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LEADING OFF: Syndergaard has setback, Kluber to get MRI

New York Yankees starting pitcher Corey Kluber (28) reacts after giving up a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the third inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 25, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray) (Noah K. Murray, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

A look at what's happening around the majors Wednesday:

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SORE THOR

Noah Syndergaard was pulled from his minor league rehabilitation outing because of soreness in his pitching elbow Tuesday night, the latest setback for a New York Mets team ravaged by injuries.

The hard-throwing right-hander is coming back from Tommy John surgery on March 26 last year. He lasted only one inning in his second start with Class A St. Lucie. The Mets said Syndergaard was removed as a precaution. He had been on track for a mid-June return, but suddenly that appears uncertain at best.

The 28-year-old Syndergaard, an All-Star in 2016, is 47-30 with a 3.31 ERA in five major league seasons. He can become a free agent in the fall.

New York has 16 players on the injured list, most in the majors, and is missing three of its top five starting pitchers in Syndergaard, Carlos Carrasco and Taijuan Walker.

FROM NO-NO TO OH NO

Yankees right-hander Corey Kluber will get an MRI a day after leaving his start with right shoulder tightness. The two-time Cy Young Award winner pitched a no-hitter last week at Texas but was pulled after three innings against Toronto on Tuesday.

Kluber’s 2019 season ended for Cleveland that May 1 when he was hit on the forearm by a comebacker, and his debut for Texas in 2020 lasted just one inning before he tore a muscle in his right shoulder on July 26.

Alek Manoah, the No. 5-ranked prospect in the Blue Jays’ organization by MLB.com, is slated for his major league debut at Yankee Stadium against New York. Manoah faced the Yankees twice during spring training, throwing five scoreless innings of one-hit ball. Domingo Germán (4-2) starts for New York.

HARPER OUT

Phillies star Bryce Harper will be out for another week while recovering from a bruised left forearm.

Harper is hitless in his past 16 at-bats and sat out games Sunday and Monday. Manager Joe Girardi had said he was being given a break because of his slump.

Harper was put on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Sunday.

The slugging outfielder has seven homers, 13 RBIs and a .274 average in 38 games. He took a 97 mph fastball to the face last month but wasn’t seriously hurt.

CAPPED OFF

A line of baseball caps launched Tuesday by New Era trying to celebrate big league cities was met by overwhelming criticism and appears to have already been shelved by the company.

The “Local Market” hats were removed from New Era's website hours after their introduction. The series included one cap for each team featuring the club's primary logo, area codes for the surrounding communities and various iconography meant to represent the area.

There were several issues. The area code selection was inconsistent, including several notable omissions — the Tampa Bay Rays' hat didn't include St. Petersburg, where the team's stadium is located, for example; the Pittsburgh Pirates' version had no area codes at all.

The decals were lampooned as tacky, generic and at times inaccurate — Cincinnati fans had particular beef over a poor rendering of their beloved local chili.

The caps were never meant to be worn by players in games, MLB said. New Era did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

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