Once again, Greg Bird is hurt as spring training comes to a close.The oft-injured New York Yankees first baseman will need surgery on his ailing right ankle and could be sidelined for two months. The team learned of the setback Monday while in Atlanta for its final exhibition game, three days before the season opener at Toronto."Obviously, we were hoping it was going to be a shorter-term thing," said rookie manager Aaron Boone, who took over a club that reached Game 7 of the AL Championship Series last year. "But we feel like we got some answers. We feel like we know what the surgery's going to accomplish."Bird will have surgery to remove a small broken spur on the outside of his right ankle. Dr. Martin O'Malley is scheduled to operate Tuesday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.The slugger is expected to be out for six to eight weeks."Hopefully this is something he will now put behind him for good," Boone said. "We feel pretty good that the surgery is fairly minor and they're... [More]

Once again, Greg Bird is hurt as spring training comes to a close.The oft-injured New York Yankees first baseman will need surgery on his ailing right ankle and could be sidelined for two months. The team learned of the setback Monday while in Atlanta for its final exhibition game, three days before the season opener at Toronto."Obviously, we were hoping it was going to be a shorter-term thing," said rookie manager Aaron Boone, who took over a club that reached Game 7 of the AL Championship Series last year. "But we feel like we got some answers. We feel like we know what the surgery's going to accomplish."Bird will have surgery to remove a small broken spur on the outside of his right ankle. Dr. Martin O'Malley is scheduled to operate Tuesday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.The slugger is expected to be out for six to eight weeks."Hopefully this is something he will now put behind him for good," Boone said. "We feel pretty good that the surgery is fairly minor and they're... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — David Price made his delayed spring-training debut for Boston, allowing one hit over four scoreless innings in a 7-5 win over Toronto on Thursday.Price struck out five and walked one. An elbow injury limited to a career-low 11 starts last season."Felt good," Price said. "I had really good fastball command early. I made good pitches when I needed to. I stayed away from the big part of the plate with the exception of a couple of fastballs. I thought it was a good day."Price was 6-3 with a 3.38 ERA last year. The 32-year-old left-hander is entering the third season of a $217 million, seven-year contract."This is March 15 and I've never had a four-pitch mix this early in spring training," he said. "I've never been this far along even though I've only thrown in one game. I'm excited about it."Andrew Benintendi drove in two runs with a pair of doubles for the Red Sox, while Christian Vazquez hit his first home run — a two-run drive. Teoscar Hernandez had two hits and two... [More]

The bullpen cart is back in the big leagues.Nearly a quarter-century since relievers stopped catching rides to the mound, the Arizona Diamondbacks said Tuesday they will use a buggy — topped by the requisite oversized team cap — to transport pitchers from both bullpens at Chase Field."I don't know how it will be getting driven in, but I think it's a cool idea and we'll have some fun with it," Diamondbacks closer candidate Archie Bradley said.With Major League Baseball looking for ways to speed up things, it's hard to tell whether this will save any time. But it's certain to be a hit with fans, especially the kids the game is trying to attract."I love it. I love it. I love," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. "It brings a little personality. We're probably the only sport that can do something like that."The last known time a team in the majors used a motorized vehicle — some clubs had actual cars — to relay relievers was 1995, when the Milwaukee Brewers shuttled them in a motorcycle... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Shortstop Freddy Galvis was one of six players to reach agreement on one-year deals with the San Diego Padres to avoid salary arbitration.Galvis, acquired in a trade from the Phillies last month, will make $6,825,000 in a big bump from his 2017 salary of $4,350,000. He played in all 162 games for Philadelphia last season, the first time he has done so. He batted .255 with 12 homers and 61 RBIs.Left-hander Brad Hand received a $3.6 million contract and a raise from his $1,375,000 last year, when he went 3-4 with a 2.16 ERA in 72 appearances.Also reaching one-year deals Friday to avoid arbitration were right-hander Carter Capps for $1,062,500, up from $987,500; third baseman Cory Spangenberg at $1.7 million, up from $545,500; outfielder Matt Szczur at $950,000 after he made $549,500 and right-hander Kirby Yates for $1,062,500 up, from $545,000.Spangenberg batted .264 with career-bests of 13 homers, 46 RBIs, 11 stolen bases and 129 games.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Right-hander Craig Stammen is guaranteed $4.5 million as part of his two-year contract with the San Diego Padres and can earn an additional $1 million in performance bonuses annually based on pitching appearances.San Diego announced his deal Saturday, when the Padres also said they agreed to a two-year contract with Japanese right-hander Kazuhisa Makita.In addition, the Padres avoided arbitration with pitcher Carter Capps by agreeing to a non-guaranteed one-year deal worth $1,062,500.Stammen has a salary of $2.25 million in each of the next two seasons and can earn $100,000 for 20 pitching appearances and each additional five through 50. He can make $150,000 apiece for 55 and 60.The 33-year-old was 2-3 with a 3.14 ERA with 74 strikeouts and 28 walks in a career-high 60 appearances for the Padres last season. In 289 career appearances with Washington and San Diego, Stammen is 28-27 with a 3.80 ERA.Makita, also 33, was 10-4 with a 1.91 ERA the last two seasons with the Pacific... [More]

3B Cory Spangenberg continued his unexpected power surge, clouting his 13th homer of the season in the top of the ninth inning. Going into the year, Spangenberg had blasted seven homers in 413 major league at-bats after cracking just 13 in 1,522 minor league at-bats. It was his fifth homer of August, the most he has hit in any month.

INF/OF Cory Spangenberg started in right field as manager Andy Green gave a slumping Hunter Renfroe a night out of the starting lineup. It was Spangenberg's first start in right this season and he went 0-for-2 with two putouts and an assist in the field.

INF Cory Spangenberg had his eight-game hitting streak snapped. That tied his career high but he couldn't extend it when going hitless in four at-bats and not getting the ball out of the infield.

LF Cory Spangenberg extended his hitting streak to eight straight games with a bunt single in the sixth. The streak ties the longest in Spangenberg's career. Spangenberg is 13-for-31 (.419) with two doubles, a triple, four home runs, 10 RBIs and nine runs scored.

LOS ANGELES -- Joc Pederson was hit in the leg by a pitch with the bases loaded in the eighth inning to force in the go-ahead run as the Los Angeles Dodgers continued their winning ways with a 6-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday.Pinch hitter Austin Barnes and Corey Seager added two-run singles as Los Angeles (84-34), which owns the best record in baseball, moved 50 games above .500 for the first time since 1953. Dodgers starter Alex Wood yielded six hits and one run while striking out six in seven innings.Chicago's Tim Anderson homered on the first pitch, giving him four home runs and eight RBIs in his past seven games. White Sox starter Miguel Gonzalez allowed one run on five hits in six innings. He struck out four and walked three.Red Sox 10, Cardinals 4BOSTON -- Hanley Ramirez and Sandy Leon drove in two runs apiece in an eight-run fifth inning that carried Boston past St. Louis.Ten consecutive Red Sox batters reached base, and 13 came to the plate while chasing Mike Leake... [More]

3B Cory Spangenberg was 2-for-4 with a two-run double, a solo homer and a run-scoring grounder for four RBIs on Tuesday night. At one point, he had five straight hits against the Phillies. Spangenberg is 12-for-27 (.444) during a seven-game hitting streak with two doubles, a triple, four home runs, 10 RBIs and eight runs to boost his batting average from .265 to .280. And that is only part of the equation. He has stolen two bases during the streak and taken extra bases on throws from the outfield. "If I'm a fan. Spangenberg is a fun player to watch," Padres manager Andy Green.

3B Cory Spangenberg had two home runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. Six of Spangenberg's 10 home runs have come in pairs this season. His previous two home runs came in back-to-back games on July 19-20, and he had two home runs June 11 against the Kansas City Royals.

3B Cory Spangenberg snapped an 0-for-8 drought against San Francisco Giants LHP Madison Bumgarner with a two-run home run. He had struck out in four of his eight at-bats against the fellow lefty before blasting a 415-foot shot to right-center field Thursday to snap a 2-2 tie.

3B Cory Spangenberg's three-run homer Sunday represented a season high for RBIs. He was 2-for-4 with a triple and the homer. It was his sixth homer of the season, but his first triple since April 9, 2016 at Colorado. Spangenberg is hitting .303 (37-for-122) at home this season with five doubles, a triple, four homers and 15 RBIs.

3B Cory Spangenberg was 1-for-3 Thursday, and was 4-for-10 with a home run in the three-game series in Cleveland. Spangenberg is hitting .346 (18-52) with four home runs, eight RBIs and seven runs scored in interleague games.

3B Cory Spangenberg's two-run home run in the seventh inning was his fifth homer of the season, which is a new career-high. His previous career high was four, set in 2015. Four of Spangenberg's home runs have come against American League teams.

3B Cory Spangenberg was 2-for-3 Tuesday, and had two of the Padres' five hits, both coming off RHP Corey Kluber. In the one at bat Spangenberg didn't get a hit, he drove in the only run of the game. That came in the fifth inning when he grounded into a force out at second on which DH Hector Sanchez scored from third.

3B Cory Spangenberg went 1-for-5 with a two-run double in the first inning Wednesday night. Spangenberg is hitting .314 (22-for-70) in June with three doubles, three home runs and eight RBIs.

3B Cory Spangenberg hit in the cleanup spot Sunday for the first time in the majors and went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. Padres manager Andy Green admitted the 190-pound infielder, who has four homers, is not your classic cleanup hitter.