NL East

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom suffered a setback in his recovery from his shoulder injury.

According to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo, deGrom experienced "mild muscle soreness around his shoulder" on Sunday, which led the Mets to push back his simulated game that was scheduled for Thursday. deGrom had played catch on Monday and Tuesday without any issues, but the team still felt the need to delay his return to the mound "out of an abundance of caution."

DiComo added that the Mets might have to wait until August for deGrom to return.

DeGrom was limited to just 15 starts in 2021 and hasn't played since July 2021 due to a number of ailments, including forearm and elbow issues. More recently, he has been dealing with a stress reaction in his right shoulder.

When healthy, the 34-year-old is one of the best pitchers in baseball. He went 7-2 last season with a 1.08 ERA, .554 WHIP and 146 strikeouts in 92 innings.

With the four-time All-Star sidelined, the Mets have relied on offseason additions Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt, in addition to Carlos Carrasco, Taijuan Walker and David Peterson. New York's pitching staff has combined for a 3.61 ERA this season, the sixth-best in baseball.

Even without deGrom, the Mets have been one of the best teams in baseball. They sit first in the NL East with a 58-35 record.

Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg is reportedly set to miss the remainder of the 2022 season.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the expectation is that a nerve issue will keep Strasburg out for the rest of the campaign, although he won't need to repeat the surgery he underwent last year for thoracic outlet syndrome.

Strasburg, who will turn 34 on Wednesday, has seen his career riddled with injuries:

• 2010: Season ended prematurely after a torn UCL, costing him all but five starts in the 2011 campaign.
• 2015-16: A number of injuries cost him several games in both seasons, and a partially torn pronator tendon ultimately cut his 2016 campaign short. 
• 2018: A number of injuries held him to just 22 starts. 
• 2020: Season cut short after just two appearances, needed carpal tunnel surgery. 
• 2021: Only made five starts, season ended that June due to thoracic outlet syndrome. Had surgery that July.

Strasburg returned to the mound this June but lasted just one start before heading to the injured list yet again, giving up seven runs and eight hits in 4.2 innings.

When healthy, Strasburg has been one of the best pitchers in baseball. He's a three-time All-Star and was the 2019 World Series MVP. He was so good that year (18-6, 3.32 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 251 strikeouts in 209 regular-season innings; 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 36.1 postseason innings) that the Nationals signed him to a seven-year, $245 million extension.

He's made just eight starts since.

The Nationals are far closer to rebuilding than contention, so Strasburg's injury woes this season aren't going to hurt a playoff push, since one isn't coming. But it has meant that if the Nationals plan to be sellers, one intriguing arm they could dangle in front of contenders probably isn't an option.

Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter/outfielder Bryce Harper is reportedly set to meet his surgeon next week with the "hope" he can remove the pins in his left thumb, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

He underwent surgery on his thumb on June 29 with an expected recovery timeline of six-to-eight weeks.

Harper, 29, is a six-time All-Star and two-time National League MVP who has played 11 big league seasons for the Washington Nationals and Phils.

He's played 64 games for Philadelphia in 2022, posting a .318 batting average, a .385 on-base percentage and a .985 OPS alongside 15 home runs and 48 RBI.

He has been out since June 25 when he was hit by a pitch from San Diego Padres southpaw Blake Snell and suffered a fractured left thumb. Harper had already been playing with a small tear in the UCL of his right elbow, limiting him to designated hitter duties.

The Phils already have a pair of mainstays to put in their outfield and DH spots with newcomers Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos. Other options include Odubel Herrera, Mickey Moniak, Matt Vierling and Derek Hall.

However, Harper is this team's most valuable player, and his production can't be replicated as the Phils look for their first playoff appearance since 2011.

The Philadelphia Phillies selected Justin Crawford with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft on Sunday.

With the 17th overall pick, the @Phillies select Bishop Gorman (NV) outfielder Justin Crawford, No. 13 on the Top 250 Draft Prospects list.

Watch live: https://t.co/42SJUa2odY pic.twitter.com/K6jLF0JQ8Q

— MLB Draft (@MLBDraft) July 18, 2022

Crawford is a 6'3", 175-pound outfielder who attends Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.

The LSU commit is the son of former outfielder Carl Crawford, a four-time All-Star who played 15 big league seasons and led the American League in steals on four occasions.

Crawford is also one of numerous sons of former big leaguers who will get drafted. Others include Druw Jones (son of Andruw Jones) and Jackson Holliday (son of Matt Holliday).

MLB.com ranks the younger Crawford 13th on this year's list of available draft prospects.

A portion of MLB.com's scouting report is below.

"Anyone who remembers watching his dad play should not be surprised that Crawford is one of the better athletes in this class. He regularly records easily plus run times and that near-elite speed will allow him to be a threat on the bases and cover a ton of ground in the outfield. At the plate, the left-handed hitter has very good bat-to-ball skills, showing the ability to make adjustments. He's more of a slap hitter now, content to let his legs do the work, but there's some whip in his swing and he can sit back and drive the ball the other way, with added strength to help him in the power department in the future."

MLB.com also notably gave Crawford an astounding 70 grade out of 80 for running.

Per MaxPreps, Crawford hit .503 (.562 OBP) with 77 hits, 52 RBI and 60 runs for his senior season at Bishop Gorman.

He has tremendous potential at the next level, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him lighting up the big leagues after some work in the minors.

The Washington Nationals are betting on Elijah Green as their next superstar player after selecting the IMG Academy outfielder with the fifth overall pick in the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.

With the 5th pick in the 2022 @MLBDraft, the Washington Nationals select…

Elijah Green – OF (IMG Academy)#NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/jzfOtZb7TE

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 17, 2022

In a draft class full of legacy players, including Druw Jones (son of Andruw Jones), Justin Crawford (son of Carl Crawford) and Jackson Holliday (son of Matt Holliday), Green also comes from a family of athletes. His father, Eric Green, had a 10-year NFL career as a tight end and made the Pro Bowl twice (1993, 1994).

Elijah has the frame to play football at 6'3" and 225 pounds, but he is one of the best athletes in the 2022 MLB draft class. The 18-year-old has been on the prospect radar for years, with his arrival really coming during the 2020 Area Code Games.

3️⃣-4️⃣ Elijah Green’s hits left the yard at #ACGames20 😳

...and he’s still only 16!

Excited to see what the 6-3, 215 @elijahgreen1204 does for an encore at #ACGames21 🤯 pic.twitter.com/l61gUqSfWi

— Area Code Baseball (@ACBaseballGames) August 25, 2020

Green does have a commitment to play college baseball at the University of Miami, but there's been no indication he will be a difficult sign.

MLB.com ranked Green as the No. 3 prospect in this year's draft class, behind Jones and Holliday. He has four plus tools, including plus-plus speed and terrific raw power.

According to MLB.com:

"Green is an elite-level runner who can steal bases and cover a ton of ground in the outfield, where he should be able to man center field, with a plus arm, for a very long time to come. His complete toolset doesn’t come around very often, so it’s likely someone in the top of the first round will call his name even if there are remaining questions about his hit tool."

Finding a true centerfielder who can potentially hit for power is a rare commodity. As long as Green can develop his hit tool in order to tap into that power potential, he could turn into a future All-Star.

The Nationals have completely fallen apart since winning the World Series in 2019. It's understandable because general manager Mike Rizzo was often aggressive in adding talent to the MLB team in an attempt to win, but the organization has been hit hard with losses recently.

Anthony Rendon, Max Scherzer and Trea Turner are no longer with the team. Stephen Strasburg hasn't pitched since June 2021 because of an injury that required surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.

On top of all that, Nationals fans have had to endure rumors that Juan Soto might get traded. Those rumors picked up steam on Saturday when Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the team will at least explore dealing the two-time All-Star after he turned down a 15-year, $440 million contract extension.

While there's still a lot of work for the Nationals to do to rebuild their farm system, adding Green to the mix is a great step in the right direction. He alone won't change their fortunes, but having a potential superstar is a nice starting point.

Juan Soto is available for trade after rejecting a 15-year, $440 million offer from the Washington Nationals, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, and at least one team is dreaming of possibly acquiring the superstar.

The San Diego Padres are interested in pairing Soto with star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

"An early favorite for Soto just might be the San Diego Padres, the former 'small' market team that’s been full of surprises and thrills the past few years under GM A.J. Preller, a young man who knows the game and loves a gamble," Heyman wrote.

The 23-year-old slugger will cost a huge package of prospects, draft picks and other pieces. Any team that wants him must also be open to the idea of potentially giving him a $500 million contract extension.

San Diego already has some pretty hefty contracts to pay and the fifth-highest payroll in baseball, according to Spotrac.

The team's two highest-paid players are Tatis, who is on a 14-year, $340 million deal, and Machado, who is on a 10-year, $300 million deal. Hosmer, meanwhile, is on an eight-year, $144 million deal, and Yu Darvish is on a six-year, $126 million contract.

Still, it's no surprise the Padres are at least thinking about the possibility of acquiring Soto.

The Dominican is one of the best players in the game and has a long, bright future ahead of him. He is a two-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger, a batting title winner and a World Series winner.

This season, he's slashing .247/.405/.490 with 19 home runs, 42 RBI and five stolen bases in 89 games.

In addition, the Padres have never been shy about acquiring star players to help them in their pursuit of a World Series title. They've done so in the past by signing Eric Hosmer, Manny Machado, Mike Clevinger and many more.

San Diego is currently second in the NL West with a 51-41 record, 9.5 games behind the first-place Dodgers. Having Tatis return from injury and adding Soto to the lineup could help the club close that gap.

However, Soto is under team control through the 2024 campaign with two more seasons of arbitration eligibility, so the Nationals don't need to trade him this year if they don't get an offer they believe is worthy.

So, it could be a long wait until we see Soto moved unless the Padres, or another club, comes up with the right package.

Right fielder Juan Soto reportedly turned down a massive contract extension offer from the Washington Nationals, and the team is now open to trading him.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Soto rejected a 15-year, $440 million deal, marking the third time in recent months that he balked at an offer from the Nats.

Rosenthal noted that the contract would have made Soto the highest-paid player in baseball history in terms of total money, and he would have been the 20th-highest-paid player on an annual basis with a salary of $29.3 million.

Soto is under team control through 2024, but Rosenthal reported the Nationals plan to entertain trade offers for him leading up to the Aug. 2 trade deadline.

Per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post, Soto commented on the matter Saturday, saying he wasn't happy it got out to the media since he likes to keep things private.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post noted Soto turned down the offer for multiple reasons ranging from the structure of the contract to uncertainty regarding the future of the franchise.

Soto and agent Scott Boras reportedly viewed the backloaded offer as essentially equal to including deferred money, plus they felt the annual salary was too low.

Additionally, the Nationals are "likely to be sold."

ESPN's Jeff Passan commented on the news as well, noting that teams across Major League Baseball are having discussions about what it would take to acquire Soto. One general manager said it would require a "a Herschel Walker deal."

In 1989, the NFL's Dallas Cowboys famously traded running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for a massive package of players and draft picks, setting the stage for the Cowboys to win three Super Bowls in the 1990s.

Had the 23-year-old Soto agreed to the Nationals' latest offer, it would have kept him under contract with the team until his age-38 season.

Per Rosenthal, Boras prefers for his clients to set their markets in free agency, and the belief is that Soto could seek a $500 million deal.

If Soto is set on becoming a free agent, any team that trades for him would only be guaranteed to have him for the remainder of this season and two more seasons.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said last month that the team had no interest in trading Soto and wanted to build around him, but Rosenthal reported that since Soto didn't sign the $440 million deal, Washington believes he will never re-sign.

As a result, the club plans to see what trade opportunities are out there, but it won't move him for anything less than its asking price.

Soto has already accomplished a great deal in just five seasons, earning two All-Star nods, two Silver Slugger Awards and one batting title, plus he played a huge role in the Nats' World Series championship in 2019.

After setting career highs with 34 home runs and 110 RBI in 2019, Soto led the National League with a .351 batting average in 2020 and then hit .313 with 29 homers and 95 RBI last season.

He is having a down year by his standards, slashing .247/.405/.490, but he has 19 home runs and 42 RBI, and he leads the majors with 79 walks.

The powerful lefty has been on a recent hot streak, hitting .417 with five home runs and 10 RBI in July. He will compete in Monday's Home Run Derby at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Given his age and track record, Soto would command a ton of compensation in a trade and help give the Nats quality assets to aid in their rebuild.

Austin Riley is no longer the biggest snub from the 2022 MLB All-Star Game after the Atlanta Braves third baseman was added to the National League roster Saturday.

Riley will replace St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado.

Three players have been added to the 2022 All-Star rosters, including @BlueJays 2B Santiago Espinal, @Braves 3B Austin Riley & @Dodgers LHP Tyler Anderson. Espinal & Riley were added by rule as the next in line via the Player Ballot at their positions, and Anderson is a MLB pick. pic.twitter.com/dH5duGEspD

— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) July 16, 2022

Riley is an MVP candidate after backing up his breakout 2021 season with another strong campaign, which made it quite a surprise when he wasn't on the initial roster.

The 25-year-old slugger has posted a .282/.345/.568 slash line with 26 home runs, which is tied for third in MLB, in 90 games. His .913 OPS ranks eighth.

"Part of me felt like I did enough," Riley told reporters. "But it is what it is. I get to spend time with my family and my new baby, so I'm not complaining."

Now he'll head to L.A. alongside five teammates: Ronald Acuna Jr., William Contreras, Travis d'Arnaud, Dansby Swanson and Max Fried.

Atlanta, the reigning World Series champion, owns MLB's fifth-best record at 55-37 with two games left before the break.

It's the first All-Star selection for Riley, who won the Silver Slugger Award and was voted to the All-MLB first team last season.

"He's having a great, great year," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said after the team's 8-4 win over the Washington Nationals on Friday. "He's going to continue to have one, too. So, I'm happy for him."

Riley will be a potent bat off the bench for the NL, which will attempt to end an eight-year losing streak against the American League.

The game will take place at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Jacob deGrom hasn't thrown an MLB pitch in a calendar year, but teams are reportedly already considering pursuing him in free agency.

Andy Martino of SNY.tv reported deGrom "could tempt another team to offer a contract above what the Mets consider rational" if he comes back firing on all cylinders.

The four-time Cy Young winner has a player option in his contract for next season and has confirmed multiple times that he plans to opt out to become a free agent. Circumstances can change, but barring an injury, it feels almost certain deGrom will hit the open market this winter.

Injuries have plagued deGrom over the past two seasons, limiting him to 15 starts in 2021 and holding him out the entire 2022 campaign thus far. He made his return to the mound last week in a rehab start, striking out five of the six hitters he faced while averaging 99 miles per hour on his fastball.

"He's hit every benchmark, and we're happy with that," Mets manager Buck Showalter told reporters. "We'll see how he does on Sunday, and we'll see if there's any adjustments to the schedule we have that need to be made. We know where it could take us."

When healthy, deGrom remains among the best pitchers in baseball. He was 7-2 with a 1.08 ERA and 0.55 WHIP before being shut down last July.

If deGrom returns to his former form in the big leagues, he'll have no shortage of suitors—injury concerns or not. Buster Olney of ESPN reported the rival Atlanta Braves are considered the favorites to sign deGrom if he hits free agency.

The Washington Nationals announced that outfielder Juan Soto departed his team's home game against the Miami Marlins on Sunday with left calf tightness and will be re-evaluated Monday, per MLB.com reporter Jessica Camerato.

According to Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com, Soto left to get an MRI and was not available postgame.

"He said he just felt tight," manager Dave Martinez said postgame after the Nats' 7-4 loss, per Hector Gomez of Z101 Digital.

"He went up there and hit and he said it was fine, and all of a sudden he ran and came back and said it was tightening up on him."

Lane Thomas replaced Soto in the top of the fifth inning after the Nats' star slugger walked twice in his first two plate appearances.

Soto, 23 is hitting .226 (.831 OPS) with 15 home runs and 33 RBI through 79 games. The five-year MLB veteran has finished top 10 in the National League MVP voting three times and earned Silver Slugger awards each of the past two years.

Soto also posted 34 home runs and 110 RBI for the 2019 World Series champions and earned his first-ever All-Star appearance two years later.

This year hasn't gone as well for Soto and the Nats, whose 29-52 record places them last in the National League East. They're in rebuilding mode after trading off numerous pieces of their 2019 title-winning team, including Max Scherzer and Trea Turner.

However, Soto figures to be a long-term building block. He did reveal to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post on Friday that his agent, Scott Boras, and the Nats are speaking about the possibility of a long-term extension.

"We’re going back and forth, and I feel good about that," Soto said. "They are talking to my agent, and I have nothing to do with it. He is just talking to them, and I want to play baseball."

It's unclear when Soto will return to the field this year after leaving Sunday's game. His next chance to do so would be Monday at 11:05 a.m. ET against the Miami Marlins before the Nats head to Philadelphia for a three-game series against the Phillies beginning Tuesday.