MLB

Terrible news for New York Mets fans -- Edwin Díaz is most likely out for the season ... after the star closer tore his patellar tendon while celebrating a big win at the World Baseball Classic.

Díaz suffered the injury on the field Wednesday ... as he and his Puerto Rico teammates were congratulating each other on their 5-2 victory over the Dominican Republic.

Edwin struck out Teoscar Hernández to end the game ... and once the final out was recorded, players from Puerto Rico surrounded the two-time All-Star and jumped up and down.

During the celebration, Díaz collapsed to the ground and started writhing in pain ... causing his teammates to be overwhelmed with emotion as they feared the worst possible scenario.

The Mets said the 28-year-old will undergo surgery on Thursday ... and will update fans on how the procedure goes shortly after.

Mets GM Billy Eppler added Díaz will likely miss at least 8 months with the injury.

Edwin's injury is a huge blow -- the Mets made the playoffs last year and were entering the 2023 season optimistic they could contend for a World Series title.

In his fourth season with the Mets, Díaz recorded 32 saves and had 118 strikeouts to accompany a stellar 1.31 ERA.

MLB star Kiké Hernandez's ass is covered in case he accidentally poops his pants again ... 'cause he was gifted more than a thousand Dude Wipes to get him through the season!!

ICYMI, the 31-year-old recently revealed in a Q&A with Justin Turner he accidentally sharted on the field during the 2020 National League Division Series ... and blamed it on antibiotics he was taking for a tooth infection at the time, which caused him to have diarrhea.

Well, the folks at Dude Wipes got wind of Kiké's misfortune ... and decided to send him a ton of butt-friendly items -- just in case disaster strikes again.

We've learned the personal care brand hooked up the World Series champ with regular and to-go wipes and some toilet spray ... and Kike was stoked!

In fact, Hernandez was so thrilled that he took a photo with a bunch of the product ... smiling from ear to ear.

It was great timing on Dude Wipes' part  ... Red Sox Opening Day is in just two weeks!

Trevor Bauer's potential road back to an MLB mound will be making a stop in Japan first ... the former Cy Young winner is signing a deal to play for the Yokohama DeNA Baystars this season.

According to Sanspo Sports, Bauer's contract with his new team will be for one year ... and right around $3 million. ESPN reported Monday afternoon the deal is expected to become official later Monday night.

Bauer was just released by the Dodgers in January -- after he was reinstated from a suspension that the MLB had hit him with following an investigation into allegations he sexually assaulted a 27-year-old woman during two encounters in 2021.

Initially, the ban was for 324 games ... but it was ultimately reduced to 194 games by an independent arbitrator, making Bauer eligible to play in the MLB this season.

But, following his release from LA, no team signed him ... prompting the move to the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization.

Bauer hasn't pitched professionally since June 2021 -- but when he was on the mound, he was as effective as any pitcher in baseball. In the '21 season before he was put on paid leave as the MLB kicked off its investigation, he had 2.59 ERA with 137 strikeouts in 107.2 innings pitched.

Bauer -- who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in his case -- has yet to publicly comment on the new deal.

Red Sox star Justin Turner just got drilled in the face by a pitch during a spring training game ... and the blow was so violent, it left him oozing blood at home plate.

The scary incident happened during Boston's exhibition tilt with the Tigers ... when Turner came up to bat with two runners on base in the bottom of the second inning.

Detroit right-hander Matt Manning threw a ball up and in ... and Turner couldn't get out of the way -- and it caught him flush in his face.

The former L.A. Dodgers third baseman immediately dropped to the ground in pain ... and video from the game's broadcast showed he was bleeding profusely from his face.

Red Sox trainers raced out to tend to him, covering his mouth with a towel before ushering him into the locker room.

The Sox -- who acquired Turner last December in free agency -- have yet to announce an update on the 38-year-old's status.

Chicago White Sox pitcher Mike Clevinger will not face discipline from the MLB following allegations he terrorized the mother of his child ... the league said Sunday it concluded its probe into the star, and will not be imposing any punishment on him.

The league initially opened up its investigation after Olivia Finestead made claims the 32-year-old had been violent with her during their relationship.

In a series of Instagram posts back in January, she claimed the baseball player "threw an iPad at me pregnant." She also said, "he strangled me." She alleged Clevinger "threw chew spit on our baby" as well.

The MLB said in a statement Sunday it spoke with Clevinger's accuser regarding the allegations -- as well as more than 15 other individuals -- during its investigation. It also said it reviewed "thousands of electronic communication records" in relation to the case -- but came to the conclusion "barring the receipt of any new information or evidence, the Office of the Commissioner will not be imposing discipline on Mr. Clevinger in connection with these allegations."

The league, though, did say Clevinger "has voluntarily agreed to submit to evaluations" by the MLB's joint treatment boards and has agreed to "comply with any of the board's recommendations."

Clevinger said following the MLB's announcement that he was "pleased" with the league's findings.

"I had nothing to hide and cooperated fully with MLB," he said. "I asked everyone not to rush to judgment until MLB's investigation was concluded, and I appreciate everyone who had faith in me, including the White Sox organization and my teammates."

Finestead said on her Instagram page Sunday, "Mike putting himself in drug, domestic & family violence therapy has always been my goal since the beginning and he refused to go when I tried to be there for him so I'm glad he's going now."

Get a *load* of this ... former Dodgers infielder Kiké Hernandez admitted he crapped on himself on the field during a 2020 playoff game!!

Hernandez's teammate, Justin Turner, who reunited with Kike in Boston with the Red Sox, asked KH for his most embarrassing moment during a Major League Baseball game, and he dropped a bombshell (yes, pun intended).

The Sox utility man told Turner he was taking antibiotics for a tooth infection a few years back, and one of the side effects of the medicine was ... you guessed it, diarrhea.

Kiké recalled the crappy incident, saying he was so pumped after the team got a big out in a pressure-packed situation in the National League Division Series (NLDS), he screamed, "F Yeah!"

"I was DHing and I thought I farted," Hernandez said to Turner. "I went out to lead off the inning. I struck out in three pitches."

He continued ... "When I went in the dugout, I went straight to the bathroom, pulled my pants down, completely sharted."

"So you're saying you misjudged a fart," Turner asked Hernandez. "Uh, no. What I'm saying is I s*** my pants during a game in the playoffs," Hernandez replied to Turner.

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Gavin Lux was deeply emotional while discussing his season-ending ACL injury with reporters on Tuesday ... calling the whole ordeal "heartbreaking."

25-year-old Lux suffered the devastating setback when his knee buckled while running the bases in the Dodgers' spring training matchup against the San Diego Padres on Monday ... closing the curtain on his 2023 campaign.

Lux was visibly upset while discussing the injury with the media just minutes ago ... fighting back tears as he spoke about it.

"You put in a lot of time and work and you really enjoy the guys in the clubhouse," Lux said at the Dodgers' facility. "The hardest part is just not being able to be on the field, for sure."

Lux says he felt his knee pop right away ... and the outside of his leg went numb.

"S*** happens, so control what you can control and crush my rehab and try to be ready for 2024 when it rolls around and that's kinda all you can do," he added.

It was slated to be a big year for Lux, who was going to be the Dodgers' starting shortstop -- a role he's wanted since he was a kid.

"I think every baseball player's dream is to play shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers. So, yeah, I think that's one of the hardest parts."

Lux said his teammates have been nothing but supportive throughout the process ... adding it just goes to show "how good these guys in the clubhouse are."

Lux will have surgery next week ... and is expected to be out 8 months.

Ross Stripling's first season in San Francisco ain't off to the best start -- he revealed Monday he accidentally went through the team's picture day with food in his teeth!!!

The new Giants pitcher posed for the photos a couple days ago -- but when they came back this week ... he noticed something wasn't quite right with his pearly whites.

In between two of his top incisors -- there was something black wedged in ... and it didn't take him long to realize it was actually part of his lunch that day!!

The 33-year-old, though, was a good sport about it all ... tweeting a photo of the mishap and laughing it all off.

"Went the entire picture day with a piece of pepper in my teeth and no one told me," he said, adding a crying emoji.

No word yet if the Giants will retake the photos for the guy, who signed with the team in free agency in December, or if they'll simply work some photoshop magic.

1501 Certified Entertainment honcho Carl Crawford is admitting errors in dealing with Megan Thee Stallion, and wants all fences mended going forward -- but says they haven't spoken since 2019!!!

TMZ Hip Hop sat down with Carl and his newly installed 1501 President Kai "Verse" Tyler ... as their label enters a new chapter without the H-Town hottie.

Carl openly admits, as an ex-MLB star, his competitive drive is high but his knowledge of the music industry is somewhat limited ... and that's where Verse enters.

Verse is an industry vet who's had experience dealing with artists' publishing and publicity campaigns ... which led to a convo about 1501's current flagship artist, Erica Banks, and their plans for her career.

Carl also walked back his past vitriol toward Jay-Z and Roc Nation -- he'd previously blamed them for planting evil seeds in Megan's head -- and he came clean about his association with Tory Lanez.

Fans knew the Megan beef was real when Carl and Tory flicked it up last year inside a club, but Carl's admitting he and Tory don't know each other ... and the encounter was just trolling to get back at MTS. Ultimately, he regrets the stunt.

Verse says his focus is boosting the label's artistic reach, and he thinks Erica starting an OnlyFans page is just another aspect of dealing with today's social media generation.

That aside, he's certain the "Bust It" rapper has a banger with Kehlani, and even a cooking show coming up!

Terrifying scene out at Pittsburgh Pirates' spring training practice Tuesday ... a guest of the org. suffered a medical emergency on the field -- and needed immediate attention from trainers and doctors.

The incident happened while the man was helping shag fly balls in the outfield. According to the team, he suddenly collapsed, and officials rushed to his aid right away.

Reporters at the stadium described the scary scene ... with Post-Gazette Pirates beat writer Jason Mackey saying the individual needed CPR.

Pirates players, meanwhile, took a knee and looked on from the infield as the situation unfolded.

A spokesperson for the Pirates said the man eventually became "alert and responsive" -- before he was taken to the hospital for further evaluation.

Pirates practice ultimately resumed several minutes later.

Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton spoke to the media afterward about what happened ... and he praised his team's medical staff for doing an "unbelievable job."

Ex-Mets pitching coach Phil Regan has filed a lawsuit against the team ... claiming the only reason he was booted from his gig in NY nearly four years ago was because he's old.

The 85-year-old baseball lifer spelled out his allegations in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, alleging the age discrimination happened after he took over the interim pitching coach role in the middle of the 2019 season.

Regan, in the suit, says after he filled in for the fired Dave Eiland, the team saw immediate results. He claimed the staff's aces -- Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard -- all got better under his watch ... and he added that the team's ERA lowered significantly too.

But, he said he was not retained following the season ... claiming he was not brought back solely because he was 82 years old at the time.

In the suit, filed by high-profile employment attorney Matthew Blit, Regan said the team's GM at the time, Brodie Van Wagenen, even admitted to him that he wasn't coming back because he was "too old."

Regan also said in the lawsuit that Van Wagenen told him, "If we don't find the young pitching coach we are looking for, we will hire you back."

The Mets ended up hiring 33-year-old former MLB pitcher Jeremy Hefner to replace Regan in the offseason.

Regan -- who both played and coached in the MLB for six decades -- did not coach again following the '19 season. He's suing for unspecified damages.

"Phil is the first to crack jokes about his age," Blit said in a statement to TMZ Sports, "however there is nothing funny about a person being told that they are being passed over because their employer wants someone younger. That's discrimination, plain and simple."

Blit added, "Suing for discrimination in professional sports is extremely rare. In fact, Phil debated doing this for many years. But the hurt from the conversation that he had with Mr. Van Wagenen continues to haunt him to this day. He can hear the exact words playing in his head over and over. Phil knew this had to be done."

Tim McCarver -- a two-time World Series champ who went on to become one of MLB's most famous broadcasters -- has sadly died.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed the news on Thursday afternoon ... calling the baseball legend "an All-Star, a World Series Champion, a respected teammate, and one of the most influential voices our game has known."

"All of us at Major League Baseball are grateful for Tim's impact on sports broadcasting and his distinguished career in our National Pastime," the commish added. "I extend my deepest condolences to Tim's family, friends and the generations of fans who learned about our great game from him."

MLB.com reported the cause of death was heart failure. He was 81 years old.

Tim got his start in the MLB in 1959, when he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as a teenager. The catcher went on to become a full-time player in 1963, before he earned his first All-Star selection in 1966.

In 1967, he finished second in MVP voting -- just behind Orlando Cepeda and just ahead of Roberto Clemente.

Tim won two World Series with the Cardinals -- but eventually left the org. for Philadelphia in 1970. He went on to play for the Expos and Red Sox, before finishing his career with the Phils.

He ended his playing days after the 1980 season ... finishing with a career .271 batting average, 97 home runs and 645 RBI.

Following his playing career, McCarver became one of baseball's most popular analysts for FOX, calling games alongside Joe Buck from 1996 to 2013. Prior to his work at FOX, TM also worked for NBC, ABC and CBS.

At CBS, he famously had water thrown on him by Deion Sanders over some previous comments he had made about the two-sport star.

In 2012, McCarver was eventually given the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award. He had just retired from broadcasting last year.

Cole Tucker clearly spared no expense when he asked Vanessa Hudgens to marry him ... 'cause the actress was seen rockin' her new engagement ring this week -- and it's HUGE!!

Hudgens was spotted with the bling while out grabbing a bite to eat with her family in Los Angeles on Wednesday -- and it ain't hard to see her MLB player beau picked out some fine jewelry for his future bride.

Sporting an oversized sweatshirt, sweats and slippers ... the diamond on the "High School Musical" actress' left hand stood out like a sore thumb -- appearing to be nearly the size of her knuckle!!!

Hudgens has only had the ring for a few months now -- the couple only got engaged at the end of 2022 -- but check out her smile, she's clearly loving it and the engagement life.

Hudgens and Tucker initially began dating in 2020 -- and have become inseparable ever since ... with Hudgens attending plenty of his baseball games, and Tucker spending most of his offseasons with her.

Just recently, Hudgens glowed about Tucker ... saying in a sappy Instagram post, "I'll stop the world and melt with you."

She added two emojis ... "❤️🥰."

Now batting for the Atlanta Braves ... Travis Kelce?!?

A former MLB scout tells TMZ Sports that very well could have been a possibility this year and beyond -- if only Kelce had opted to play baseball instead of football after high school.

Reggie Sanders -- who scouted for the Braves in the Ohio area as Kelce was starring at Cleveland Heights H.S. in the early 2000s -- tells us that in his several trips to see the teenager who grew up to be a Kansas City Chiefs star ... he was blown away by what he saw.

Sanders remembered the future tight end as a good hitter with blazing speed ... and noted the young Kelce, who graduated H.S. in 2008, was towering, too.

"He seemed like a big leaguer on a field of high school players," said Sanders, who worked for the Braves from 2002 to 2007. "He looks almost the same size today as he was in high school."

Sanders said after watching Kelce play, he was "certain" the guy would have ended up in the big leagues if he had stuck with it ... telling us, "I remember writing his report and I comped him to Josh Hamilton."

Of course, Kelce never stayed with baseball -- he opted to follow in his big brother's footsteps and play football at Cincinnati. The rest, as you know, is history ... and he'll be playing for his second Super Bowl championship next week.

You can't mess with Alek Manoah's fastball on the field, and you apparently can't mess with it off of it either ... 'cause the Blue Jays ace absolutely eviscerated an MLB Network analyst this week after the guy body-shamed him on live TV.

Anthony Recker, a former MLB catcher who's been breaking down players and games for the league's network for the past year, made the comments on "MLB Tonight" on Wednesday ... seemingly taking a shot at Manoah's 6-foot-6, 285-pound frame.

"Show me you're willing to put a little more time in the gym," Recker said.

Manoah caught wind of the remarks a few hours later -- and he was clearly pissed over them.

"Hey @Anthony_Recker my job isn’t to please you," the 26-year-old said on his Twitter page. "You are an outsider you don’t know me or my work ethic. What I do in the gym has clearly worked check the numbers, sucks you can’t say the same for yourself."

Recker immediately tried to backpedal on the comments, telling Manoah his remarks were taken out of context.

Manoah, though, wasn't buying it ... adding, "Youre just like everyone else. Love to talk and then wanna say sorry when you get called out. If you wanna see how an All Star, 1st team All-MLB, and CY young finalist trains. Come meet me [at the gym]."

The right-handed flamethrower then shared a bunch of videos of him getting after it in the weight room.

Former Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman later entered into the conversation -- slamming Recker for his comments as well.

Vanessa Hudgens and her MLB player boyfriend, Cole Tucker, have just taken their relationship to a whole 'nother level ... TMZ Sports has learned they're engaged!!!

A source close to the two tells us ... Tucker popped the question sometime at the end of 2022.

It's unclear when exactly the question was popped ... but the couple was in Paris in November -- a lovely place for a potential engagement to go down.

The "High School Musical" star and the Colorado Rockies utility man have been dating since 2020 -- and have been nearly inseparable since they initially became romantic.

Vanessa's been spotted at a ton of his baseball games over the past couple years -- and in Tucker's offseason, he's spent nearly all of his free time with the actress.

Just a few days ago, Hudgens proclaimed her love for the baseball player in a mushy social media post, writing, "I’ll stop the world and melt with you ❤️🥰."

Tucker's written similar messages to Hudgens on his Instagram too.

It was quite a 2022 for Tucker ... he started the year as a Pittsburgh Pirate before moving on to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He ultimately signed as a free agent with the Rockies this offseason -- meaning he and Vanessa are now going to be spending a whole lot of time together in Denver in 2023.