SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Michael Tonkin is on the move yet again.
The right-handed reliever was designated for assignment by the New York Mets for the second time in 18 days Monday — with one appearance for Minnesota in between.
Tonkin was cut one day after throwing 38 pitches over two scoreless innings during a 10-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The day before that, he worked one inning for his first win of the season.
Tonkin began the season with the Mets, then was designated for assignment on April 5. He was traded to the Twins four days later for cash and made one appearance with Minnesota on April 12 at Detroit.
New York quickly reacquired him, claiming Tonkin off waivers from the Twins last Wednesday. He pitched in back-to-back games for the Mets over the weekend and was let go again. They have seven days to trade or release him, or send him outright to the minors.
New York rookie manager Carlos Mendoza had to have the tough conversation with Tonkin — for a second time.
“It's not easy and it's not a fun part of this job obviously, and you have to do it twice,” Mendoza said ahead of his team's series opener at San Francisco. “And a guy that has done a lot. He has an outing like yesterday when he saved our bullpen. Now, we needed an arm. These guys, they've got families, and it's hard. It really is. It's a business. He understood, obviously disappointed.”
The 34-year-old Tonkin is 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA and 11 strikeouts over six outings totaling nine innings for the Mets and Twins in 2024.
Josh Walker was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to give the club another lefty in the bullpen, while right-hander Sean Reid-Foley returned from a stint on the 15-day injured list with an impingement in his pitching shoulder. He made three scoreless rehab appearances.
In addition, New York optioned right-hander Grant Hartwig to Triple-A Syracuse after Sunday's game at Dodger Stadium.
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Minnesota Twins pitcher Michael Tonkin throws during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Friday, April 12, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Minnesota Twins pitcher Michael Tonkin throws during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Friday, April 12, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two former FBI officials settled lawsuits with the Justice Department on Friday, resolving claims that their privacy rights were violated when the department leaked to the news media text messages that they had sent one another that disparaged former President Donald Trump.
Peter Strzok, a former top counterintelligence agent who played a crucial role in the investigation into Russian election interference in 2016, settled his case for $1.2 million. Lisa Page, an FBI lawyer who exchanged text messages with Strzok, also reached a separate settlement. Court records reviewed by The Associated Press show she is to be paid $800,000.
The two had sued the Justice Department over a 2017 episode in which officials shared copies with reporters of text messages that they had sent each other, including ones that described Trump as an “idiot” and a ”loathsome human” and that called the prospect of a Trump victory “terrifying.”
Strzok, who also investigated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, was fired after the text messages came to light. Page resigned. They later sued, alleging that department officials leaked the texts to promote a false narrative of anti-Trump bias within the FBI and to elevate the department's status with Trump after his relentless attacks on then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Justice Department inspector general reports examining the handling of the Clinton email and Trump-Russia investigations did not find evidence that partisan bias within the FBI influenced investigative decisions.
Strzok has also sued the department over his termination, alleging that the FBI caved to “unrelenting pressure” from Trump when it fired him and that his First Amendment rights were violated. Those constitutional claims remain pending.
“This outcome is a critical step forward in addressing the government’s unfair and highly politicized treatment of Pete,” Strzok's lawyer, Aitan Goelman, said in a statement Friday announcing the settlement.
“As important as it is for him, it also vindicates the privacy interests of all government employees. We will continue to litigate Pete’s constitutional claims to ensure that, in the future, public servants are protected from adverse employment actions motivated by partisan politics,” he added.
A spokesman for the Justice Department declined to comment Friday.
“While I have been vindicated by this result, my fervent hope remains that our institutions of justice will never again play politics with the lives of their employees,” Page said in a statement.
Her attorneys said in a statement that “the evidence was overwhelming that the release of text messages to the press in December 2017 was for partisan political purposes and was against the law. ”
FILE - A sign outside the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice building is seen in Washington, May 4, 2021. Two former FBI officials have settled lawsuits Friday, July 26, 2024, with the Justice Department to resolve claims that their privacy was violated when the department leaked to the news media text messages that they had sent one another that disparaged former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
