AROUND THE HORN
MLB: The percentage of Major League Baseball players born outside the 50 states dipped slightly to 27.8%, its lowest level since 2016. There were 264 players from 19 nations and territories outside of the 50 states among 949 players on opening day active rosters and injured, restricted and inactive lists, the commissioner’s office said Friday. The percentage was down from 28.5% last year and the lowest since 27.5% in 2016. It has remained in the 26-29.8% range since 2002, peaking in 2017.
Nationals: The Nationals’ Nick Senzel won’t require surgery on his broken right hand, and manager Dave Martinez isn’t sure when the third baseman will return. “It comes down to pain tolerance now,” Martinez said Saturday. Senzel fractured a bone in thumb when a ball took a bad hop during batting practice before Thursday’s opener.
Cubs: Cubs placed lefthander Justin Steele on the 15-day injured list with a left hamstring strain Saturday after their opener day starter was injured fielding a bunt against the Rangers.
Braves: The Braves placed All-Star catcher Sean Murphy on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a strained left oblique muscle. The Braves added catcher Chadwick Tromp to the major league roster. Tromp will serve as Travis d’Arnaud’s backup while Murphy is out. Murphy was injured Friday on a swing in the seventh inning of the Braves’ 9-3 win over the Phillies in the season opener. He was a first-time All-Star last season. “I hate it for him. One of those freak things that happen in baseball,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
Brewers:
Rhys Hoskins drove in four runs, a day after his hard slide into Jeff McNeil caused dugouts to empty, and Yohan Ramírez was ejected for throwing behind the designated hitter’s back the Brewers’ 7-6 victory over the Mets on Saturday. Hoskins hit a two-run single in a threerun first inning, followed with a two-run homer in the third and singled and scored on a balk in the fifth by Luis Severino (0-1), who gave up a career-high 12 hits in his Mets debut. Ramírez’s first pitch to Hoskins in the seventh sailed well behind the right-handed hitter, who dropped his bat and glared at Ramírez as the reliever raced to pick up the ball, which caromed off the backstop. Ramírez was ejected by plate umpire Lance Barrett and given a standing ovation by fans. Hoskins walked against Jorge López. Mets closer Edwin Díaz pitched a perfect ninth in his first big league appearance since Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series on Oct. 9, 2022. Díaz missed last season after tearing the patellar tendon in his right knee while celebrating a win for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.
Twins: The Twins put oft-injured infielder Royce Lewis on the injured list with what the club called “a severe quad strain” on Saturday, and the reigning AL Central champions are preparing to be without him for more than a month. Lewis strained his right quad while rounding the bases on opening day Thursday against the Royals. It is the fifth time the former No. 1 overall draft pick has been put on the IL in just over two seasons as a big leaguer