NEW YORK (AP) — Luis Rojas has been let go as manager of the New York Mets after two losing seasons. The team declined its option on Rojas’ contract for 2022, making the announcement one day after finishing third in the NL East at 77-85 in Steve Cohen’s first year of ownership.
Monday’s move was no surprise, the first of several significant changes coming again this offseason for a club in constant turmoil. The Mets said Rojas has been offered the opportunity to remain in the organization in a role still to be determined. The club said decisions about the coaching staff will be made in the next several days.
In other MLB news:
— The Chicago White Sox think pitcher Carlos Rodón will be healthy enough to help them in the playoffs after the All-Star left-hander was limited down the regular-season stretch. General manager Rick Hahn says the team is optimistic he’ll be able to contribute through October. Hahn said Rodón will only pitch once during the division series against the AL West champion Houston Astros that begins Thursday. If the White Sox advance, they’ll evaluate his workload on a series-by-series basis.
— Major League Baseball drew 45.3 million fans this year as fans gradually were allowed to return, down from 68.5 million over 2019 in the last season before the coronavirus pandemic. The commissioner’s office says this year’s MLB season averaged 18,901 for 2,397 dates. The Los Angeles Dodgers led the major leagues in home attendance at 2.8 million. They did not start selling full capacity until games in mid-June. Atlanta was second at 2.3 million, followed by San Diego at 2.2 million, Texas and St. Louis at 2.1 million and Houston at 2.07 million.
— Mookie Betts and the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers had four of the top 10 selling jerseys in Major League Baseball this season. Betts’ No. 50 uniform claimed the top spot for the second straight year after he was acquired prior to the 2020 season from the Boston Red Sox. He’s joined in the top 10 by teammates Clayton Kershaw at five, Cody Bellinger at six and World Series MVP Corey Seager at eight. Kershaw and Seager are set to become free agents.
