McCullers, Astros agree on extension
Houston righthander Lance McCullers Jr., who would have been eligible for free agency after this season, on Wednesday agreed to a fiveyear, $85 million extension through 2026.
McCullers agreed to a oneyear, $6.5 million for the 2021 season in January.
McCullers, 27, returned in 2020 after missing a season following Tommy John surgery. He was 33 with a 3.93 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 11 starts last year, earning $1,518,519 prorated from a $4.1 million salary.
Ball monitor: Major League Baseball is increasing its monitoring of baseballs in an attempt to suppress any use of foreign substances by pitchers.
Mike Hill, newly hired as executive vice president of baseball operations and disciplinarian, wrote in a memorandum to team officials Tuesday that “players are subject to discipline … regardless of whether evidence of the violation has been discovered during or following a game.”
Spin rate on pitches is among the things MLB will be examining to find potential violators. Tatis update: San Diego shortstop Fernando Tatis, who left a game Tuesday because of left shoulder discomfort, felt better Wednesday, manager Jayce Tingler said.
“He’s going to have a good work day today and we’ll kind of see where it goes,” Tingler said. “Very encouraging news.” Injury report: Texas designated hitter Khris Davis, acquired from the A’s last month, will be sidelined for at least three weeks because of a quad strain. He was hurt while running out a bunt single Tuesday . ... The Pirates announced that lefthander Steven Brault, who was expected to be part of the team’s rotation, will be shut down for at least a month to address discomfort in his throwing shoulder . ... St. Louis center fielder Harrison Bader will be out for at least a month because of a forearm issue, ESPN reported.
Briefly: The Rangers exercised manager Chris Woodward’s option for 2022. He is 100122 in two seasons with the team . ... The Mets reassigned former A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell to the minor leagues.