Month: August 2022

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced right-hander Walker Buehler would undergo season-ending elbow surgery last week, though the exact nature of the surgery was unknown at the time. On Tuesday, Buehler clarified that he will undergo his second career Tommy John surgery, suggesting he will miss the entire 2023 season. Buehler made the Tommy John surgery announcement himself on Instagram: “Tommy John Round 2 let’s roll. See ya when I see ya @dodgers”

Buehler had not pitched in the majors since June 10, just days before he underwent an operation to have bone chips removed from his throwing elbow. Tommy John surgery comes with a 14-16 month rehab timetable, though it can be longer when the surgery is performed a second time.  Buehler had his first Tommy John surgery soon after being drafted in the first round in 2015. Barring any setbacks, he should be able to return for spring training in 2024, in his final season before becoming a free agent.

The 28-year-old Buehler appeared in just 12 games this season, pitching to a 4.02 ERA (103 ERA+) and 58 strikeouts in 65 innings. The two-time All-Star finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting last year after accumulating a 2.47 ERA (169 ERA+) and a 4.08 strikeout-to-walk ratio in a career-high 207 innings pitched.

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San Diego Padres Fernando Tatis Jr. addressed the media on Tuesday for the first time since his 80-game suspension.  The shortstop was suspended by MLB after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug earlier this month, and will miss the rest of this season and the postseason.

Tatis Jr. apologized for his mistakes and took responsibility for his actions, saying that his dreams have turned into his worst nightmares: “There’s no other one to blame than myself. I haven’t made the right decisions in these past two weeks, month, even the start of the year. I made a mistake and I regret every single step I have taken … I’m truly sorry. I have let so many people down. I have lost so much love from people. I have failed. I’m going to remember what this feels like, and I’m not going to put myself in this position ever again. I know I have a lot of love that I have to recover. I have a lot of work to do, it will be a very long process. I’m learning, I’m maturing.”

The 23-year-old Tatis is in the second year of his record 14-year, $340 million contract extension. Prior to his suspension, he had not played this season because of a wrist injury suffered in an offseason motorcycle accident. He was on a minor-league rehab assignment and nearing a return at the time of the suspension.  Tatis tested positive for Clostebol, which is on the league’s banned substances list.  When news of the suspension broke, Tatis said that he had accidentally taken the substance to treat ringworm. On Tuesday, he clarified that statement, saying that the substance that he took was meant to treat a skin condition that he had been dealing with for an extended time.

Tatis also said that he will undergo left shoulder surgery during his suspension. Shoulder problems had sent Tatis to the injured list three separate times in 2021 and limited him to 130 games.  He will miss the final 48 games this year and the first 32 games next year while serving the suspension, giving him roughly nine months to recover from surgery before he’s eligible to play again.

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The Las Vegas Raiders plan to release running back Kenyan Drake. The 28-year-old Drake was drafted in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft out of Alabama by the Dolphins, but was traded to the Cardinals in October 2019. Drake had a career-high 1,162 yards from scrimmage with the Dolphins and Cardinals in 14 games played that season.

In 2020, Drake tallied 1,092 yards from scrimmage in 15 appearances for Arizona, but he signed with the Raiders in ’21 where he only started in two of his 12 appearances. Drake logged 545 yards from scrimmage and three total touchdowns.

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On Monday, the Carolina Panthers officially named Baker Mayfield as their starter for Week 1. Mayfield, who was acquired via trade in July, was up against fellow former first-round pick Sam Darnold for the team’s top job. Mayfield will face his old team when Carolina hosts Cleveland to to kick off the season on Sept. 11.

Panthers coach Matt Rhule said in a team statement: “When we started this process, we were looking at three things. Number one, mastery of the offense; number two, situational football excellence; and number three, moving the ball and getting guys involved. That’s been our focus all along. Baker has made a lot of improvement, a lot of growth in all three areas in a short amount of time.”

Rhule said Monday: “All along, we’ve felt like we need to have a really strong quarterback room, and have every quarterback ready to play. The reality of this league is most teams will play multiple quarterbacks. Sam has worked incredibly hard, played really well for us during training camp, and will be ready to go if and when it’s needed.”

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