Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton will miss the remainder of the 2016 season due to a groin strain, manager Don Mattingly told reporters on Sunday. 

Stanton was placed on the 15-day disabled list yesterday after sustaining a groin injury in Saturday's game against the White Sox while running the bases in the 9th inning. 

The loss is huge for the Marlins, who, after winning on Sunday, are tied for the second Wild Card spot with the Cardinals. Stanton, their best player, obviously will not be able to help them attempt to make the playoffs down the stretch. 

Going forward, the Marlins can plug Ichiro Suzuki into Stanton's spot in right field, where he will play alongside Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna in the outfield. This injury could also lead the team to pursue Alex Rodriguez on the free agent market. 

As for Stanton, 2016 will mark the fourth time in his seven-year career where he failed to play 125 games. Stanton has only played 150 or more once, precisely reaching that mark in 2011. 

This season, he was hitting .244/.329/.496 with 25 home runs and 70 runs batted in over 432 plate appearances. According to FanGraphs, Stanton has been worth 1.7 fWAR.

In 27 games since the second half started, Stanton was hitting .275 with five homers and 20 runs batted in over 111 plate appearances. 

​--Devan Fink

The Washington Nationals have released right-handed relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon, they announced on Saturday. 

Papelbon reportedly requested his release from the Nationals, who planned to designate him for assignment. The reason he did this is because a player can spend up to 10 days in DFA limbo before their team makes an official move. Instead, Papelbon can begin to look for a new club immediately. 

Known for his fiery personality, the 35-year-old Papelbon has been subject to plenty of controversy during his Nationals career. Perhaps the most notable of these moments came when he and outfielder Bryce Harper got into a scuffle in the dugout at the end of the 2015 season. 

This was Papelbon's first full season with the Nationals, who acquired him from the Phillies during last year's trade deadline. 

In 35 innings pitched this year, Papelbon has a 4.37 ERA and a 31-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has been worth 0.3 Wins Above Replacement according to FanGraphs. 

Papelbon saved 19 of his 22 save opportunities this season but lost the closer's job after having a rough June and July, posting a 7.36 ERA and a 13-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 11 innings, blowing a save and taking two losses. 

The Nationals, at the trade deadline, acquired another closer. This season, it was Mark Melancon from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Papelbon has only been used twice since that time, both coming in blowouts. 

The Red Sox are among the teams that could show interest in Papelbon on the open market. They have a need in their bullpen and he spent seven years with the club, pitching there from 2005 to 2011. 

The Nationals will owe Papelbon the rest of the money on his five-year, $61 million contract that expires after this season. He is making $11 million this year. 

​--Devan Fink

The New York Yankees have promoted right-handed pitching prospect Ben Heller to the Major Leagues, a source told Cover Those Bases on Thursday. 

The need for a reliever came about when Nathan Eovaldi, the Yankees' starter last night, left the game after one inning with an elbow injury. The team went on to use seven different relievers in their 9-4 defeat of the Boston Red Sox. 

A corresponding move for Heller has not been announced. 

The 25-year-old Heller was acquired, along with a package of prospects, by the Yankees at the trade deadline when they shipped Andrew Miller to the Indians. 

He has made 46 appearances this season, spending time at Double- and Triple-A. Heller has gone 3-2 with a 1.60 ERA and a 52-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 45 innings pitched, saving 13 games. He projects to be a back-end relief pitcher in the big leagues. 

Heller's arsenal mainly consists of a blistering 100 MPH fastball and a wipeout slider. He was drafted by the Indians with their 22nd round pick in the 2013 MLB Draft out of Olivet Nazarene University.

--Devan Fink

For more on Heller, be sure to read this profile I did on him in June. 

Texas Rangers designated hitter Prince Fielder will end his career in a press conference on Wednesday, as FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal first reported. 

Fielder is not retiring tomorrow. Rather, he and the Rangers are announcing that he will not be cleared by doctors to play in the Major Leagues again. Fielder had neck surgery this year and was not going to return to action for at least the rest of the season. 

The Rangers still have Fielder under contract through 2020. He is entitled to his compensation because he is not retiring. When a player retires, they, in theory, renounce the rest of their contract and forfeit the money. In Fielder’s case, he has been classified as medically ineligible, allowing him to be paid the rest of his deal. 

Luckily for Texas, they had an insurance policy placed on Fielder’s deal that will cut their payments in half. According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, the Rangers will only owe Fielder $9 million per season instead of $18 million per season over the rest of his deal. 

Fielder signed a nine-year, $214 million contract with the Detroit Tigers in the 2010-11 offseason. He is still owed approximately $100 million on the rest of his deal, with the Tigers paying him $6 million of the $24 million he will make every year from here on out. 

The 32-year-old Fielder was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 7th overall pick of the 2002 MLB Draft. 

He was a big-time slugger during his time in Milwaukee, leading him to be named to three All-Star Games. A fan favorite with the Brewers, Fielder hit for a .282/.390/.540 slash line with 230 HR, 656 RBI and a 556-779 walk-to-strikeout ratio over 4,210 plate appearances in seven years. According to FanGraphs, Fielder was worth 20.1 WAR from 2005 to 2011. 

After a brief stay in Detroit, Fielder then went on to the Rangers, where he has not been nearly as productive. He has hit .269/.350/.410 with Texas, hitting just 34 HR with 158 RBI in his stay here. 

This season, he has not been hitting well at all. He hit .212/.292/.334 with 8 HR, 44 RBI and 63 strikeouts over 370 plate appearances. The Rangers went on to replace Fielder, at least in the short term, with Carlos Beltran, who has played designated hitter since being acquired from the Yankees. 

Cover Those Bases wishes Fielder the best of luck with his health and off-the-field success in his post-playing days. 

—Devan Fink

Former National Football League Quarterback Tim Tebow is attempting a career in Major League Baseball. 

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the soon-to-be 29-year-old plants to host a showcase for scouts later this month. He has been working out in Arizona and Los Angeles, attempting to improve his baseball skills. 

Tebow has not played competitive baseball since he was a junior in high school in 2005. Then, however, he hit .494 and was named to the Florida All-State team. 

His agents, Nick Khan and Jimmy Sexton, have been working with CAA's Brodie Van Wagenen, a prominent baseball agent. They plan on inviting all 30 teams to his showcase. 

"This may sound like a publicity stunt, but nothing could be further from the truth," Van Wagenen told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. "I have seen Tim’s workouts, and people inside and outside the industry – scouts, executives, players and fans – will be impressed by his talent."

Tebow has not played in the NFL since 2012, when he was the Jets' backup quarterback. Since, he has worked as a broadcaster for ESPN.

Overall, the former Heisman Trophy winner has spent time with the Broncos and Jets. 

--Devan Fink