BASEBALL
deGrom out for season
Texas ace Jacob deGrom will have season-ending Tommy John surgery, cutting short his first season after the oft-injured right-hander signed a $185 million, five-year contract with the Rangers. General manager Chris Young said Tuesday the decision on surgery came after an MRI on deGrom's ailing right elbow. The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner hadn't pitched since April 28, when he exited early against the the New York Yankees because of injury concerns for the second time in a span of three starts. The announcement of surgery came a day after deGrom was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Young said the latest MRI showed more inflammation and significant structural damage that wasn't there on the scan after deGrom exited the game against the Yankees. The Rangers signed deGrom, who turns 35 later this month, in free agency after he had played his first nine big league seasons with the Mets. He was limited by injuries to 156 1/3 innings over 26 starts his last two years in New York. DeGrom had a career-low 1.08 ERA over 92 innings during the 2021 season before missing the final three months with right forearm tightness and a sprained elbow. The four-time All-Star didn't make his first big-league start last year until Aug. 2 after being shut down late in spring training because of a stress reaction in his right scapula.
Georgia hires Arkansas native
Georgia has hired LSU pitching coach Wes Johnson as its new coach. Johnson replaces Scott Stricklin, who was fired on May 26 following a 9-0 loss to South Carolina in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference tournament. Georgia went 29-27 this season, including an 11-19 mark in the SEC. Johnson was the Minnesota Twins' pitching coach before making the unusual move of leaving the major leagues for the job at LSU on June 22, 2022. At the time, Johnson said the career change was "the toughest thing I've ever done." Johnson will remain with LSU through its postseason. Johnson is from Sherwood and graduated from the University of Arkansas-Monticello. He served as the pitching coach for the University of Arkansas from 2017-18 and did with two stints as pitching coach at the University of Central Arkansas.
Blue Jays demote Manoah
The Toronto Blue Jays demoted struggling right-hander Alek Manoah to the Florida Complex League Tuesday, one day after the 2022 All-Star and AL Cy Young finalist couldn't get out of the first inning against the Houston Astros. Manoah was booed by Toronto fans after allowing six runs and seven hits in 1/3 of an inning Monday, his seventh straight losing decision. He's 1-7 with a 6.36 ERA in 13 starts after going 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA in 31 starts last season. Previously the Gulf Coast League, the Florida Complex League is a rookie-level league with most games played at spring training facilities. After Monday's loss, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said "everything is on the table" when asked about Manoah's status. On Tuesday, Schneider said there was no timeline for Manoah's return to Toronto's rotation.
FOOTBALL
2 Browns players robbed
Two Cleveland Browns defensive players were robbed at gun point by six masked men outside a downtown night club, according to police. Police redacted the names of the players in a field case report. However, a person familiar with the situation identified the players as cornerback Greg Newsome II and tackle Perrion Winfrey. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. The Browns opened mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. According to police, one of the players was returning to his truck in a parking lot at 3:30 a.m. Monday when the masked suspects robbed him of jewelry before fleeing in his vehicle. The player said he was not injured during the theft. Newsome, a starting cornerback, posted Monday night, "It's a cruel world we live in" on Twitter. Newsome was on the field Tuesday as the Browns opened their three-day minicamp, while there was no immediate sign of Winfrey, a former Oklahoma defensive tackle.