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Major League Baseball announced that former Mets general manager Billy Eppler has been placed on the exempt list effective immediately until the end of the 2024 World Series. According to the release, Eppler violated rules regarding “improper use of injury lists, including intentional fabrication of injuries.” Submission of relevant documentation aimed at securing multiple inappropriate injury list placements during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The league added that an investigation “concluded that a pattern of behavior was present in his husband.” Eplerat the sole direction of the club and without any involvement of club owners or bosses. MLB considers this matter closed and has no further comment. ”
The Mets also released a statement regarding the matter, saying, “The Mets have been informed of the conclusion of Major League Baseball’s investigation. Billy Eppler will resign on October 5, 2023, and David Stearns will lead the baseball operations team. As a result, the Mets believe this matter is closed and will have no further comment.”
Eppler himself told Joel Sherman of the New York Post: “I will fully and transparently cooperate with MLB’s investigation and accept their decision.”
Eppler, 48, was hired as the Mets’ general manager in November 2021. The club hired David Stearns as president of baseball operations in September 2023, but Eppler reportedly plans to remain GM and work under Stearns. . But on October 5, he resigned, and on the same day it was reported that the league was investigating him for allegedly improper use of the injured list.
Details of the violation, including which players were involved, are not yet clear. The “phantom IL” layout has been something of an open secret in the baseball world for many years. If a player is struggling but cannot be sent to the minors because there are no options or because he has been active for more than five years, the club may choose to send the player to the minors due to an obscure injury such as a “stiff neck.” He may be placed on the injured list. Or if he has a “back strain,” send him on a rehab assignment to get a job in the minors and try to get things back on track.
Fox Sports’ Disha Tosar reported that after speaking with various players about the issue, they agreed that “it’s the same for every team,” and expressed confusion as to why Eppler was the only one mentioned. Ta. At this point, it’s unclear whether this practice has reached an unprecedented level or if this is the beginning of a planned larger crackdown on practice across the league.
According to Joel Sherman and Dan Martin of the New York Post, the practice with the Mets was tipped off to the league in an anonymous letter, so it’s possible the club was simply drawn into a situation the league felt should have been addressed. There is also gender. Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke about the investigation in October, saying he would like the bureau to “determine whether there is a larger problem” with the use of the injured list.
Only time will tell if this becomes a bigger problem or ends up being an isolated incident. For now, it appears no other members of the Mets will face any punishment. Eppler will be placed on the ineligible list for the remainder of the 2024 season, which will prevent him from getting a job with another MLB club until then.
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