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MLB notebook: Smith, Rivera close out HOF ceremonies

[July 22, 2019] Lee Smith and Mariano Rivera combined to finish 1,754 games as big leaguers. On Sunday afternoon, they closed things out one more time.

In an appropriate touch, Smith and Rivera were the last two people to take the podium at Clark Sports Center, where an estimated 55,000 fans gathered on a warm afternoon for the ceremonies inducting the two closers as well as Harold Baines, Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina and the late Roy Halladay into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Rivera opened his speech with a line that indicated he could have a second career as a stand-up comic.

"I don't understand why I always have to be last," said Rivera, who racked up a record 652 saves and finished 952 games, the most in history, before becoming the first player to ever earn unanimous election into the Hall of Fame.

--Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff is headed to the 10-day injured list with a strained left oblique muscle.

Woodruff, a first-time All-Star this season, left his start in Phoenix against the Arizona Diamondbacks two pitches into the fourth inning with what the team described a few innings later as abdominal discomfort. He began the day 11-3 with a 3.53 ERA but struggled through his first three innings.

The Brewers said Woodruff would undergo an MRI on Monday in Milwaukee to determine the severity of the injury.

--The Tampa Bay Rays placed outfielder Kevin Kiermaier on the 10-day injured list with a left thumb sprain.

He suffered the injury Saturday night in the eighth inning of a 2-1 loss to the White Sox, jamming his thumb while sliding into first base. It's the latest in a series of hand injuries for Kiermaier.

The Tampa Bay Times reported that an MRI showed no serious ligament damage or fractures. He is expected to return in the next 10 to 15 days. On the season, Kiermaier is batting .248 with 10 home runs and a career-high 43 RBIs.

--The Colorado Rockies designated veteran slugger Mark Reynolds for assignment.

In 78 games, Reynolds was batting just .170 with four homers and 20 RBIs. He fanned 57 times in 135 at-bats.

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Hall of Fame Inductee Harold Baines and Hall of Fame Inductee Lee Smith and Hall of Fame Inductee Edgar Martinez and Hall of Fame Inductee Mike Mussina and Hall of Fame Inductee Mariano Rivera and Brandy Halladay widow of Roy Halladay hold up their Hall of Fame plaques after the 2019 National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Clark Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Reynolds, who turns 36 next month, said he will go home to Virginia and decide whether to continue playing. He has slugged 298 homers over 13 seasons.

--The San Francisco Giants designated struggling left-handed pitcher Derek Holland for assignment along with infielder Ryder Jones.

Holland, who signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Giants in the offseason, started the season in the starting rotation, then was demoted to the bullpen.

On the year, the 32-year-old Holland is 2-4 with a 5.90 ERA. He's appeared in 31 games (seven starts), throwing 68 2/3 innings.

--The St. Louis Cardinals made a bevy of moves, which included recalling infielder Rangel Ravelo and left-hander Tyler Webb from Triple-A Memphis.

In corresponding moves, the team optioned right-handers Ryan Helsley and Dominic Leone to Memphis.

Ravelo, who made the Triple-A All-Star team, is hitting .313 with nine home runs and 43 RBIs in 77 games with Memphis this season. It's the third call-up this season for Ravelo, 27, who played in more than 800 minor league games before making his MLB debut in June.

--Field Level Media

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