Ex-Mets GM Busted Over Use of an Old Baseball Scheme

Former New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler was suspended through the 2024 World Series on Friday by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, who concluded he directed team staff to fabricate injuries to create open roster spots. Manfred said in a statement that Eppler directed "the deliberate fabrication of injuries; and the associated submission of documentation for the purposes of securing multiple improper injured list placements during the 2022 and 2023 seasons."

• Use of the so-called "phantom injured list" is thought to be common throughout baseball, but Eppler is the first to be disciplined, per the AP.

• "I cooperated fully and transparently with MLB's investigation, and I accept their decision," Eppler said in a statement. He will not lose any salary as a result of the suspension. The Mets paid the remainder of his contract, which was set to run through the 2025 season, after he resigned last fall the same day MLB's investigation became public. He cannot take a new position with another team until reinstated.
• Among other things, putting a player on the Injured List means the team can eliminate the risk of another team scooping them up, per the New York Post, adding that it often involves "fringe players." A player who has no options remaining that allow him to be sent to the minor leagues has to be put on waivers before he can land with a minor league team. Putting him on the Injured List avoids the possibility he'd be claimed by another team in that process, per CBS Sports. So the player stays with the organization but not on the active roster. The Daily News adds that the "phantom" list is often used to "give struggling players a break." Placement requires medical documentation, "but it's easy to find something minor like tendinitis or inflammation in professional athletes."

(More MLB stories.)