PHOENIX (AP) — Hernan Perez is going to play somewhere at some point.With Milwaukee adding outfielders Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich over the winter, It looks as if Perez might see a drop-off in playing time. But manager Craig Counsell isn't worried."Every year he's on the team, you say 'I don't really know how this will work,'" Counsell said. "But when you play seven positions, it works. It works because he can play seven positions. You don't have to have it figured out with him."The 26-year-old Perez started at seven different positions while appearing in a career-best 136 games last season. He even pitched an inning. He also hit .259 with 14 homers and 51 RBIs.Perez came up through Detroit's minor league system as an infielder and had never made an appearance in the outfield until 2016, when the Brewers began transitioning him into a utility role.He played 88 games in the outfield last year, including 34 starts in left primarily while Ryan Braun was injured.While the 14 homers were... [More]

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — Once he overcame some anxiety, Yonder Alonso started swinging for the fences.And clearing them.Hoping to improve his power statistics, Alonso altered his swing last season and the baseball began to fly. After hitting just 39 home runs in his first seven major league seasons, Alonso connected for 28 in 142 games for Oakland and Seattle.The Indians are counting on his surge to continue.Following first baseman Carlos Santana's departure as a free agent to Philadelphia, the Indians were left with a run-producing void in their lineup and signed the 30-year-old Alonso, who became something of a poster boy for MLB's new elevation trend.Alonso implemented a higher leg kick, used a bigger upper cut and concentrated on hitting the ball harder. And, as it turned out, farther."I tell guys, 'Look at me,'" said Alonso, who made his first All-Star appearance last season while with the Athletics. "I was so scared of change. Then I changed. It worked. I'm still learning that change... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joaquin Benoit can earn $1 million in performance bonuses in addition to his $1 million base salary with the Washington Nationals.Washington announced the deal with the 40-year-old reliever on Wednesday and opened a roster spot by placing pitcher Joe Ross on the 60-day disabled list as he recovers from Tommy John surgery in July.Benoit would get $100,000 each for 30, 35, 40 and 45 pitching appearances, and $200,000 apiece for 50, 55 and 60.A right-hander who first reached the big leagues in 2001, Benoit has played for eight teams and finished last year with Pittsburgh.He has 764 career appearances, going 58-49 with a 3.83 ERA and 53 saves.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — Pitcher Chris Tillman and the Baltimore Orioles finalized a $3 million, one-year contract that allows him to earn an additional $7 million in performance bonuses.Tillman would earn $1 million each for 125 and 150 innings, $1.5 million apiece for 175 and 190 and $2 million for 200 as part of the deal announced Wednesday. The first $1 million in performance bonuses earned is due Nov. 20, but any amounts above that are deferred, due each Jan. 20 in increments of $1 million. If he is traded, any bonuses earned after the deal are payable this Nov. 20He was 1-7 with a 7.84 ERA in 19 starts and five relief appearances last year. He is the second starter added by the Orioles in the past week after right-hander Andrew Cashner.Tillman likely will join right-handers Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman and Cashner in the rotation.The 29-year-old right-hander lives in Sarasota and had been working out at the Orioles' facility before spring training. Manager Buck Showalter watched Tillman throw and was impressed.Tillman began last season on the disabled list with right shoulder stiffness.To make room for Tillman on the 40-man roster, the Orioles designated outfielder Jaycob Brugman for assignment.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — With his sharp-breaking curveball, a fastball averaging 94 mph and the fitness of an elite athlete, Jose Berrios has every reason to be confident on the mound.Last season, he finally was.From the day he was drafted out of Puerto Rico by the Minnesota Twins with the 32nd overall pick in 2012, Berrios has been one of the organization's best pitching prospects. He thrived at every level of the minors, and once he made it to Minnesota in 2016 there were no concerns about him being able to adapt to major league hitters and entrench himself in the rotation for years to come.His debut was quite the dud, though, with an unsightly 8.02 ERA over 14 starts. He gave up 12 home runs and 35 walks in 58 1/3 innings. The missing ingredient, then, was self-assurance."Sometimes when things were going wrong," Berrios said, searching for a second to arrive at the right word in English, "I got discouraged."Hard to figure for someone who's so talented — but everyone is human."And he's... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Willson Contreras was on his way to a huge season last year when he got hurt.If he can stay healthy in 2018, he could establish himself as baseball's best catcher.The 25-year-old Contreras hit .274 with 21 homers and 74 RBIs last year, helping the Chicago Cubs win the NL Central for the second straight season. He once again will be entrusted with most of the work behind the plate, and he looks and sounds as if he is ready for the challenge."I can't tell you I've noticed anything different except he knows 'I'm the guy here and I am going to catch, and these are my pitchers,'" manager Joe Maddon said. "So, there's not any kind of doubt with him right now."The athletic Contreras made his major league debut in 2016 and played some outfield since the Cubs also had David Ross and Miguel Montero on the roster. He took over as the No. 1 catcher last season and was rolling along quite nicely until he was shelved by a hamstring injury in August.The Cubs think he could play himself... [More]

SUPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Pitcher Jesse Chavez and the Texas Rangers have completed a $1 million, one-year contract.The deal, announced Friday, is not guaranteed. The base salary would escalate to $1.5 million if the 34-year-old right-hander is on the 25-man active roster on opening day.Chavez was 7-11 with a 5.34 ERA in 21 starts and 17 relief appearances for the Los Angeles Angels last year. He has a 33-51 record and 4.69 ERA over 10 seasons in 70 starts and 283 relief appearances for Pittsburgh (2008-09), Atlanta (2010), Kansas City (2010-11), Toronto (2012 and '16), Oakland (2012-15), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2016) and the Angels.To clear a roster spot, Texas put left-hander Joe Palumbo on the 60-day disabled list.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — After watching J.D. Martinez transform into one of baseball's most powerful sluggers, Brandon Drury decided his career could lift off with some of that long-ball technique.So Drury commuted from his Las Vegas home to Southern California a half-dozen times during the offseason to work with the coaches who rebuilt the swings of Martinez and Chris Taylor. Launch angle is baseball's in vogue buzzword, and Drury wants some buzz."I don't feel like I've done anything like what I'm capable of the last couple years. They've both been kind of a grind," Drury said Thursday after his first workout with the New York Yankees. "The numbers are OK, I would say, but I don't think that those last two seasons is half of where I am."A 25-year-old who made his big league debut three years ago, Drury hit .267 with 13 homers and 63 RBIs last year in his second full season with the Diamondbacks, a year after batting .282 with 16 homers and 53 RBIs.New York acquired him from Arizona on Tuesday... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Stu Scheurwater has been hired by Major League Baseball to fill the opening on its umpire staff created by Dale Scott's retirement.The 34-year-old Scheurwater had been a minor league umpire since 2007, worked big league spring training for the first time in 2013 and has appeared in 268 regular-season big league games as a call-up.Scheurwater is from Regina, Saskatchewan, and becomes the first Canadian umpire on the full-time staff since Jim McKean from 1974-2001.Mark Wegner, a 19-year veteran, replaces Scott as a crew chief, the commissioner's office said Friday.Scott said in December he was retiring rather than risk another concussion. He missed nearly all of last season after a foul ball off the bat of Baltimore's Mark Trumbo caught him hard in the mask on April 14, causing Scott's second concussion in nine months and fourth in five years.Scott, who worked three World Series among 91 postseason games, came out as gay after the 2014 season.___More MLB baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles are looking for stronger pitching this year after last season's rocky performance.The starters last season combined for an ERA of 5.70.Three starting pitchers from last year's staff are gone: right-handers Jeremy Hellickson and Ubaldo Jimenez and left-hander Wade Miley. Remaining are right-handers Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman and Chris Tillman, who re-signed with the team Wednesday.Joining Bundy, Gausman and Tillman in the rotation is another right-hander, Andrew Cashner, who signed Feb. 15. Who gets the fifth spot will be the most pressing question in spring training."We were looking for a couple of veteran starting pitchers, and with the signing of Andrew Cashner and Chris Tillman, there's a couple of proven starters in the American League," said Dan Duquette, the Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations.The Orioles would like a left-hander to join the group, but they missed out on several free agents who have signed in the days... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Jameson Taillon never allowed himself much time to think about his bout with testicular cancer last season.The Pittsburgh pitcher's focus from nearly the moment he received the diagnosis in early May was to return to the mound as quickly as possible. Just five weeks later, he was activated from the disabled list and pitched five scoreless innings to beat the visiting Colorado Rockies."The best-case scenario is that it happened during the season," Taillon said. "I had my teammates for support, and I had a goal of returning to help the team to serve as a distraction."Taillon stayed busy in the offseason. He played golf with teammates Daniel Hudson and A.J. Schugel in Arizona, attended the Florida-Florida State and Central Florida-South Florida college football games with his brother and went Christmas shopping in New York.However, the winter months also gave Taillon time to stop and ponder the good fortune of recovering so quickly after surgery."I'm a different person,... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The New York Yankees have traded outfielder Jabari Blash to the Los Angeles Angels for either a player to be named or cash.The deal was announced Wednesday.Blash hit .213 with five home runs and 16 RBIs last season for San Diego. He batted .285 with 20 homers and 62 RBIs at Triple-A El Paso.The Yankees got the 28-year-old Blash from the Padres in December for third baseman Chase Headley, pitcher Bryan Mitchell and cash.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — The Cleveland Indians have agreed to a minor league contract with free agent reliever Carlos Torres, who could fill a bullpen opening.Torres pitched in 67 games last season for the Milwaukee Brewers. The right-hander will join the Indians in training camp once he passes a physical. The 35-year-old went 4-1 with a 4.21 ERA last season, his second with Milwaukee following three with the New York Mets.Torres has a 4.00 ERA in 348 career major league games with the Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, Mets and Brewers. He has pitched in at least 59 games in each of the past four seasons.The Indians have at least one spot to fill in their bullpen after right-handers Bryan Shaw and Joe Smith left this winter as free agents. Cleveland has other roster decisions to make this spring that could affect its relief corps.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Big league pitchers often talk about a "dead arm" period, when the ball does not seem to feel right or act properly.San Francisco closer Mark Melancon pitched last year with the real thing — dead tissue in a forearm muscle, discovered only during a season-ending surgical procedure Sept. 12.When doctors began a procedure designed to allow the muscle to "breathe," they found something they did not expect."It was actually dying off," Melancon said."It had turned gray. When they went in, they literally saw it. The muscle was dying from being restricted. The doctor said he hadn't seen that too much. He said he had seen it, but not there, and not often. Very rare. It was definitely a surprise. I know he was shocked," he said.Melancon, who said he had been felt similar restriction off and on at various points of the season since 2012, also was taken aback.While the surgery was considered a success, Melancon and the Giants can only hope the surgery will be enough to help... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Surprised to be traded, Steven Souza Jr. heads to Arizona for what promises to be a key role on a Diamondbacks team that expects to be good.The 28-year-old outfielder knew the Tampa Bay Rays were making some big changes but felt assured by management that he still figured in their plans."As much as people were flying off the shelf, it seemed like I was not going to be one of those people," Souza said Wednesday in a conference call from the airport before boarding a plane to Arizona. "It definitely caught me off-guard a little bit. I was definitely preparing for the role that I had there."Souza came to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday in a three-team trade that sent infielder Brandon Drury from Arizona to the New York Yankees and left-hander Anthony Banda, a top Arizona pitching prospect, to Tampa Bay.Souza batted just .239, but hit 30 homers, drove in 78 runs and walked 84 times, all three career highs.He will wear the same No. 28 that J.D. Martinez wore in his torrid... [More]

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Williams has set his sights on gaining a full-time role coming out of spring.He's already made quite an impression on Gabe Kapler — and on the new manager's ride, too.Williams dented Kapler's rental SUV with a home run during batting practice Tuesday and tried to ding his favorite target again Wednesday."The breeze coming in from right field did not stop Nick Williams from destroying the baseball and almost hitting my car for the second straight day," Kapler said.Insurance will surely cover the light damage and Kapler is more than happy to see the 24-year-old hitting with power."If he is destroying cars and it happens to be mine, no problem," Kapler added. "We're going to make it a bull's-eye for him."Williams, a former second-round pick for the Texas Rangers in 2012, showed some signs of what the future holds when he hit .288 with 12 home runs and 55 RBIs in 313 at-bats as a rookie last season.Williams spent the offseason working... [More]

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Nobody saw this coming, not even the Kansas City Royals.Whit Merrifield has gone from an afterthought to the American League stolen base champion. He has gone from more than 2,500 at-bats in the minors to the Kansas City starting second baseman.He began last year with Triple-A Omaha, his eighth straight season to open in the minors. He finished it hitting .288 with 19 home runs, 32 doubles, 78 RBIs and a league-leading 34 stolen bases."The most impressive thing to me about Whit Merrifield is his work ethic and how he has gone from just being an organizational player to a very, very solid major league player," Royals manager Ned Yost said Wednesday. "I don't think anybody three years ago would have projected Whit to be the player he is today."Everybody thought he'd be a nice utility player in Double-A, a nice utility player in Triple-A. I'm not sure anybody could project him to be anything more just maybe a utility player at the big league level. Maybe. And he's worked... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Newly acquired Brandon Drury is the now the favorite to be the starting third baseman for the New York Yankees.The Yankees acquired Drury from Arizona on Tuesday night in a three-team deal that also involved Tampa Bay. Drury played mostly second base for Arizona, but came up through the minors at third."Nothing is going to be given to anybody, but going into the process he's going to have a leg up given the fact that he's had two years of major league experience that he can fall back on plus postseason experience," Yankees general manager Cashman said Wednesday. "I think all those things will serve him well."Prospect Miguel Andujar was a leading candidate at third before the trade for Drury was completed."Andujar is a high-end skilled player that we think is going to have a very long and successful career in the big leagues, and we believe it's going to be here with us," Cashman said. "His hitting abilities are ahead currently of his defensive abilities because he moved... [More]

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Even though the Chicago White Sox are relatively early in their rebuilding project, the enthusiasm is very high — even by spring training standards of optimism.Much of that has to do with their man in the dugout.Second-year manager Rick Renteria's attributes — his energy, work ethic and ability to communicate — appear to be a perfect fit for the personalities and talent in the White Sox system."He asks a level of commitment out of them that's similar to what he's providing," general manager Rick Hahn says.At 55, Renteria has built a reputation around baseball as an encouraging, positive coach and manager. He played five seasons in the big leagues, but was a regular in only one — with the expansion 1993 Florida Marlins, batting .255 with two home runs.The White Sox have assembled an impressive group of young players. Some, such as infielder Yoan Moncada and pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez, have major league experience and are being counted on full-time this... [More]

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Sixty times last season as Washington's pitching coach, Mike Maddux enjoyed a front-row seat for two of the best pitchers in baseball, Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg.Now, in his first spring as the Cardinals pitching coach, Maddux sees a young pitcher ready to join upper echelon on starters.It's his job to get Carlos Martinez there."Stuff-wise, he's right on that level," Maddux said. "His ball moves more than I thought. A lot of movement. A ton of movement. And it comes out easy. Good short stroke. I didn't even really realize that."Martinez expected ascension to ace level stumbled amid mixed results last season. His 12 wins tied Michael Wacha and Adam Wainwright for the Cardinals' team high. Among St. Louis starters, only the now departed Lance Lynn held an ERA lower than Martinez's 3.64 mark.Those 12 wins were his lowest in three years — four fewer than the year prior — and the 11 losses were the most in his career.The 26-year-old Martinez eclipsed the 200-inning... [More]