Manfred: Discussion about adopting universal DH has 'moved a little'

The designated hitter might not be coming to a National League ballpark near you tomorrow, but discussion on the subject seems to be active.

Commissioner Rob Manfred revealed Thursday that baseball's owners have been mulling the possibility of bringing the DH to the NL, and - for perhaps the first time in decades - suggested there may be some momentum toward making it happen.

"I think that is a continuing source of conversation among the ownership group and I think that the dialogue actually probably moved a little bit," Manfred said, according to Scott Boeck of USA Today.

The American League adopted the DH full time in 1973, while the NL has never followed suit (though in 1980, National League owners narrowly voted against the DH thanks to a famous miscommunication). The Senior Circuit remains one of the only professional leagues in the world that doesn't employ a DH on a daily basis.

Though some NL hurlers such as Madison Bumgarner and Zack Greinke are notable for also being excellent hitters, pitchers are struggling to produce at the plate as a unit more than ever this season. Collectively, NL pitchers are slashing .112/.146/.142 in 2018 with just seven homers and a minus-24 wRC+; these numbers are already the worst showing from pitchers this century, even when accounting for the lowered standards at this position.

Calls for the universal DH have grown louder in recent years thanks to the advent of daily interleague play and some injuries pitchers have suffered while hitting or running the bases. Still, there are many hurdles to clear before such a change could be implemented - the MLB Players Association would have to be involved, and owners may not support the switch for various reasons - so Manfred was careful to temper expectations.

"We have a core of National League owners that prefer the National League game, there's no question about it," Manfred said, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. "I don't think anybody likes pitchers getting hurt, and I don't think even the people that like the National League game see pitchers hitting .113 as a positive, either.

"The DH is one of those topics that you never quite put to bed."