MLB roundup: Rangers' reliever Adams will miss playoffs
Texas Rangers relief pitcher Mike Adams may miss the playoffs after being diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome Sunday
The condition, which causes pain in the neck and shoulder, can affect how a pitcher grips the ball. It will cause him to be shut down for at least a week.
Adams, who allowed three homers Thursday, underwent an MRI on his right shoulder and around the trapezius muscle in his neck Friday in the wake of more pain. The test revealed no significant damage to the shoulder joint and he was diagnosed with a "mild cervical strain."
Continued treatment and rest is the method for recovery.
Adams has already received an injection of anti-inflammatory steroids for the condition, then took a week off. He returned to pitch three scoreless innings, but allowed five base runners in that time. Adams said that the soreness gradually resumed once he started pitching again.
He pitched on back-to-back days Sunday and Monday. When the Rangers asked him to come back after two days of rest, the condition was as bad as it has been. If the Rangers win the division and don't play until Oct. 6 or 7, they could get Adams nine or 10 days of rest, which he thinks may be enough to allow the muscle to loosen up once and for all.
Without Adams, the Rangers do have the ability to insert hot righty Koji Uehara into the eighth-inning role or move Alexi Ogando from the seventh to the eighth.
Adams is 5-3 with a 3.27 ERA this season.
---First baseman Mark Teixeira is expected to rejoin the New York Yankees on Monday, manager Joe Girardi said Sunday.
"We expect to see him in New York on Monday," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "He'll see the doctor tomorrow and see if he's cleared to play."
Teixeira has missed the past 20 games and 30 of the past 31 with a strained left calf.
---Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker will be back on the job Monday when the team opens the final series of the year in St. Louis.
Baker missed his 11th game Sunday after being hospitalized for an irregular heartbeat. He suffered a mini-stroke as he was being released from Chicago-area hospital.
The Reds have clinched the National League Central division title and with four games remaining they are one game behind the Washington Nationals for the best record in the NL.
