MLB Roundup: Girardi wants Rivera to reconsider retirement

New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi wants closer Mariano Rivera to rethink his retirement plans after this season.

The 43-year-old Rivera announced before the season that 2013 would be his 19th and final year in the major leagues.

"I don't see any reason why he couldn't do it next year, I don't," Girardi said, according to ESPNNewYork.com. "He's made it pretty clear that he doesn't want to, but I always say, you know, January rolls around and sometimes you have a different feel about what you want to do."

Rivera picked up his 40th save of the season on Tuesday night. He has now posted 40 or more saves in nine seasons, tying Trevor Hoffman's major league record, and he has a 2.12 ERA in 51 innings this year.

Girardi doesn't have any doubts about Rivera continuing to be able to pitch effectively.

"I think he could still do the job, but knowing how hard it is to take your uniform off, you don't ever want to think, in my mind as a player, and I'm not speaking for Mo, but I never wanted to think, could I have played a little bit more," Girardi said after Tuesday's game. "It was really evident for me because I physically couldn't stay healthy. But Mo has been pretty healthy this year."

Rivera has insisted that his decision is final. This season has turned into a farewell tour for him as he visits opponents' ballparks for the final time.

The Yankees plan to honor Rivera before their home game on Sept. 22 against the San Francisco Giants.

--The New York Yankees bumped struggling right-hander Phil Hughes from the rotation, ESPNNewYork.com reported.

Manager Joe Girardi decided this week to replace Hughes with left-hander David Huff.

Hughes has a 4-13 record with a 4.86 ERA in 26 starts this year. He has given up 23 home runs and the team's record is 10-16 when he starts.

Huff is 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA in six appearances this season for the Yankees, who acquired the 29-year-old after the Cleveland Indians designated him for assignment in May.

The 27-year-old Hughes, who becomes a free agent after the season, will now pitch out of the bullpen for the first time since 2009. In the past, he was more effective as a reliever, with a 1.44 ERA in relief compared with a 4.72 career ERA as a starter.

--Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista will not return this season because of a hip injury, the team announced on Twitter.

The Blue Jays expect Bautista, who has not played since Aug. 20 after suffering a bone bruise, to be recovered for spring training in 2014.

The 32-year-old outfielder batted .259 with 28 home runs and 73 RBIs in 118 games this season. In the past four seasons, Bautista has 152 homers and 365 RBIs.

--The Chicago Cubs claimed right-hander Daniel Bard off waivers from the Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox had designated Bard for assignment on Monday. He pitched two games for Boston in April and then was sent to the minor leagues.

The 28-year-old Bard has struggled since he showed great promise as a setup man for the Red Sox. In the minors this year, he worked in 16 games and gave up 11 earned runs, 14 hits, 27 walks and 11 wild pitches in 15 1/3 innings.

A first-round draft pick in 2006, Bard set Red Sox records for holds with 32 and 34 in 2010 and 2011 as a setup man in the bullpen. He became a starter in 2012 but was 4-6 with a 5.30 ERA in 10 outings. He has a 10-19 overall record with five saves and a 3.67 ERA in 211 major league appearances.

To clear space on the roster for Bard, the Cubs designated outfielder Cole Gillespie for assignment. Gillespie batted .203 in 28 games with the San Francisco Giants and the Cubs this season.

--St. Louis Cardinals minor league second baseman Brett Wiley was handed a 50-game suspension on Wednesday without pay from the commissioner's office after a positive test for an amphetamine.

Wiley, who is with Class A State College in the New York-Penn League, will begin serving the suspension immediately.

The 21-year-old was batting .337 with two home runs and 18 RBIs in 25 games for State College and .308 overall this season with three minor-league teams.