Cleveland cuts former All-Star RHP Noah Syndergaard after Sunday's start against Toronto

TORONTO (AP) — Cleveland right-hander Noah Syndergaard was designated for assignment following Sunday’s extra-inning win over Toronto after pitching six innings against the Blue Jays.

Syndergaard allowed five runs and four hits against the team that drafted him in the first round in 2010. He gave up three home runs.

“He just had trouble keeping it in the ballpark,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said of Syndergaard after Sunday’s 10-7 win. “Only a couple of hits for a while. But then the home runs, they kind of get in the way a little bit, and I know it frustrated him.”

Francona didn’t address Syndergaard’s status after the game. Syndergaard, who turns 31 on Tuesday, did not speak to reporters.

Syndergaard is 2-6 with a 6.50 ERA in 18 starts with the Dodgers and Guardians. He’s owed $2,446,237 of his $13 million salary for the final five weeks of the season.

Cleveland acquired Syndergaard from Los Angeles on July 26 in exchange for infielder Amed Rosario. As part of the trade, the Dodgers agreed to send Cleveland $1,873,118 to cover part of the $4,682,795 Syndergaard was owed at the time. Rosario was due $2,809,677 from his $7.8 million deal.

Nicknamed ‘Thor’ for his devastating fastball and long, blond hair, Syndergaard was once one of the game’s rising pitching stars. However, injuries have sidetracked his career. He signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers last offseason and posted a 7.16 ERA in 12 starts before getting hurt.

Syndergaard spent his first seven seasons with the New York Mets, where he was an All-Star in 2016. He pitched for the Mets in the 2015 World Series, earning their only win against the Kansas City Royals.

Syndergaard is 59-47 with a 3.71 ERA in 163 career games with the Mets, the Angels, Philadelphia, the Dodgers, and Cleveland.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb