Truth & Rumors > MLB

07:09 AM ET 05.16 | Not only could the Red Sox use a hot streak from Jacoby Ellsbury, but he could, too. [Ellsbury], who becomes a free agent at the end of the season, is having a disappointing year at .256/.321/.363 with one home run and 13 RBIs. "He just doesn't look nearly as comfortable at the plate, he's not being as efficient at the plate as he's been in the past," [Buster Olney] said. ... "And it's having a huge impact, without a doubt, on the perception of him as a player. ... [He] could theoretically be a $100 million player. But if he continues on this same trajectory for the entire year, it's going to be a crusher for him in terms of how much money you would lose, to the point that you'd almost think that he'd want a mulligan."

WEEI.com

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07:08 AM ET 05.16 | It wasn't all that long ago that Ron Roenicke was first asked if the minor leagues were an option for struggling reliever John Axford. Roenicke said at that time there had been no discussions to that end. Asked again Wednesday, following Axford's third blown save of the season, Roenicke indicated things have changed. "We've talked about the different things we need to do with him to get him back to where we'd like him to be, where he'd like to be," he said. "That has come up. We're not there today doing it. But it could happen. Hopefully it won't." Roenicke noted Axford's eighth inning Tuesday, in which he surrendered a leadoff single to Neil Walker and game-tying double to Russell Martin, was again dotted with bad luck.

Journal Sentinel

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07:07 AM ET 05.16 | The shakeup at the top of Houston organization may yet be settled by name pretty well-known around town. FOX 26 Sports has learned Reid Ryan, son of Texas Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan, is being strongly considered by the Houston Astros to become the team's next president. The position opened on Monday when George Postolos stepped down. Ryan, 41, is the president and CEO of Ryan Sanders Baseball, Inc., which controls the Round Rock Express, a Triple-A franchise near Austin, and the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks. The Astros organization is not commenting on the team's search for a new president.

MyFoxHouston.com

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07:13 AM ET 05.15 | When thinking about moving on from a manager -- in May, no less -- it's a nice practice to consider who might take over before making any rash decisions. Sorry, there is no magic pill, no obvious internal or external choice to take over as Dodgers manager now, next week or even at mid-season. ... The likely scenario, if the team continues to sputter, is that the Dodgers would hire an interim, then conduct a search at the end of the season. Scioscia, signed through 2018, indeed might become available at that point, not that he would necessarily want to manage a team that bears similarities to his current Angels underachievers. Another former Dodger, the Reds' Dusty Baker, also would be a possibility, but his contract, too, would be a hurdle.

FOX Sports

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07:11 AM ET 05.15 | It doesn't take a scout's eye to see that slumping Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton hasn't quite been himself at the plate, something he addressed Tuesday. The best way [Hamilton] can describe whatever it is he's going through right now is to simply say he's "off upstairs." ... Hamilton will simply tell you that he's sick and dealing with some sort of sinus congestion that makes him prone to dizziness and sensitive to the bright lights of a Major League stadium. "I'm just off," he said. "However you want to write it, however you want to describe it -- I'm just off." Hamilton said he has been dealing with this issue throughout his career, and his most recent bout began on May 5.

MLB.com

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