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MLB notebook: Five-time All-Star Tulowitzki retires

[July 26, 2019] Five-time All-Star Troy Tulowitzki announced his retirement on Thursday after injuries again derailed another season.

Tulowitzki, 34, was able to play in just five games for the New York Yankees due to a calf injury. He went 2 for 11 with a homer and last played on April 3. He also missed all of last season and the final two-plus months of the 2017 season with a heel injury while with the Toronto Blue Jays.

"For as long as I can remember, my dream was to compete at the highest level as a Major League Baseball Player ... to wear a big league uniform and play hard for my teammates and the fans," Tulowitzki said in a statement issued through the Yankees. "I will forever be grateful for every day that I've had to live out my dream. It has been an absolute honor."

Tulowitzki finishes his career as a .290 hitter with 225 homers and 780 RBIs in 1,291 games.

--Texas Rangers All-Star outfielder Joey Gallo underwent surgery on his right wrist to repair a broken hamate bone, and he will miss at least four weeks, the team announced.

Hand surgeon Thomas DiLiberti performed the operation in Dallas on Thursday.

Gallo had played through pain in the wrist all month. He departed the Rangers' Tuesday road game against the Seattle Mariners after batting in the eighth inning due to soreness. X-rays on Tuesday night and an MRI exam on Wednesday prompted the Rangers to send Gallo home for the surgical procedure.

--Tampa Bay Rays ace left-hander Blake Snell is slated to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his elbow and will miss at least one month, the club announced.

The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner is scheduled to have loose bodies removed from his pitching elbow on Monday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Snell was placed on the 10-day injured list on Thursday. The 26-year-old is 6-7 with a 4.28 ERA in 20 starts this season. He has struck out 136 in 101 innings.

-- Expect right-handed pitcher Noah Syndergaard to be a quality starter on the trading block ahead of the July 31 deadline, ESPN reported through a source. The Mets are reportedly ready to take offers. "It's beyond listening," a rival evaluator told ESPN. "They want to move him."

One of the teams that has shown interest in the past is the San Diego Padres, who have a strong farm system full of prospects who could be part of a deal. The Houston Astros, with Gerrit Cole set to become a free agent in the offseason, are another team that has been mentioned, along with a Milwaukee Brewers' squad that just lost All-Star Brandon Woodruff to an oblique injury.

Syndergaard, 26, has had problems at times with the Mets this season, compiling a 7-5 record a 4.66 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 126 2/3 innings. He is under team control through the 2021 season and is earning only $6 million this season. He's eligible for arbitration this offseason.

--The Yankees placed outfielder Brett Gardner on the 10-day injured list with left knee inflammation.

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Rangers center fielder Joey Gallo (13) rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the fourth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Gardner, 35, had missed four games this week with a sore knee before the Yankees finally went the IL route. The veteran was batting .243 this season with 15 home runs and 41 RBIs. He is the second main Yankees contributor to go on the IL in successive days after catcher Gary Sanchez suffered a groin strain.

To take Gardner's spot on the active roster, left-hander Stephen Tarpley was recalled. Tarpley, who has a 6.59 ERA in 16 relief appearances, was just sent down earlier this week when right-hander Jonathan Holder was recalled.

--The Oakland Athletics reinstated Nick Hundley from the 10-day injured list and then designated the veteran catcher for assignment.

Hundley was batting just .200 with two home runs and five RBIs in 31 games before he was sidelined with back spasms in June. He subsequently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery.

Over the past 10 days, he appeared in seven minor league games for two A's affiliates on a rehab assignment, and he went 5-for-25 (.200) with a homer and four RBIs. He caught a no-hitter for Class-A Stockton on Monday.

--The Houston Astros traded first baseman Tyler White to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league right-hander Andre Scrubb.

The Astros had designated White for assignment last Friday. White, 28, batted .225 with three homers and 21 RBIs in 71 games this season. He hit .241 with 26 homers and 101 RBIs in 244 games with Houston since making his debut in 2016.

Scrubb, 24, is 6-1 with a 2.45 ERA in 29 appearances (two starts) with Double-A Tulsa this season. He has 56 strikeouts and 23 walks in 47 2/3 innings.

--The Chicago Cubs will call up Ian Happ for the first time this season, the Chicago Tribune reported, after the utility man had a productive run at Triple-A Iowa.

Happ has played in 257 major league games over the previous two seasons, but was sent back to the minor leagues to work on his offense, in particular an excessive strikeout rate. He struck out 167 times in 142 games last season.

Happ, 24, is batting .242 with 16 home runs and 53 RBIs at Iowa, with 113 strikeouts in 99 games. He has been solid of late, delivering 11 hits in his last 33 at-bats with six strikeouts. He will join the Cubs on Friday, according to the Chicago Tribune.

--Field Level Media

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