Here’s more from the AL East…

• Rays right fielder Steven Souza Jr. is seeing a specialist in Nashville to have his hip evaluated today, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Souza has been playing through lingering discomfort in his left hip that has limited him in the weight room and other non-baseball activities. Souza describes the feeling as a pinching sensation that is stemming from an irregular bone growth in his hip. The possibility of surgery is on the table for the 27-year-old, who has batted .247/.303/.409 with 17 homers and six steals while playing above-average defense in spite of the hip troubles this year.
• Hanley Ramirez has redeemed himself in Boston after a dreadful first year with the Red Sox, and Alex Speier of the Boston Globe spoke to the slugger about his transformation at the plate. Ramirez feels that a shoulder injury sustained when crashing into the left field wall early last season hindered his ability to catch up with fastballs “a lot,” and Speier examines Ramirez’s complete rebound against heaters in 2016. Ramirez hit just .236 against fastballs last season, with only eight of his 19 homers coming against them. He didn’t hit a single homer off a pitch that was thrown 94 mph or greater, but he’s done so four times in the past three weeks alone, including last Thursday’s walk-off blast against Dellin Betances. Ramirez, whose batting line rests at a magnificent .294/.364/.517 (28 homers), discussed the various changes he’s made to his approach at the plate, specifically a lowered hand position that shortens his swing and increases the power. Manager John Farrell raved about Ramirez to reporters following last night’s two-homer performance (via MLB.com’s Ian Browne). “His comeback, his resurgence, it has been a major factor for where we stand today,” said Farrell.

Teixeira, 36, expressed an interest in playing long beyond the current season earlier this year but has battled through torn cartilage in his right knee and some minor neck and foot issues this year while struggling at the plate. The switch-hitting slugger is in the final season of a huge eight-year, $180MM contract and is batting .198/.287/.340 with 10 homers on the season. Of course, one only needs to look at the 2015 campaign to find the most recent season in which Teixeira was not just an above-average performer but one of the more impressive sluggers in all the league. Tex swatted 31 home runs in 2015 and slashed a hefty .255/.357/.548 on the year, which translated to an adjusted OPS that was 46 percent better than the league-average hitter. While he hasn’t played up to his standards this season, Teixeira did crack his 400th career home run this year — becoming just the 55th player to ever reach that lofty total.

The 2016 season, it seems, will be the final chapter in what has been one of the most productive careers since the turn of the century. Teixeira was the fifth overall pick out of Georgia Tech back in 2001 and spent just one season in the minors before debuting with the Rangers in 2003 and never looking back. He’d finish fifth in the American League Rookie of the Year voting that season and go on to win five Gold Glove Awards and three Silver Slugger Awards in a 14-year Major League career. Somewhat surprisingly, Teixeira has only been an All-Star on three occasions, but his track record of dominance at the plate suggests that he probably should’ve participated in the Midsummer Classic on a few more occasions.

From 2004-11, Texiera was one of the more feared hitters in the league, batting .284/.377/.537 with per-season averages of 36 home runs, 37  doubles and 117 RBIs. His bat was 36 percent above the league average over that eight-year stretch, per OPS+, and his career totals to date (.269/.361/.511, 404 homers, 400 doubles) are similarly impressive. Teixeira was a major factor in the Yankees’ 2009 World Series victory in his first season in the Bronx, and he was also the subject of one of the largest trades in the past decade, going from Texas to Atlanta in exchange for Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Matt Harrison and Beau Jones. To this point, Teixeira has been worth 52 wins above replacement, per Baseball-Reference, and 45 WAR in the estimation of Fangraphs. He’ll wrap up a brilliant career with just over $213MM in total earnings.

MLBTR wishes Teixeira the best in what will be the final months of an illustrious career and continued happiness and success in his post-playing days.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Here’s more from around the majors:

• Pirates general manager Neal Huntington dismissed the idea of trading five-time All-Star center fielder Andrew McCutchen earlier this week, but it’s something the team should eventually consider, writes Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The Pirates have a top-end outfield prospect in Austin Meadows, who would step in alongside Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco in the event of a McCutchen trade. Long the face of the Pirates’ franchise, the 29-year-old McCutchen is under team control through 2018 on an eminently reasonable contract. Even after a two-homer game Saturday, though, his normally excellent offensive production hasn’t been there this season. Through 316 PAs this year, the former NL MVP has hit .243/.320/423 – good for a league-average 101 wRC+. Right thumb issues have hampered McCutchen, who’s showing far less control over the strike zone than usual, as FanGraphs’ Jeff Sullivan detailed Thursday. For his part, McCutchen said Saturday that he isn’t concerned about trade rumors because they’re out of his control (Twitter link via Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune-Review).
• The Rangers inquired about Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright during the offseason, Texas president and GM Jon Daniels told Rob Bradford of WEEI on Saturday. “We asked about him this winter and they did not want to move him,” said Daniels. Wright was out of options  and coming off a season in which he threw 72 2/3 innings and recorded a 4.09 ERA, 6.44 K/9, 3.34 BB/9 and 43.2 percent ground-ball rate. Nearly all of those numbers have improved this season, especially the 31-year-old’s ERA – which stands at a sparkling 2.18 through 103 frames. Daniels told Bradford that the Rangers “would have tried harder” to land Wright had they known he would be this successful in 2016.
• Mets outfielder Alejandro De Aza has batted an ugly .169/.221/.247 with 29 strikeouts and five walks through 96 trips to the plate, but designating him for assignment isn’t under consideration as of now, a source told Marc Carig of Newsday (Twitter link). De Aza, whom the Mets signed to a $5.75MM deal in the offseason, will be a free agent at year’s end.

Teixeira is making a quick return after hitting the DL earlier this month with a cartilage tear in his knee. It was initially believed that the injury could require surgery, but Teixeira returns to the Yankees after just three weeks.

The quick return is fortuitous for the Yanks, too, even though Teixeira has struggled this season, batting just .180/.271/.263 so far. The Yankees struggled to find first base help after a series of injuries to Teixeira, Greg Bird, Dustin Ackley and Chris Parmelee, leading them to sign Davis two weeks ago. The veteran played sparingly, batting 3-for-14. As Murti notes, a key to the decision to let Davis go was the play of Rob Refsnyder, who has now appeared in 16 games at first and has batted .286/.339/.393 in 63 plate appearances this season. Via Newsday’s Erik Boland (on Twitter), Davis indicates he might be willing to accept an assignment to Triple-A if he clears waivers.

More on both Boston and its archenemy:

• In the event the Yankees are deadline sellers, right fielder Carlos Beltran could draw significant interest, an AL scout told John Perrotto of FanRag Sports. “He would help a lot of teams. He’s swinging the bat as well as I’ve ever seen him. He still plays a passable enough right field to help a National League team and American League teams can use him as a designated hitter,” said the scout. In his age-39 season, the switch-hitting Beltran is slashing .283/.316/.567 with an impressive 18 home runs in 256 plate appearances.
• Yankees reliever Andrew Miller’s name seems to surface in trade rumors on a daily basis, but the lefty told NJ.com (via Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune) that it doesn’t bother him. “I have zero control on it. I have zero leverage,” he said. “I don’t have any no-trade (clause). It comes with the territory I’m in. … I’m not immune to checking trade rumors because I want to see.” The 31-year-old Miller has already been dealt three times in his career, having gone from the Tigers to the Marlins to the Red Sox to the Orioles via the trade route.
• One potential reason the Red Sox are looking for rotation reinforcements is the struggles of southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez, whom Baltimore traded to Boston for Miller in 2014. Rodriguez has surrendered 16 earned runs while striking out 12 and walking nine in four starts (20 2/3 innings), though he’ll keep his rotation spot, per Chris Mason of the Boston Herald. Prior to his next start, which is Wednesday against the White Sox, Rodriguez will work on returning to the delivery he used during a successful rookie campaign a year ago. In 121 2/3 major league innings last season, Rodriguez compiled a 3.85 ERA, 7.25 K/9, 2.74 BB/9 and 43 percent ground-ball rate.
• First baseman Mark Teixeira could reenter the Yankees’ lineup as early as Saturday if all goes well in a rehab stint during the upcoming week, manager Joe Girardi said (via Randy Miller of NJ.com). That would represent a relatively quick comeback for Teixeira, who was a possibility for surgery after a cartilage tear in his right knee forced him to the disabled list June 4. Surgery still isn’t off the table in the event of a setback, though, and Girardi acknowledged that the injury could prevent Teixeira from serving as an everyday option. In his absence, the Yankees have turned to a platoon of Rob Refsnyder and the recently acquired Ike Davis at first.

Here’s more on some big-name players dealing with health troubles:

• Mariners ace Felix Hernandez is making progress with his strained calf, but there remains no timetable for his return, said manager Scott Servais (Twitter link via Greg Johns of MLB.com). Hernandez, who landed on the DL retroactive to May 28, was originally supposed to miss only two starts with the injury. But he’ll now need to go on a rehab stint when he’s deemed healthy enough to return to the mound, tweets Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. Hernandez posted a 2.86 ERA, 7.57 K/9 and 3.71 BB/9 in 63 innings prior to going on the shelf.
• Athletics left-hander Rich Hill won’t throw off a mound until the middle of next week at the earliest, per John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Before hitting the DL on Thursday with a right groin strain, the 36-year-old threw 64 frames of 2.25 ERA, struck out 10.41 batters per nine innings and established himself as an appealing summer trade candidate.
• Dodgers starters Hyun-jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy will both begin four- to five-start rehab assignments this weekend, according to manager Dave Roberts (via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). This will be the second time Ryu has attempted a rehab assignment; in May, he suffered a setback in his surgically repaired left shoulder after making three rehab starts. The 29-year-old southpaw underwent surgery on a torn labrum in May 2015 and hasn’t appeared in a major league game since October 2014. Given the time Ryu has missed, he’ll need to prove himself worthy of a rotation spot, Roberts said. McCarthy, meanwhile, had Tommy John surgery a year ago after racking up just four starts on the season.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the game:

• Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira will forego surgery on his right knee in hopes that he’ll be game-ready in three weeks’ time, as Roger Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports. That doesn’t necessarily mean that he’ll be expected at the major league level at that point, as the length of his layoff could require at least a brief rehab stint. The struggling veteran has already been placed on the 15-day DL after being diagnosed with a cartilage tear.
• Indians righty Danny Salazar will miss his next start due to shoulder fatigue, the club announced. It seems that the hope is it won’t be much more than that, as he’d likely be placed on the DL to free a roster spot otherwise. Salazar’s status remains worth watching, however. The 26-year-old has been outstanding in his first 11 starts. Cleveland will go to Cody Anderson for the spot start. While he’s struggled at times this year in the majors, Anderson has dominated in three Triple-A starts and is as good an insurance policy as you’ll find around the game.
• The Cubs had to pull outfielder Jorge Soler from tonight’s action due to a hamstring injury, as Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. He’s headed in for an MRI tomorrow, but it seems as if a DL stint could be in his future. Veteran minor-leaguer Matt Murton could get consideration if that proves necessary, but skipper Joe Maddon also suggested that prospect Albert Almora could receive consideration.
• Meanwhile, the Angels continue to sort through a host of pitching ailments, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports. Of immediate concern, set-up man Joe Smith is hoping to stave off a trip to the DL with a hamstring injury. Starters Tyler Skaggs and C.J. Wilson are both in different stages of the rehab process. The former is expected to head out on a rehab assignment after a five-inning extended spring appearance tomorrow. And the latter hopes to re-start a throwing program this week.
• The Angels are also waiting for some position players, as Fletcher further covers. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons (thumb surgery) could return to the majors as soon as Friday; outfielder Daniel Nava (groin) has only just returned to baseball activities; and catcher Geovany Soto (knee surgery) is throwing but has yet to hit or get into the crouch.

Cashman also says the Yankees tried to recruit James Loney, now with the Mets, at the end of Spring Training. “We had a conversation with Loney at the end of spring training, and at that time Loney was unwilling to go to Triple-A,” Cashman says. Loney would have given the Yankees a veteran first base option in the wake of Teixeira’s injury.

9:12am: The Yankees have announced that they’ve placed first baseman Mark Teixeira on the 15-day disabled list with a cartilage tear in his right knee. To take his place on the active roster, they selected the contract of veteran 1B/OF Chris Parmelee. They also transferred Dustin Ackley (shoulder) to the 60-day DL.

As we noted yesterday, Teixeira left yesterday’s game with right knee pain, and he received an MRI. The 36-year-old has struggled thus far this season, posting a .180/.271/.263 line while also dealing with a lingering neck issue. His 2016 has been a far cry from his performance last year, when he batted .255/.357/.548 while hitting a remarkable 31 home runs in 462 plate appearances.

With Teixeira (and Ackley) on the shelf, Parmelee, who was batting .252/.343/.444 with Triple-A Scranton, could take over a fair amount of playing time at first, perhaps along with Rob Refsnyder, although Refsnyder lacks experience at the position. (The team has elected to keep veteran slugger Nick Swisher, another potential first base option, at Triple-A after a slow start there.) Along with Teixeira, the Yankees are also missing Greg Bird, who is out for the season with a torn labrum.

• Rich Hill will miss his next scheduled start for the Athletics, as MLB.com’s Jane Lee reports. He’s dealing with groin soreness, and while that doesn’t appear to be a major concern, manager Bob Melvin made clear that the team “want[s] to make sure he is as close to 100 percent as he can be” before putting him back on the MLB bump. Hill is both a key to Oakland’s hopes and a top potential trade chip, but he’s already recorded more major league innings this season than in any single campaign since 2007.
• The Orioles may finally welcome back righty Yovani Gallardo late next week, as Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports on Twitter. Baltimore hopes that he’ll be ready for activation after his next Triple-A rehab start on Tuesday, per skipper Buck Showalter. Headed in the other direction is reliever Darren O’Day, who is expected to miss something close to the minimum after hitting the 15-day DL with a hamstring strain.
• The Mets have updated timetables for two important young players of their own, as Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports (here and here). Righty Zack Wheeler is not expected back until mid-July at this point. That’s a few weeks later than had been expected, but he is said to be progressing as hoped and there certainly isn’t much of a rush from the team’s perspective. The catching position is one where New York could use some help, though, and it’s certainly promising to hear that Travis d’Arnaud is ready to begin a rehab assignment this weekend. That would put him on track to return to the majors within the twenty-day period allowed for position-player rehab stints.
• Likewise, Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons is “close” to undertaking his own minor league assignment, as Mike Scioscia tells reporters including MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez (via Twitter). The basement-dwelling Halos badly need Simmons not only to return, but to pick up his pace at the plate when he does.
• Padres righty Cesar Vargas has been diagnosed with a flexor strain, per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). He won’t even get another check-up for three weeks, so it certainly seems that a fairly lengthy absence is to be expected.
• Miguel Sano of the Twins has a moderate hamstring strain that will keep him out for longer than the 15-day minimum, per LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (via Twitter). While Minnesota’s hopes for the present season appear to have all but evaporated, Sano remains both a critical future piece and a possible factor in the team’s deadline plans. Third baseman Trevor Plouffe looks like a plausible trade piece, which could lead the way to a return to the hot corner for Sano.
• Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira left today’s action with right knee pain, as Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees blog reports. He’s headed for an MRI to get a clearer idea of the issue. Teixeira was already dealing with a neck ailment, so the health questions continue to compile for the veteran. If a DL stint is required, New York could conceivably dip into its minor league system for Chris Parmelee or Nick Swisher — either of whom would require a 40-man spot. It doesn’t help that catcher (and occasional fill-in first baseman) Brian McCann is day-to-day with some elbow pain, as Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News tweets.
• Three-time Tommy John surgery recipient Jonny Venters is set to be activated by the Rays’ High-A affiliate on Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The 31-year-old was once one an electric reliever for the Braves, but he last pitched professionally way back in 2012.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the game:

• Shelby Miller continues to be limited by a finger injury, Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale said today, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. Already struggling on the hill, Miller’s difficulties were exacerbated when he scraped his hand on the dirt in his follow-through. Hale “still not where we’d like it to be,” which Piecoro suggests could set the stage for a DL stint. The 25-year-old owns an unsightly 7.09 ERA in 45 2/3 innings on the season, with just thirty strikeouts to go with 29 walks. When asked whether Miller could be sent to the minors, GM Dave Stewart didn’t reveal much but also didn’t rule out the idea, as Jack Magruder of Fanragsports.com tweets. “We want to get him on track the best way we can,” said Stewart. “We will figure it out and do what’s needed.”
• Angels southpaw C.J. Wilson made his rehab debut yesterday, as Pete Marshall of the Orange County Register writes. The 35-year-old is one of several hurlers filtering back up towards the majors for the Halos, which could eventually lead to some interesting roster decisions. For now, he says his command and mechanics were in a good place, and didn’t suggest that his balky left arm was a problem. It’s certainly promising that Wilson was able to work up to 56 pitches while lasting into the fifth inning. He hopes to make it back to the majors by early to mid-June.
• Also potentially returning in the middle of next month is Logan Forsythe of the Rays, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). His shoulder has improved to the point where he’s able to take grounders, leading to some hope that he could join the Rays at some point after they wrap up an upcoming road trip.
• Mets infielder Wilmer Flores appears ready for activation after a rehab game at Double-A, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. The 24-year-old was off to a slow start, with a .180/.255/.280 slash, before heading to the DL with a hamstring strain. New York lost first baseman Lucas Duda, and Flores could conceivably be part of the solution — with the team’s trade plans somewhat dependent upon how much it trusts Flores and other internal options.

Here’s more from Rosenthal:

• The Yankees aren’t known for selling at the trade deadline, but if their woeful April performance drags into the coming months, lights-out relievers Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller could be two of the most appealing players available over the summer, Rosenthal says. Chapman, whose 30-game suspension stemming from domestic violence allegations is almost over, will be a free agent at year’s end. Miller has two years and $18MM left on his deal after this season, and Rosenthal doesn’t expect the Yankees to move him if they intend on competing in 2017. If not, though, they could use the deadline to erase his money from their books and stave off a possible decline in their uniform. Miller, 30, hasn’t shown any negative signs this year, having amassed 15 strikeouts over nine scoreless, walk-less innings.
• Speaking of relievers, the Mets, Giants and Blue Jays will look to fortify their bullpens as the season advances, per Rosenthal. Mets relievers have been outstanding this year, while the other two clubs’ bullpen production has been average or worse. Toronto will get in-house help there eventually in the form of starter Aaron Sanchez, whose innings limit will remove him from the team’s rotation, Rosenthal notes. Sanchez, who has been excellent in a starting role (2.59 ERA, 8.33 K/9, 2.87 BB/9 in 31 1/3 innings), put up a 2.39 ERA with 19 strikeouts and seven walks in 26 1/3 frames out of the Jays’ bullpen last season.
• Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira could appeal to plenty of teams on a short-term deal if he hits free agency in the offseason, according to Rosenthal. Teixeira’s dedication to fitness might allay some teams’ fears about his age (he’ll turn 37 next April), but he’ll obviously need to stay healthy and compile significant production this season in order to cash in over the winter. Teixeira was terrific last year, slashing .255/.357/.548 with 31 homers in just 111 games to revive his career, but his 89 plate appearances this season haven’t been nearly as promising (.230/.360/.365).

More from the American League…

• Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre told reporters, including Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, that he is still waiting on a contract proposal from the Rangers following yesterday’s loss to the Angels. Grant writes that the Rangers’ hesitation, unsurprisingly, is likely due to Beltre’s age. The three-year deal he seeks would cost Texas something in the vicinity of $60MM, and the Rangers must weigh whether that type of investment in Beltre’s age-38 through age-40 seasons is a better course of action than trusting a high-upside but unproven prospect, Joey Gallo, to man the position while making scarcely more than $1.5MM (total) in his pre-arbitration seasons over that same time frame.
• Angels left-hander Andrew Heaney was relieved after receiving encouraging news following an MRI, writes the Orange County Register’s Jeff Fletcher. “I saw the MRI for myself,” Heaney explained. “Obviously I’m not a doctor, but the way they explained it to me, it looked perfectly sound and healthy,” he added in reference to his ulnar collateral ligament. The words “forearm tightness” have become increasingly frightening in recent years, as that can often be a precursor to Tommy John surgery, but the MRI makes two waves of evaluations that seem to indicate a healthy UCL for Heaney. In his absence, the Halos will turn to Nick Tropeano to step into the rotation, though as Fletcher notes, Tropeano didn’t exceed four innings in an appearance in Spring Training. With Tropeano and Jered Weaver both limited in terms of endurance at this time, there could be some extra stress placed on the ’pen.
• Former big league right-hander Jeremy Sowers is beginning to carve out a career on the baseball operations side of the game as a member of the Rays organization, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Sowers’ final big league game came in 2009, and since that time he received an MBA from North Carolina. After briefly working in the corporate world, Sowers took a 2015 internship with the Rays, who eventually hired him as a Major League operations assistant. Sowers is working with the Rays’ advance scouting process, and he’s also an integral part of the club’s instant replay process as well as the “information flow with [the Rays’] players and coaches,” per president Matt Silverman.

Here’s more from the AL East:

• Allen Craig was outrighted off the Red Sox roster last fall, but he’s in camp competing for a backup role to Hanley Ramirez, writes Sean McAdam of CSN Northeast. Craig’s power has evaporated since his heyday with the Cardinals. He’s still just 31 years old – young enough to rediscover his groove and contribute in the majors. However, he’ll need to make more consistent hard contact, especially to the outfield gaps.
• The Yankees may find it challenging to replace Adam Warren, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Warren, traded to the Cubs for Starlin Castro, filled multiple shoes during his Yankees tenure – swingman, multi-inning reliever, and late-inning reliever. While the Yankees have a fantastic back end of the bullpen, the guys ahead of the top three carry some uncertainty. In the rotation, Ivan Nova is a good sixth starter, but the depth behind him looks shaky. Nova is the most likely to fill Warren’s many-hatted role. Bryan Mitchell is another name to watch.
• Also from Sherman, the Yankees should worry about their first base depth too. Much was made this week about the lack of options behind Chase Headley at third base. At first, Mark Teixeira is coming off his most healthy season in recent memory, but he still hasn’t played more than 123 games since 2011. Prospect Greg Bird is out for the year while Alex Rodriguez isn’t expected to don a glove. Dustin Ackley can help provide depth along with Brian McCann. The club may be better served by acquiring a more traditional alternative. Among free agents, Pedro Alvarez and Justin Morneau may be a little rich for an emergency backup role. I could see Jeff Baker, Corey Hart, Ryan Raburn, and Marlon Byrd as potential fits. Byrd would need to learn a new position.
• The role of Yankees top catching prospect Gary Sanchez will require thought, per Sherman. The club is convinced he’s ready, yet there just isn’t much opportunity to play behind McCann at catcher and Rodriguez at designated hitter. Sanchez, who has options, may benefit more from playing regularly at Triple-A. Meanwhile, both Carlos Corporan and Austin Romine can elect free agency if they aren’t ticketed for the 25-man roster.
• Orioles Rule 5 pick Joey Rickard has a shot to stick, writes Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. With Dexter Fowler returning to Chicago, Rickard could be in the mix as a backup in left or right field. He’s a high contact hitter with speed, plate discipline, and minimal power.

• The holdup in Yovani Gallardo’s agreement has delivered a fresh round of criticism towards the Orioles and their high (perhaps overly high) standards in player physicals.  As MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko observes, however, avoiding some of these contracts has often been to the club’s benefit.  Many of the players the O’s opted not to sign due to health reasons proceeded to decline, either due to injury or simply subpar performance.
• An Orioles staff member also defended the team’s stance on physicals to Peter Gammons, noting that after the O’s backed out of an agreement with Grant Balfour two years ago, Balfour has since badly struggled.  Despite the criticism, the Orioles “were right. Dan [Duquette] didn’t deserve the grief he took,” the staff member said.  “And if this is what the doctor thinks, why would we pay Gallardo half the amount? If he’s hurt, Peter [Angelos] and Dan don’t owe him anything.”  Gammons also hears from two Orioles pitchers that Gallardo’s issue is “really unfortunate” and “apparently pretty serious.”
• By setting a high and seemingly inflexible price on a contract extension, Jose Bautista has made it easy for the Blue Jays to part ways with the slugger after the season, Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star opines.
• Dave Dombrowski has shown a willingness to cut ties with underperforming players regardless of contract status, as the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier recalls the Tigers’ 2003 release of Damion Easley when Dombrowski was Detroit’s general manager.  Now that Dombrowski is in charge of the Red Sox, his presence could put added pressure on 2015 struggles such as Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval, Rick Porcello and Rusney Castillo to improve.  (Though with the obvious caveat that eating any of those contracts would cost Boston much more than it cost Detroit to part ways with Easley.)

• Speaking of potential Yankees injuries, fragility may define the 2016 Bombers, writes George A. King III of the NY Post. The rotation looks solid but thin. Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, CC Sabathia, and even Nathan Eovaldi have all had their run-ins with the trainer. Luis Severino is young and therefore uncertain (pitching is always uncertain). Among the position players, Greg Bird is already out for the year. Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran, Alex Rodriguez, and Mark Teixeira are all safe bets to need some time on the shelf.
• Rodriguez and Teixeira may be key players in 2016, suggests Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. Their ability to once again tap into the fountain of youth is one of Feinsand’s five questions for the 2016 campaign. He also wonders if Aroldis Chapman will face suspension, if Sabathia’s new knee brace can help him rebound, and if the rest of the rotation can stay healthy.
• Mets GM Sandy Alderson continues to undergo chemotherapy for an undisclosed cancer, writes Adam Rubin of ESPN. He received the diagnosis shortly after the club clinched the NL East last season, giving the playoffs a bittersweet tinge. It has not affected his job.
• Alderson figures David Wright should play a maximum of 130 games next season, writes Rubin. The club is keen to avoid overtaxing his back. He’ll rest against tough right-handed pitchers with Wilmer Flores likely to enter the lineup.
• Alderson also answered a wide range of questions for Steve Serby of the NY Post. He touched upon his illness, virtually every position on the roster, and the farm system. When asked about the starting rotation, Alderson said, “you go that deep into the playoffs, there’s gonna be kind of a surcharge on their innings. So we’re gonna be careful with them. It doesn’t mean that we’re gonna manage their innings necessarily.“