched a season high with its fifth straight win. Amed Rosario had two hits and two RBIs.