Fox News Flash top sports headlines for February 9
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Former New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler has been banned from Major League Baseball through the end of the 2024 season after a probe determined he participated in improper use of Injured List placements, Commissioner Rob Manfred announced.
Manfred said Eppler directed "the deliberate fabrication of injuries; and the associated submission of documentation for the purposes of securing multiple improper injured list placements during the 2022 and 2023 seasons."
No Mets medical or athletic training personnel were named in the announcement.
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Dec 19, 2022; NY, NY, USA; New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler introduces pitcher Kodai Senga (not pictured) during a press conference at Citi Field. (Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)
Eppler was the Mets general manager from November 2021 until he stepped down last October, just a few days after David Stearns was named the franchise's next president of baseball operations.
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Stearns previously served as the president of baseball operations for the Milwaukee Brewers. Eppler resigned after he and the organization learned of the MLB's investigation.
Mets owner Steve Cohen and former manager Buck Showalter also were not mentioned in the public findings of Manfred.
New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler during a spring training workout on Feb. 18, 2023 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
"The Mets have been informed of the conclusion of Major League Baseball’s investigation. With Billy Eppler’s resignation on October 5, 2023, and with David Stearns leading the Baseball Operations team, the Mets consider the matter closed and will have no further comment," the Mets said in a statement.
Eppler is believed to have fully cooperated with the probe. Before joining the Mets in 2021, Eppler had a five-year stint as a member of the Angels front office. He also spent 11 years with the New York Yankees.
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Eppler could request to be reinstated prior to the end of the 2024 World Series. Manfred would ultimately be in charge of granting or denying Eppler's early reinstatement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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