Ausmus won’t return to Tigers in 2018.
The Detroit Tigers will not bring back manager Brad Ausmus next year after four seasons that included a division title amid declining fortunes as the franchise battles age, injuries and the departure of some key stars.
General manager Al Avila announced the move Friday.
“We didn’t win,” Avila said while announcing the move in the Detroit dugout before Friday night’s game. “The organization, the club, got to a point where we needed change on the field. We needed to change the roster, and we started trading players, so the conclusion is: OK, you know what? Let’s just take a whole brand new road and opening up to new things.”
Ausmus was 312-325 over nearly four full seasons, including an American League Central Division title in his first year. But the Tigers have generally underperformed since then. Detroit is shedding payroll, although the Tigers still have Miguel Cabrera’s huge contract. Detroit has traded stars Justin Verlander, Justin Upton and J.D. Martinez, and the Tigers are assured of no better than a fourth-place finish in their division.
“Al and I have become very good friends over the four years I was here, so it was a little emotional when he told me he wasn’t going to bring me back,” the 48-year-old Ausmus said. “Quite frankly, I told him I fully understood.”
A year ago, the Tigers exercised the 2017 option on Ausmus’ contract after a 12-win improvement from 2015. The Tigers have finished first, last and second in the AL Central during his tenure and were just a half-game out of the bottom spot going into Friday’s games.
Syndergaard to pitch one inning: The Mets plan to have ace Noah Syndergaard make a one-inning start Saturday in his first major-league game in nearly five months.
Syndergaard has been out since April 30 because of a partially torn lat muscle on his right side. He will pitch against the National League East champion Washington Nationals.
An all-star last year, the 25-year-old right-hander was 1-2 with a 3.29 ERA in five starts this season when he was hurt. Syndergaard pitched twice in the minors during his rehabilitation.
General manager Sandy Alderson said Friday the Mets want Syndergaard to get the feeling of being back on the mound. Depending on how Syndergaard feels, he might pitch once more this season.
Former Mets ace Matt Harvey will take over in the second inning.
Frazier wants more netting for fans immediately: After speaking with the family of the young girl hit in the face by his foul ball, the New York Yankees’ Todd Frazier thinks teams should move quickly to expand protective netting at major-league ballparks.
“I think 2018, that’s too late,” Frazier said Friday. “It should be up sooner than that.”
Frazier spoke Thursday to the father of the girl struck by his 105 mph foul ball in Wednesday’s game against Minnesota at Yankee Stadium. The girl remains hospitalized. Frazier said her father told him she is “OK.”
Cincinnati and San Diego have said they will expand netting before next season.