LOS ANGELES (AP) — Yasiel Puig was late arriving to Dodger Stadium Monday in his first game since being traded to Cincinnati.He turned up with a bang once the game began.Puig hammered a two-run homer in the first inning off Clayton Kershaw, who was making his season debut for the Dodgers.Puig was greeted with a mix of boos and cheers as he rounded the bases to put the Reds ahead 2-0.The Dodgers honored Puig, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood and Kyle Farmer in a pregame video that highlighted their time in LA. Puig, Kemp and Farmer doffed their caps in appreciation. Wood just rejoined the Reds after being injured.Puig, from Cuba, awed fans with his cannon of an arm and infuriated management with his inconsistent efforts on the field during his six years with the Dodgers.He missed receiving his National League Championship Series ring in person from Dodgers owner Mark Walter and other front-office personnel.They presented the jewelry to Kemp, Wood and Farmer during an informal gathering outside the visitors'... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Old habits apparently die hard when Yasiel Puig is back in Los Angeles.He was late arriving to Dodger Stadium Monday in his return to the city where he awed fans with his cannon of an arm and infuriated management with his inconsistent efforts on the field.The Cuban star who now plays for the Cincinnati Reds missed receiving his National League Championship Series ring in person from Dodgers owner Mark Walter and other front-office personnel.They presented the jewelry to former Dodgers Matt Kemp, Alex Wood and Kyle Farmer during an informal gathering outside the visitors' clubhouse."Just the six of us sharing some stories, saying hello and more so us thanking them for what they did to help us accomplish what we accomplished last year and wishing them well," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.Asked about missing the gathering, Puig said, "He can send the ring to my locker or give it to me at batting practice. He can give it to me in person, I don't care."Roberts chuckled... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Yasiel Puig was late arriving to Dodger Stadium Monday in his return to Los Angeles for the first time since being traded to the Cincinnati Reds.The Cuban star missed receiving his National League Championship Series ring in person from Dodgers owner Mark Walter and other front-office personnel.They presented the jewelry to former Dodgers Matt Kemp, Alex Wood and Kyle Farmer during an informal gathering outside the Reds clubhouse."Just the six of us sharing some stories, saying hello and more so us thanking them for what they did to help us accomplish what we accomplished last year and wishing them well," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.Asked about missing the gathering, Puig said, "He can send the ring to my locker or give it to me at batting practice. He can give it to me in person, I don't care."Roberts chuckled when asked if he was happy to be on the other team now when Puig's name comes up."Yeah, I am happy," he said, smiling.Roberts said he and Puig "are good,"... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Yasiel Puig was late arriving to Dodger Stadium in his return to Los Angeles for the first time since being traded to the Cincinnati Reds.The Cuban star missed receiving his National League Championship Series ring in person from Dodgers owner Mark Walter and other front-office personnel on Monday.They presented the jewelry to former Dodgers Matt Kemp, Alex Wood and Kyle Farmer during an informal gathering outside the Reds clubhouse.Puig showed up 70 minutes late to a scheduled news conference with local media.He was part of a seven-player deal with Cincinnati in December that included Kemp, Wood and Farmer.Turner Ward, the former Dodgers hitting coach who is employed in the same role for the Reds, was working in the batting cage and also didn't visit with Walter, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, team president Stan Kasten and manager Dave Roberts.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Reds got a game deeper into this season before having to call one off.The second game of their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates was called off Saturday because of rain. The start was delayed 40 minutes before it was postponed with storms forecast all evening. It'll be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader on May 27.It was the majors' first postponement of the 2019 season. Fifty-four games were called off last year — the most since 1989 — largely due to cold, wet weather at the start of the season.The Reds have called off only 16 games during their 17 seasons at Great American Ball Park. Two were postponed because of rain last season, including the season opener against the Nationals that was pushed back a day.Both teams will stay with their scheduled starters for the final game of the now-shortened series, with Trevor Williams opposing Sony Gray in his Reds debut Sunday. Pittsburgh's Joe Musgrove will skip his turn in the rotation.Williams went 14-10 last... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — The second game of a series between the Pirates and Reds was postponed Saturday because of rain.The start of the game was delayed 40 minutes before it was called with storms in the forecast all evening. It'll be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader on May 27.It was only the 16th postponement in 17 seasons at Great American Ball Park. Two games were called off because of weather last season, including the season opener against the Nationals that was pushed back a day. An April 3 game against the Cubs also was postponed.The Reds won the season opener 5-3 on Thursday on a sunny, 70-degree day — the Reds' warmest home opener since 2010. The teams wrap up their opening series on Sunday, with temperatures around 40 degrees forecast.TRAINER'S ROOMPirates: CF Starling Marte was back in the posted lineup after missing the opener with a migraine.Reds: Matt Kemp was scheduled to start in left field instead of Jesse Winker. Manager David Bell said he wanted to get Kemp a chance to play early in the season. He came to the Reds in a trade with the Dodgers along with Yasiel Puig and left-hander Alex Wood.UP NEXTPirates: After concluding the series Sunday, the Pirates open at PNC Park on Monday against the Cardinals.Reds: Cincinnati wraps up its opening homestand with three games against the Brewers starting Monday.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — Luis Castillo has been picked to start on opening day for the Cincinnati Reds.Rookie manager David Bell made the announcement Tuesday, saying Castillo will get the ball March 28 at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Castillo was 10-12 with a 4.30 ERA in 31 starts for the last-place Reds a year ago.The 26-year-old right-hander is set to begin his second full season with Cincinnati. Castillo broke into the big leagues straight from Double-A Pensacola on June 23, 2017. He made his first start against Washington five months after the Reds acquired him and Austin Brice from the Miami Marlins in a trade for Dan Straily.Cincinnati traded for three experienced starters this offseason: Sonny Gray, Tanner Roark and Alex Wood. Castillo and Anthony DeSclafani are the only holdovers from the 2018 rotation.Bell said Gray, Roark and DeSclafani will follow Castillo."It was fun telling him. He was excited about it," Bell said. "He's had a lot of success leading up to now. We like... [More]

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — Luis Castillo has been picked to start on opening day for the Cincinnati Reds.Rookie manager David Bell made the announcement Tuesday, saying Castillo will get the ball March 28 at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Castillo was 10-12 with a 4.30 ERA in 31 starts for the last-place Reds a year ago.The 26-year-old right-hander is set to begin his second full season with Cincinnati. Castillo broke into the big leagues straight from Double-A Pensacola on June 23, 2017. He made his first start against Washington five months after the Reds acquired him and Austin Brice from the Miami Marlins in a trade for Dan Straily.Cincinnati traded for three experienced starters this offseason: Sonny Gray, Tanner Roark and Alex Wood. Castillo and Anthony DeSclafani are the only holdovers from the 2018 rotation.Bell said Gray, Roark and DeSclafani will follow Castillo."It was fun telling him. He was excited about it," Bell said. "He's had a lot of success leading up to now. We like... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Jung Ho Kang and Erik Gonzalez have won starting jobs in the infield with the Pittsburgh Pirates.General manager Neal Huntington said Monday that Kang has beaten out Colin Moran at third base and Erik Gonzalez has won the shortstop competition over Kevin Newman."It was not an easy decision because all four guys, in their own way, had legitimate claims to be the regular," Huntington said.Kang is just 5 for 28 (.185) with 13 strikeouts this spring but all five hits have been solo home runs. Moran was 6 for 28 (.214) with a double and a homer through the weekend.Moran, however, had committed four errors while Kang had two."The power has been real," manager Clint Hurdle said of Kang. "It's spring training, but it's five homers. We don't have anybody else that's hit five homers."Kang missed the entire 2017 season and the beginning of 2018 because he was unable to secure a work visa to travel from his native South Korea following a third DUI arrest. He then underwent wrist... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Jung Ho Kang and Erik Gonzalez have won starting jobs in the infield with the Pittsburgh Pirates.General manager Neal Huntington said Monday that Kang has beaten out Colin Moran at third base and Erik Gonzalez has won the shortstop competition over Kevin Newman."It was not an easy decision because all four guys, in their own way, had legitimate claims to be the regular," Huntington said.Kang is just 5 for 28 (.185) with 13 strikeouts this spring but all five hits have been solo home runs. Moran was 6 for 28 (.214) with a double and a homer through the weekend.Moran, however, had committed four errors while Kang had two."The power has been real," manager Clint Hurdle said of Kang. "It's spring training, but it's five homers. We don't have anybody else that's hit five homers."Kang missed the entire 2017 season and the beginning of 2018 because he was unable to secure a work visa to travel from his native South Korea following a third DUI arrest. He then underwent wrist... [More]

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds expect left-hander Alex Wood to open the season on the injured list as he recovers from a sore back that has limited him during spring training.Wood was part of the trade that brought outfielders Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp to Cincinnati from the Los Angeles Dodgers. He made one spring training start before his back tightened, and had a setback when he resumed throwing last week.Reds manager David Bell said Monday that it's likely Wood will miss the first couple weeks of the season as he tries to catch up."It will be mid-April, if everything is perfect," Bell said.Bell and his staff haven't decided whether Wood will stay in Goodyear for extended spring or bring him to Cincinnati to continue his throwing. The Reds open the season March 28 at Great American Ball Park against the Pirates.Right-hander Tyler Mahle, who was one of five rookies on last year's opening day roster, is the likely replacement in the rotation. Mahle made 23 starts for Cincinnati... [More]

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds expect left-hander Alex Wood to open the season on the disabled list as he recovers from a sore back that has limited him during spring training.Wood was part of the trade that brought outfielders Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp to Cincinnati from the Dodgers. He made one spring training start before his back tightened, and he had a setback when he resumed throwing last week.Manager David Bell said Monday that it's likely Wood will miss the first couple weeks of the season as he tries to catch up."It will be mid-April, if everything is perfect," Bell said.Bell and his staff haven't decided whether Wood will stay in Goodyear for extended spring or bring him to Cincinnati to continue his throwing. The Reds open the season March 28 at Great American Ball Park against the Pirates.Right-hander Tyler Mahle, who was one of five rookies on last year's opening day roster, is the likely replacement in the Reds rotation. Mahle made 23 starts for Cincinnati last... [More]

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds are hoping Scott Schebler is at the center of their resurgence.Following an offseason that saw a lot of turnover for the last-place Reds, they're beginning this year with Schebler in center field, taking over after the departure of Billy Hamilton.Schebler doesn't have Hamilton's range or speed. Few players do.But Schebler has played 49 games at the spot over the last three seasons. New manager David Bell has given Schebler the job, eager to see it he can make the transition from right field — by far his most familiar spot — and give Yaisel Puig a chance to settle in somewhere else in the outfield."Schebler is going to play all over this spring, but I'm interested in seeing him in center field," Bell said. "It's valuable that he can play all three positions in the outfield. There's no question he can play at this level."The question is how the Reds' new components fit together. They let Hamilton leave after years of trying unsuccessfully to improve... [More]

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — This much is working out for Yasiel Puig: Red is his favorite color.Cincinnati's new outfielder appeared in his fourth spring game Thursday, hitting a two-run homer in a 10-8 loss. It was his first home run since moving from glittering Hollywood with the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Queen City in a blockbuster deal which also sent outfielder Matt Kemp, pitcher Alex Wood and infielder Kyle Farmer to the Reds in December.Puig has looked good on the field so far, and he's also been himself off of it, feeling at home in a welcoming climate new manager David Bell has sought to provide."I had seen him play so that was my only experience with him," Bell said of Puig. "He's been great to have in camp. He's happy to be here. He brings great energy to what he does every day. He's been a good teammate. It goes for all our players — we want them to be comfortable being themselves and he certainly is and we think it's great."More than anything that stands out is his energy and he... [More]

Bryce Harper meets with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the very next day, a Brinks truck is parked right outside the team's spring training complex.Coincidence or correlation?With the first full week of exhibition games on deck, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed he joined club executives in meeting with Harper in Las Vegas on Sunday night.Roberts said it was a good session and gave the sides a chance to "get to know each other." Roberts says the Dodgers were "vetting a certain process."Harper has been connected to the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco Giants during a second consecutive slow free-agent market for the sport. Manny Machado, the other top free agent this winter, signed a $300 million, 10-year deal with the San Diego Padres on Thursday.The 26-year-old Harper was the 2015 NL MVP and made six All-Star teams in seven big league seasons with the Washington Nationals. He batted .249 with 34 home runs, 100 RBIs and an .889 OPS last season.FROM AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND... [More]

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — Joey Votto has spent the offseason trying to make sure he doesn't have another subpar season.The Cincinnati Reds star led the NL in on-base percentage last year but hit 12 homers, his fewest in a full season, and batted .284, his lowest since 2014. He had 67 RBIs."It was the first year where I had a poor offensive year," Votto said. "It is hard to speak on this without sounding arrogant. I've always performed at a certain level. Last year was a bit of a shock. I didn't perform anywhere near to what I'm used to."Votto, who turns 36 in September, was hit on the right knee by a pitch from Ryan Madson in August and went on the disabled list. His numbers were down even before the injury.Votto hit 37 homers during his 2010 NL MVP season and had 36 with 100 RBIs in 2017. He spent this offseason refining his swing."I did things differently, so I hope it works," Votto said. "Intuitively, I know why I wasn't ready and came up short last year. I just made sure I didn't do that... [More]

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — Tucker Barnhart read about the Reds' interest in Miami catcher J.T. Realmuto and hoped that they wouldn't be able to swing a deal for the All-Star. Having endured the hardest part of a rebuild, he wanted to be in Cincinnati for a turnaround.Barnhart got his wish. Realmuto was dealt to Philadelphia — another team seemingly on the rise after major changes — and Barnhart got to stay with the Reds and handle a rotation that's been overhauled.After four straight 90-loss seasons, the Reds are trying to become competitive in the NL Central."I want to be a part of the finished product of the rebuild that was started when I came up in '14. It's continued since. I want to be a part of the winning," Barnhart said. "Hopefully, that starts now."Barnhart thought he would be an important part of the rebuild when the Reds gave him a $16 million, four-year contract that runs through 2021 and includes a club option for 2022. He was coming off a 2017 season in which he became only the... [More]

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — Tucker Barnhart read about the Reds' interest in Miami catcher J.T. Realmuto and hoped that they wouldn't be able to swing a deal for the All-Star. Having endured the hardest part of a rebuild, he wanted to be in Cincinnati for a turnaround.Barnhart got his wish. Realmuto was dealt to Philadelphia — another team seemingly on the rise after a rebuild — and Barnhart got to stay with the Reds and handle a rotation that's been overhauled. After four straight 90-loss seasons, the Reds are trying to become competitive in the NL Central."I want to be a part of the finished product of the rebuild that was started when I came up inBarnhart thought he would be an important part of the rebuild when the Reds gave him a $16 million, four-year contract that runs through 2021 and includes a club option for 2022. He was coming off a 2017 season in which he became only the third catcher in franchise history to win a Gold Glove.Last season, Barnhart batted .248 and set career highs... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Detroit beat pitcher Michael Fulmer in the last salary arbitration case this year, leaving players with a 6-4 final record in decisions.Fulmer was awarded a raise from $575,200 to $2.8 million by Matt Goldberg, Robert Herzog and Elizabeth Neumeier, who heard the case Wednesday. Fulmer had asked for $3.4 million.The decision was withheld until Friday, when right-hander Luis Severino and the Yankees had been scheduled for a hearing.Fulmer was the 2016 AL Rookie of the Year and an All-Star in 2017. A right-hander who turns 26 on March 15, Fulmer was 3-12 with a 4.69 ERA in 132 1/3 innings last year. He didn't pitch for the Tigers between July 14 and Aug. 24 because of a left oblique strain, then didn't pitch after Sept. 15 because of a torn right lateral meniscus.Players had a winning record for the third time in four years but just the fifth time since 1996 and 11th time since arbitration started in 1974.Three starting pitchers won — Cleveland's Trevor Bauer, Houston's... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Detroit beat pitcher Michael Fulmer in the final salary arbitration case this year, leaving players with a 6-4 final record in decisions.Fulmer was awarded a raise from $575,200 to $2.8 million by Matt Goldberg, Robert Herzog and Elizabeth Neumeier, who heard the case Wednesday. Fulmer had asked for $3.4 million.The decision was withheld until Friday, when right-hander Luis Severino and the Yankees had been scheduled for a hearing.Fulmer was the 2016 AL Rookie of the Year and an All-Star in 2017. A right-hander who turns 26 on March 15, Fulmer was 3-12 with a 4.69 ERA in 132 1/3 innings last year. He didn't pitch for the Tigers between July 14 and Aug. 24 because of a left oblique strain, then didn't pitch after Sept. 15 because of a torn right lateral meniscus.Players had a winning record for the third time in four years but just the fifth time since 1996 and 11th time since arbitration started in 1974.Three starting pitchers won — Cleveland's Trevor Bauer,... [More]