MLB Notes: Mets' Matt Harvey to DL, May Need Season-ending Surgery

NEW YORK -- Matt Harvey has symptoms consistent with thoracic outlet syndrome, and the struggling New York Mets star could be facing season-ending surgery to treat a serious condition that has jeopardized the career of other major league pitchers.

General manager Sandy Alderson announced the diagnosis Thursday after Harvey was examined in St. Louis by a specialist, Dr. Robert Thompson. Alderson said a decision on surgery is likely to come in the next few days before the All-Star break.

Thoracic outlet syndrome is a condition caused by the compression of nerves, blood vessels or both in the area between the neck and armpit. After his start Monday, the 27-year-old Harvey complained of some common symptoms, which include numbness in fingers and shoulder discomfort. 

The former ace was seen by Mets doctors, referred to Thompson for further examination and placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday, retroactive to Tuesday. 

Another temporary treatment option is a "nerve block" that might help Harvey return to the mound fairly quickly, but surgery is probably inevitable at some point and the operation usually requires a four-month recovery period, Alderson said.

Harvey had been scheduled to start Saturday night at Citi Field against Max Scherzer and the NL East-leading Washington Nationals. Right-hander Logan Verrett (3-5) will pitch in his place and could get a chance to hold down that spot in the rotation.

"We'll evaluate it, but right now he'd be the guy we would lean toward," New York manager Terry Collins said (see full story).

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Cardinals, Indians: Diaz, Kluber added to All-Star teams as injury replacements
SAN DIEGO -- St. Louis rookie shortstop Aledmys Diaz will replace his teammate, infielder Matt Carpenter, on the National League roster for next week's All-Star game.

The American League also made a change, with Cleveland right-hander Corey Kluber stepping in for Toronto pitcher Marco Estrada, who has been placed on the 15-day disabled list.

The replacements were announced Thursday by NL manager Terry Collins of the New York Mets and AL manager Ned Yost of the Kansas City Royals.

Carpenter made his third All-Star team, but left Wednesday night's game against Pittsburgh with an injury. Diaz is batting .319 with 12 home runs, 44 RBI, 22 doubles, 54 runs scored, a .382 on-base percentage and a .534 slugging percentage (see full story).

Braves: Beckham off DL, Bonifacio cut
CHICAGO -- The Atlanta Braves have activated infielder Gordon Beckham from the disabled list and designated utility player Emilio Bonifacio for assignment.

Beckham was in the starting lineup at shortstop and batting second for Thursday night's game against the Chicago Cubs after being sidelined 33 games with a left hamstring strain.

The 31-year-old Bonifacio batted .129 with no extra-base hits and 11 strikeouts in 31 at-bats over 15 games. He was signed by Atlanta in the offseason, released April 6, and then re-signed to a minor league deal four days later.

Beckham was hitting .284 before he was injured June 1.

Pete Rose sues former baseball investigator over rape claims
Former baseball star Pete Rose on Wednesday sued the lawyer whose investigative report got him kicked out of baseball for gambling, alleging the lawyer defamed him last year by saying on radio that Rose raped young teen girls during spring training.

Rose said in the federal lawsuit that John M. Dowd damaged his reputation and endorsement deals during a July 2015 interview on WCHE-AM in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Dowd investigated Rose for Major League Baseball in 1989, leading the league's all-time hits leader to be declared ineligible for the Hall of Fame.

The lawsuit states Dowd said during the radio appearance that Rose associate Michael Bertolini told investigators he "ran young girls" to Rose during spring training, which Dowd called "statutory rape every time." Bertolini's lawyers issued a categorical denial last summer.

"Rose never did any such thing and until the Dowd accusations, no one had ever claimed he did," Rose's lawyers wrote in the complaint. "What Dowd attributes to Bertolini is false: Bertolini states he never told Dowd any such thing."

Rose, who lives in Las Vegas, had applied for reinstatement to the game last year and was about to appear at an All-Star Game in Cincinnati, where he coached and played, when Dowd said on Jim Rome's radio show on June 23, 2015, that Rose "had Bertolini running young women down in Florida for his satisfaction," the lawsuit said (see full story).

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