NORTH PORT, Fla. (AP) — The Atlanta Braves claimed outfielder Guillermo Heredia off waivers from the New York Mets on Wednesday. Heredia, who was added to Atlanta's 40-man roster, was designated for assignment on Sunday when the Mets finalized a deal with center fielder Kevin Pillar. Heredia is the second veteran outfielder to be added to Atlanta's roster this week. The Braves claimed Phillip Ervin off waivers from the Chicago Cubs on Monday. “We’ve got a lot of outfielders in camp all of a sudden,” manager Brian Snitker said Wednesday. Heredia, 30, played for the Mets and Pittsburgh last season, hitting .212 with two homers and five RBIs in 15 games. He has a .239 career batting average in five seasons with Seattle, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh and the Mets. There could be an opening on the Braves' roster after outfielder Adam Duvall signed with the Miami Marlins. Nick Markakis remains a free agent. Rookie Cristian Pache will compete with Ender Inciarte in center field. Right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. and left fielder Marcell Ozuna are established starters. Abraham Almonte also is competing for a roster spot. Infielder Jack Mayfield was designated for assignment to clear a spot for Heredia on the 40-man roster. Snitker said it will be a challenge to find playing time for all the outfielders. He said the plan is “to get them all in shape, get them in games and see what we think.” ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Center fielder Kevin Pillar and the Mets finalized a $5 million, one-year contract Sunday night that adds depth and balance to New York's outfield. To make room on the Mets' roster, outfielder Guillermo Heredia was designated for assignment. The 32-year-old Pillar provides a proven center fielder and experienced right-handed hitter to potentially platoon with Brandon Nimmo. All three of New York's projected regulars in the outfield bat left-handed: Nimmo, right fielder Michael Conforto and left fielder Dominic Smith. Pillar joins Albert Almora Jr. as right-handed-hitting options on the bench or in part-time roles. Pillar split last season between Boston and Colorado, hitting a combined .288 with six home runs and 26 RBIs in 54 games. He batted .342 with a .969 OPS against left-handed pitching. The durable Pillar spent six-plus years with Toronto and also has played for San Francisco during his eight-year career, batting .262 with 82 homers, 88 stolen bases and a .299 on-base percentage. He is a .286 career hitter with a .784 OPS against lefties and was a Gold Glove finalist each season from 2015-17. Pillar and the Mets agreed to contract terms last week, subject to a successful physical. New York is set to begin full-squad workouts at spring training this week. Heredia played for New York and Pittsburgh last season, hitting .212 with two homers and five RBIs in 15 games. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets signed outfielder Kevin Pillar to a one-year deal Sunday and designated outfielder Guillermo Heredia for assignment. Pillar split last season with Boston and Colorado, hitting .288 with six home runs and 26 RBIs. The 32-year-old right-handed batter also has played for Toronto and San Francisco in an his eight-year career. Heredia played for New York and Pittsburgh last season, hitting .212 with two homers and five RBIs in 15 games.

NEW YORK (AP) — Outfielder Albert Almora and the New York Mets finalized a $1.25 million, one-year contract Wednesday. Almora, 26, plays primarily center field and joins a Mets outfield group that includes Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, Jeff McNeil, Guillermo Heredia and José Martínez. Almora became a free agent when the Chicago Cubs failed to offer a contract by the Dec. 2 deadline. He hit .167 with one RBI in 30 at-bats during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, down from a .236 average, a career-best 12 homers and 32 RBIs in 2019. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Outfielder Albert Almora has agreed to a contract with the New York Mets, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Sunday because the agreement was subject to a successful physical. Almora, 26, plays primarily center field and joins a Mets outfield group that includes Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, Jeff McNeil, Guillermo Heredia and José Martínez. Almora became a free agent when the Chicago Cubs failed to offer a contract by the Dec. 2 deadline. He hit .167 with one RBI in 30 at-bats during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, down from a .236 average, a career-best 12 homers and 32 RBIs in 2019. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Outfielder Albert Almora has agreed to a contract with the New York Mets, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Sunday because the agreement was subject to a successful physical. Almora, 26, plays primarily center field and joins a Mets outfield group that includes Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, Jeff McNeil, Guillermo Heredia and José Martínez. Almora became a free agent when the Chicago Cubs failed to offer a contract by the Dec. 2 deadline. He hit .167 with one RBI in 30 at-bats during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, down from a .236 average, a career-best 12 homers and 32 RBIs in 2019. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Relief pitcher Chasen Shreve became a free agent when the New York Mets declined to offer him a 2021 contract by Wednesday night’s deadline. New York agreed to a $5.2 million, one-year deal with left-hander Steven Matz and finalized its $15.5 million, two-year contract with free-agent reliever Trevor May. The Mets also announced one-year deals with outfielder Guillermo Heredia ($1 million), who provides depth in center, and right-handed reliever Jacob Barnes ($750,000 plus $25,000 for one day on the active major league roster and $25,000 each for 25, 40 and 50 games pitched). New York did not offer contracts to right-handers Nick Tropeano, Paul Sewald and Ariel Jurado. Tropeano was claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh in October. Shreve, a 30-year-old left-hander, was 1-0 with a 3.96 ERA over 17 appearances in his only season with the Mets, striking out 34 and walking 12 in 25 innings while allowing 17 hits. He earned $556,556 in prorated pay from his $1.5 million salary.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Relief pitcher Chasen Shreve became a free agent when the New York Mets declined to offer him a 2021 contract by Wednesday night’s deadline. New York agreed to a $5.1 million, one-year deal with left-hander Steven Matz and finalized its $15.5 million, two-year contract with free-agent reliever Trevor May. The Mets also announced one-year deals with outfielder Guillermo Heredia, who provides depth in center, and right-handed reliever Jacob Barnes. New York did not offer contracts to right-handers Nick Tropeano, Paul Sewald and Ariel Jurado. Tropeano was claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh in October. Shreve, a 30-year-old left-hander, was 1-0 with a 3.96 ERA over 17 appearances in his only season with the Mets, striking out 34 and walking 12 in 25 innings while allowing 17 hits. He earned $556,556 in prorated pay from his $1.5 million salary. Shreve is a veteran of seven major league seasons with Atlanta (2014), the New York Yankees (2015-18), St. Louis (2018-19) and the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Relief pitcher Chasen Shreve became a free agent when the New York Mets declined to offer him a 2021 contract by Wednesday night’s deadline. New York agreed to a $5.1 million, one-year deal with left-hander Steven Matz and finalized its $15.5 million, two-year contract with free-agent reliever Trevor May. The Mets also announced one-year deals with outfielder Guillermo Heredia, who provides depth in center, and right-handed reliever Jacob Barnes. New York did not offer contracts to right-handers Nick Tropeano, Paul Sewald and Ariel Jurado. Tropeano was claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh in October. Shreve, a 30-year-old left-hander, was 1-0 with a 3.96 ERA over 17 appearances in his only season with the Mets, striking out 34 and walking 12 in 25 innings while allowing 17 hits. He earned $556,556 in prorated pay from his $1.5 million salary. Shreve is a veteran of seven major league seasons with Atlanta (2014), the New York Yankees (2015-18), St. Louis (2018-19) and the... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Harrison Bader tripled and homered to help the St. Louis Cardinals clinch a postseason berth on the final day of the regular season with a 5-2 win over Milwaukee, and the Brewers also earned a playoff spot Sunday via help on the West Coast moments later. St. Louis (30-28) will be the fifth seed in the NL and open a three-game wild-card series at San Diego on Wednesday. By winning, the Cardinals avoided having to travel to Detroit for two makeup games Monday. The Brewers (29-31) locked up the eighth seed and a third consecutive postseason berth after the Padres beat San Francisco 5-4 in a game that ended about 15 minutes later. The Giants finished with an identical record as the Brewers but lost out on a tiebreaker due to an inferior intradivision record. Milwaukee will face the top-seeded Dodgers in Los Angeles in a three-game series that also starts Wednesday. The Brewers haven’t had a winning record at any point this season. Milwaukee and Houston will be the first teams... [More]

Pirates first. Cole Tucker homers to left field. Kevin Newman flies out to deep center field to Byron Buxton. Josh Bell grounds out to shallow left field, Ehire Adrianza to Miguel Sano. Jose Osuna flies out to deep right field to Max Kepler.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Pirates 1, Twins 0.Pirates second. Bryan Reynolds strikes out on a foul tip. Phillip Evans singles to left center field. Guillermo Heredia singles to left center field. Phillip Evans to second. Jacob Stallings singles to left field. Guillermo Heredia to second. Phillip Evans scores. Erik Gonzalez lines out to right field to Max Kepler. Cole Tucker reaches on a fielder's choice to third base. Guillermo Heredia out at third.1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Pirates 2, Twins 0.Pirates fourth. Bryan Reynolds walks. Phillip Evans grounds out to shallow infield. Bryan Reynolds out at second. Guillermo Heredia walks. Jacob Stallings walks. Guillermo Heredia to second. Erik Gonzalez doubles to deep right center field. Jacob... [More]

Cubs third. Victor Caratini grounds out to first base, Josh Bell to Mitch Keller. Ian Happ homers to center field. Anthony Rizzo flies out to center field to Jarrod Dyson. Javier Baez homers to center field. Kyle Schwarber singles to right field. Willson Contreras strikes out swinging.2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Cubs 2, Pirates 0.Cubs eighth. Javier Baez walks. Kyle Schwarber homers to left field. Javier Baez scores. Willson Contreras singles to right field. Jason Heyward lines out to deep center field to Jarrod Dyson. Nico Hoerner walks. David Bote lines out to deep center field to Bryan Reynolds.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Cubs 4, Pirates 0.Pirates ninth. Kevin Newman singles to center field. Josh Bell strikes out swinging. Colin Moran homers to right field. Kevin Newman scores. Bryan Reynolds doubles to right field. Gregory Polanco grounds out to shallow infield, Javier Baez to Anthony Rizzo. Bryan Reynolds scores. Phillip Evans walks. Jose Osuna pinch-hitting for Jarrod Dyson. Jose Osuna reaches on a fielder's choice to shortstop. Guillermo Heredia out at second.3 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Cubs 4, Pirates 3.

Pirates fourth. Josh Bell grounds out to second base, Jedd Gyorko to Justin Smoak. Colin Moran walks. Bryan Reynolds doubles to deep right field. Colin Moran to third. Phillip Evans walks. Guillermo Heredia singles to left field. Phillip Evans to second. Bryan Reynolds scores. Colin Moran scores. Cole Tucker strikes out swinging. John Ryan Murphy grounds out to shallow left field, Jedd Gyorko to Justin Smoak.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Pirates 2, Brewers 0.Brewers sixth. Orlando Arcia lines out to center field to Guillermo Heredia. Lorenzo Cain walks. Keston Hiura homers to center field. Lorenzo Cain scores. Christian Yelich grounds out to second base, Kevin Newman to Josh Bell. Ryan Braun strikes out on a foul tip.2 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Brewers 2, Pirates 2.Brewers seventh. Eric Sogard pinch-hitting for Jedd Gyorko. Eric Sogard walks. Avisail Garcia walks. Eric Sogard to second. Justin Smoak walks. Avisail Garcia to second. Eric Sogard to third. Manny Pina walks.... [More]

Pirates second. Colin Moran homers. Bryan Reynolds walks. Jose Osuna pops out to shallow center field to Keston Hiura. Bryan Reynolds doubled off first. Gregory Polanco flies out to Christian Yelich.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Pirates 1, Brewers 0.Brewers seventh. Avisail Garcia doubles to deep right field. Justin Smoak lines out to third base to Colin Moran. Manny Pina grounds out to shortstop, Adam Frazier to Josh Bell. Avisail Garcia to third. Eric Sogard walks. Lorenzo Cain singles to left field. Eric Sogard to second. Avisail Garcia scores. Keston Hiura reaches on error. Lorenzo Cain to second. Eric Sogard to third. Fielding error by Kevin Newman. Christian Yelich flies out to deep center field to Jarrod Dyson.1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 3 left on. Brewers 1, Pirates 1.Pirates seventh. Josh Bell strikes out swinging. Colin Moran homers to right field. Bryan Reynolds walks. Jose Osuna reaches on error to shallow infield, advances to 2nd. Bryan Reynolds to third. Throwing error by... [More]

Cardinals first. Kolten Wong grounds out to shallow infield, Kevin Newman to Josh Bell. Tommy Edman grounds out to second base, Adam Frazier to Josh Bell. Paul Goldschmidt homers to deep left field. Paul DeJong flies out to deep right field to Cole Tucker.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Cardinals 1, Pirates 0.Pirates second. Josh Bell singles to deep right field. Colin Moran singles to deep right field. Josh Bell to second. Phillip Evans hit by pitch. Colin Moran to second. Josh Bell to third. Guillermo Heredia called out on strikes. John Ryan Murphy walks. Phillip Evans to second. Colin Moran to third. Josh Bell scores. Cole Tucker pops out to shortstop to Paul DeJong. Kevin Newman grounds out to shortstop, Paul DeJong to Paul Goldschmidt.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 3 left on. Pirates 1, Cardinals 1.Cardinals fourth. Paul DeJong singles to deep center field. Matt Carpenter flies out to deep left field to Bryan Reynolds. Yadier Molina singles to shallow right field. Paul DeJong to third.... [More]

Cardinals third. Tyler O'Neill homers to left field. Harrison Bader called out on strikes. Kolten Wong grounds out to first base, Josh Bell to Joe Musgrove. Tommy Edman singles to shallow infield.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Cardinals 1, Pirates 0.Cardinals fifth. Dexter Fowler homers to right field. Tyler O'Neill flies out to center field to Jarrod Dyson. Harrison Bader called out on strikes. Kolten Wong triples to deep center field, tagged out at home, Joe Musgrove to Jacob Stallings.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Cardinals 2, Pirates 0.Cardinals sixth. Tommy Edman strikes out swinging. Paul Goldschmidt singles to shallow left field. Paul DeJong walks. Matt Carpenter reaches on a fielder's choice to second base. Paul DeJong out at second. Paul Goldschmidt to third. Yadier Molina singles to left center field. Matt Carpenter to second. Paul Goldschmidt scores. Dexter Fowler grounds out to first base, Josh Bell to Clay Holmes.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Cardinals 3, Pirates... [More]

With all the protocols in place, Stephen Strasburg got a good feel Monday night for what pitching on the road will entail this season during the coronavirus pandemic. Last year's World Series MVP threw five strong innings for Washington in a 4-2 exhibition win over the Baltimore Orioles. Nationals manager Dave Martinez said the team took five buses for the 45-minute ride to Baltimore so players and staff could space out, with 14 people on each bus. “It’s pretty intense,” Strasburg said. “You get on the bus and you have to wear a face mask the whole time. Then you get in, and basically they temperature screen you. It’s kind of tough to get a good temperature reading when it’s 100 degrees outside. "But if you pass that, then you come into the clubhouse and everybody’s kind of sectioned off. So it’s just kind of an adjustment that we have to make. But unfortunately it’s kind of challenging to build team chemistry in an environment like this right now.” Strasburg looked just fine on the mound,... [More]

Miami Marlins shortstop Miguel Rojas talked Monday about the ways the 2020 season will be different for players, with little clubhouse interaction, seats in the stands and postgame meals via hotel room service.Another change: Rojas believes the Marlins will be good.He joined Miami in 2015 and has since endured five consecutive losing seasons. But like the team’s management and some outside observers, Rojas says the Marlins are poised for a big leap forward in Year 3 of Derek Jeter’s rebuilding program.“I’m really excited about the starting pitching, and our offense is way better than the last couple of years,” Rojas said. “The whole organization has been doing a great job bringing the young prospects along. It doesn’t matter if they don’t make the club right now. We know we have those guys waiting.”Fans will get their first look — on TV only — when the Marlins play an exhibition game Tuesday at Atlanta. They begin the season Friday at Philadelphia.GETTING GOINGDr. Anthony Fauci, a Washington... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Cleveland Indians took three separate buses to PNC Park before Saturday's exhibition against the Pittsburgh Pirates, a move designed to maintain proper social distancing while also trying to pull off a Major League Baseball season during the COVID-19 pandemic.The club, however, broke with the protocol for a few brief moments during the national anthem. While a prerecorded version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” blared over the speakers at the spectator-free ballpark, the Indians stood side-by-side, their right hand over their heart, their left hand on their teammate's right shoulder.It was intentional. It was peaceful. And most importantly, star shortstop Francisco Lindor stressed, it was respectful of all sides as the team figures out a way to show support for social justice following the death of George Floyd while in custody of Minneapolis police in May.“I think as a team we stand by the change but we also respect the flag and the national anthem as a team,” Lindor... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Joe Musgrove is ready for opening day. Gregory Polanco and Keone Kela are decidedly not.Pittsburgh Pirates first-year manager Derek Shelton announced Friday that Musgrove will be the starter when the Pirates begin the truncated 2020 season in St. Louis on July 24 while Kela and Polanco will likely not be available due to health issues.Kela, slated to be the team's closer, was placed on the injured list on Friday for an undisclosed reason while Polanco is out indefinitely after testing positive for COVID-19. Polanco, the starting right field who hasn't practiced since Monday, gave the team permission to release his name. Shelton said the 28-year-old, who is the longest-tenured player on the roster, is doing well.“He protected his teammates because he put himself in a conversation where he let us know through the protocols and the testing,” Shelton said. “He was not around anybody else. And because of that, with getting a test and finding out that that he was positive, I... [More]