Betances announced his retirement from professional baseball Wednesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Betances was released from his minor-league contract with the Dodgers earlier Wednesday, and he won't pursue any additional opportunities. The veteran right-hander has appeared in only 17 big-league games since 2018, as his career has been derailed by injuries over the past few years. Betances was one of the best relievers in baseball during his time with the Yankees, and he'll finish his career a 2.53 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 633 strikeouts across 394.1 innings.
The Dodgers released Betances from his minor-league contract Wednesday.
After undergoing shoulder surgery last summer, Betances didn't sign with the Dodgers until April and then spent the next two months getting ramped up before beginning a rehab assignment in the lower levels of the minors. He made his way to Triple-A Oklahoma City in late June but looked like a shell of his former self over his 15 appearances for the affiliate, posting an 11.08 ERA, 1.85 WHIP and 12:14 K:BB across 13 innings. A series of arm-related injuries have derailed the 34-year-old's once-promising career, and the four-time All-Star may be running out of opportunities at this point.
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Dodgers' Dellin Betances: Debuts at Triple-A
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Betances (shoulder) has struck out one and allowed an unearned run on one hit and no walks over two innings in his first two appearances for Triple-A Oklahoma City since being activated Tuesday.
After signing a minor-league deal with the Dodgers in early April, Betances spent about two months ramping up at the organization's extended spring training facility before making his debut June 7 in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League. He made four rehab appearances in the ACL before ultimately moving on to Triple-A, where he'll look to prove he still has something left in the tank as he makes his return from shoulder surgery. A four-time All-Star, Betances has made only 17 big-league appearances since the start of the 2019 season while enduring multiple arm-related injuries.
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Dodgers' Dellin Betances: Ramping up in Arizona
Rotowire
Betances (shoulder) started a rehab assignment with the Dodgers' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate June 7 and has given up three earned runs on six hits and zero walks while striking out seven across 3.2 innings spanning four appearances.
Since his 2021 campaign with the Mets came to an end late in June after he underwent surgery on his right shoulder, Betances is expected to require an extensive ramp-up period in the lower rungs of the minors before he eventually settles in as a member of Triple-A Oklahoma City's bullpen. Once he's with Oklahoma City, Betances will look to prove that he still has something left in the tank after injuries limited him to just 13.1 total innings at the big-league level across the past three seasons.
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Dodgers' Dellin Betances: Signs deal with Dodgers
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Betances (shoulder) agreed to a minor-league contract with the Dodgers on Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. The deal is worth $2.75 million at the MLB level and includes up to $500,000 in performance-based incentives, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Betances' 2021 season with the Mets came to an end when he underwent shoulder surgery in late June, but he'll get a chance to complete his rehab with the Dodgers organization. Where exactly the 34-year-old stands in his recovery isn't exactly clear, but the Dodgers likely wouldn't have signed if a lengthy absence was anticipated. The 34-year-old has struggled to stay healthy over the last few years, appearing in only 17 MLB games since the 2018 season. The right-hander is well removed from his prime years that resulted in four consecutive All-Star campaigns from 2014 through 2017, but the Dodgers are hopeful the organization change may help Betances rebound to some degree.
Mets' Dellin Betances: Set for season-ending surgery
Rotowire
Manager Luis Rojas said Wednesday that Betances will undergo surgery on his right shoulder and miss the rest of the 2021 season, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.
The veteran right-hander had been on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Syracuse over the past couple weeks when he started experiencing pain in his shoulder. Betances has been on the shelf with a shoulder impingement since making his lone appearance of the season April 7, and he won't be available during the second half of the campaign. He'll head into 2022 having pitched only 13.1 innings across the past three seasons due to injuries.
The Mets transferred Betances' (shoulder) rehab assignment from Low-A St. Lucie to Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
New York determined that Betances was ready for a stiffer test after he completed three rehab appearances with St. Lucie. He retired just one hitter and surrendered five runs in his second outing June 16, but he bounced back in his most recent appearance Saturday, when he struck out two over a scoreless inning while allowing two hits. Given that Betances has been sidelined since early April with right shoulder inflammation, the Mets may want to see him make multiple appearances for Syracuse before activating him from the 60-day injured list.
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Mets' Dellin Betances: Kicks off rehab assignment
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Betances (shoulder) began a rehab assignment at Low-A St. Lucie on Sunday, tossing a scoreless inning in a 21-pitch appearance. He gave up no hits and one walk and struck out two.
According to Jacob Resnick of SNY.tv, Betances' fastball topped out at 94 miles per hour, roughly in line with his average velocity during his 15 appearances in 2020. The rehab outing was Betances' first game action since April 7, so he'll likely complete several more appearances at multiple affiliates before the Mets consider bringing him back from the 60-day injured list.
Betances (shoulder) threw a side session Sunday, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.
The 33-year-old has been sidelined by a right shoulder impingement since making his season debut April 7, and this is the first indication that he's back to throwing. Betances is eligible to return from the 60-day injured list in early June, though he figures to face a longer absence given Sunday's side session was his first since landing on the shelf.
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Mets' Dellin Betances: Shifts to 60-day injured list
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Betances (shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Persistent injury problems have derailed the 33-year-old's career in recent seasons. He's thrown just 13.1 innings over the last three years, including just one this season before being shut down with a shoulder impingement. He'll now be out of action until at least early June.
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Mets' Dellin Betances: Not throwing yet
Rotowire
Betances (shoulder) has yet to resume throwing since being placed on the 10-day injured list April 8, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
The Mets aren't planning on having Betances travel with the team during its upcoming six-game road trip that concludes April 22, so he'll remain on the shelf beyond the minimum 10 days. A target date for Betances' return is unlikely to emerge until he gets back on a mound.
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Mets' Dellin Betances: Out with shoulder injury
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Betances landed on the 10-day injured list with a right shoulder impingement Thursday, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.
Shoulder troubles wiped out almost the entirety of Betances' 2019 campaign, as he faced a total of just two batters. He also missed time last year with a lat injury. The severity of his latest injury is not yet clear, but it's hard to have much confidence in the 33-year-old's health given his recent history. Trevor Hildenberger was recalled in a corresponding move.
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Mets' Dellin Betances: Velocity declining
Rotowire
Betances' four-seamer averaged 90.6 mph in Tuesday's appearance against the Astros, down a couple ticks from earlier this spring, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
He allowed two runs on a pair of hits (though one of those came on an outfield misplay) and a hit batsman while striking out one over one inning, and Betances has now given up six runs with a 2:3 K:BB in four innings this spring. It was reported earlier this spring that he had returned to his old arm slot after battling injuries in recent years, but something still isn't right for the towering righty. He should be considered a volatile middle reliever going forward.
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Mets' Dellin Betances: Back to old arm slot
Rotowire
Betances spent the offseason trying to regain flexibility in his shoulder and return to the arm slot he used during his peak years, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.
Injuries over the years dropped the right-hander's release point and had a huge impact on the movement of his fastball in particular, making it both harder to control and easier to hit when it was in the strike zone. Working with trainers at Rockland Peak Performance in New Jersey, Betances got healthier and regained range of motion in his shoulder before using high-speed cameras to break down his mechanics, going so far as to buy his own Rapsodo unit for use while traveling. His velocity has been encouraging to begin the spring, but the 32-year-old still has a long way to go to prove he's once again the pitcher who struck out triple-digit batters in five straight seasons as a late-inning weapon for the Yankees.
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Mets' Dellin Betances: Velocity good to begin spring
Rotowire
Betances' fastbabll was sitting in the low 90s during Friday's live batting practice session, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
The right-hander typically takes a while to ramp up his velocity -- last year at this time he was topping out at 86 mph, before eventually averaging 93.6 mph during the abbreviated regular season -- so this is an encouraging start to the spring for Betances. The 32-year-old has yet to rediscover the heat he flashed in his Yankees heyday prior to an injury-riddled 2019, but a return to something close to that form would provide a big boost to a Mets bullpen that will be missing Seth Lugo (elbow) to begin the campaign.
