Twins grab SS; Queens’ Holmes off to Cleveland
THE Minnesota Twins selected California high school shortstop Royce Lewis with the No. 1 pick in the Major League Baseball draft Monday night.
It was the third time the Twins led off the draft, and first since they took hometown high school catcher Joe Mauer in 2001.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Lewis hit .377 with four homers and 25 stolen bases for JSerra Catholic High School, establishing himself as a top prospect with excellent speed and a solid bat. He played both shortstop and outfield in high school.
l Monsignor McClancy outfielder Quentin Holmes is taking the next step to reach The Show.
The 17-year-old Queens native was drafted in the second round by the Cleveland Indians with the 64th overall pick in the MLB Draft.
There was speculation Holmes would break into the first round, becoming the first New York high school athlete to do so since Jason Marquis in 1996.
Holmes, 6-2, 180 pounds, is heralded by scouts for his speed and is considered to be the fastest player in the draft.
REMY CANCER RETURNS
Red Sox TV analyst Jerry Remy said Monday he has been diagnosed with lung cancer for a fifth time and will have surgery to treat it in two weeks.
“It’s obviously disappointing to me, but it’s something that I’ve been through a number of times,” he said. “It has not spread. It’s located in one spot and surgery will remove it. They’ll be a recovery time after surgery.”
DECKER OFFICIALLY GONE
Eric Decker’s days as a Jet are officially over. The team released the veteran wide receiver Monday after it was unable to trade him over the past week. The Jets will shave $7.25 million off their cash payroll by parting ways with Decker, who was rehabbing from shoulder and hip surgeries.
The Daily News reported last week that Decker and David Harris’ ousters were driven by Woody Johnson’s desire to save money during this rebuilding season.
The 30-year-old Decker, who played only three games last season due to injury, had 163 receptions for 2,183 yards and 19 touchdowns in three seasons with the Jets. He was former general manager John Idzik’s best free-agent signing during a shortlived failed regime.
Decker, who thrived in Denver before inking a big-money deal with the Jets, proved he was more than a creation of Peyton Manning. He led the Jets in receiving in his first season with Gang Green before teaming with Brandon Marshall to form one of the league’s most formidable pass-catching duos in 2015.
— Manish Mehta l Michael Oher’s future in Carolina remains uncertain as the Panthers prepare for a mandatory three-day minicamp beginning today. The team’s starting left tackle during its Super Bowl season in 2015 has not had any contact with the Panthers in more than a month, making it unclear if he will attend the camp.
Attempts to reach Oher — the subject of the popular movie “The Blind Side” — were unsuccessful.
Oher’s status with the team has been a rollercoaster ride since he suffered a head injury last September and was placed in the league’s concussion protocol. He hasn’t played since, missing the last 13 games in 2016 and remains in the protocol eight months later.
On Thursday night a cryptic message was posted on Oher’s Instagram account with a picture of 10 prescription pill bottles along with the words “all for the brain smh (shaking my head).”