Billy Eppler, once a big name with the Los Angeles Angels and later with the New York Mets, finds himself in hot water. Yep, you heard it right. MLB dropped the hammer on him, announcing he’s been benched – well, placed on the ineligible list, to be precise. Why, you ask? For playing it fast and loose with the injured list during his Mets days. And just like that, he’s out of the game until the curtain falls on the 2024 World Series. That’s a whole season in timeout!
“I’m all in with MLB’s call,” Eppler confessed, his statement echoing through the digital halls of Twitter (
). He admitted to fully cooperating with the investigation. The probe, it turns out, pinned the whole shebang on Eppler. No one else at the club had their fingers in the pie, according to MLB. They’re washing their hands of it, considering the case shut.
Remember October? That’s when Eppler waved goodbye to his GM seat with the Mets, right in the middle of this whole injured list scandal. The league’s sleuths uncovered a sneaky scheme of cooking up injuries, complete with bogus paperwork, all to game the system for extra Injured List slots in 2022 and 2023.
So, what’s the big deal with this “phantom” injured list? It’s like a magic trick for roster management. Say a pitcher’s out of minor league options and you don’t wanna risk losing him on waivers. Presto, into the “phantom” list he goes, keeping him in the fold but off the field. Clever, but not exactly by the book.
Eppler’s dance with the Mets lasted a brief two seasons, following a longer gig with the Angels from 2016 to 2020. But it’s his Mets chapter that’s got him in this pickle, with the injured list misuse squarely in the spotlight.
And just for kicks, let’s talk numbers. The Mets called on the injured list 28 times in 2022, ranking them 10th in the MLB for their love of the list. They kept up the pace in 2023, with 25 trips to the list, earning them the 11th spot. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?
