FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — For the Twins to land free agent Josh Donaldson, Miguel Sano knew what would be asked of him. He didn't hesitate.Instead, Sano sent a video to Donaldson, lobbying the 2015 American League MVP to join the Twins. The key to Sano's pitch: He would happily move across the infield to play first base with Donaldson taking over at third.Understand, too, that Sano has appeared in just 31 games at first base since making his big league debut in 2015, spending the last five seasons working to improve at third."The first time I met him, I saw that he's a really good guy and he's got a lot of energy," Sano said. "He's the kind of player that I love to see. He's positive and he loves the game. He likes to win and play hard. That's something that I see all the time."Just as his teammates saw what Sano did."The teammate that he was to kind of help on the recruiting process of JD, tell him, 'Hey, you can have third base, I'm willing to move to first base' I think needs to be put... [More]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — George Springer could only stand there all alone and listen.The Houston Astros leadoff man had no choice when he stepped into the batter's box a bit too early and was showered with loud boos Wednesday at an exhibition game against the New York Mets.Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard turned and looked at the scoreboard clock that showed 1:09 p.m. — he waited for the minute to change so the game would officially reach the 1:10 start time, leaving Springer nowhere to go as the crowd heckled him.“Cheater! Cheater! Cheater!” one Mets fan along the first-base side chanted at Springer.The normal tranquility of a February game again was broken as a split squad of Astros continued the team's latest stop on their spring training tour of derisive boos and catcalls, the result of their exposed sign-steal scheme.Two days after José Altuve, Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa and Yuli Gurriel got jeered for a game at Detroit's park in Lakeland, it was the Mets' turn to host at newly renovated... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton will likely miss opening day because of a strained right calf, another significant injury for a team that was beset by health problems last season.Manager Aaron Boone said Stanton was hurt near the end of defensive drills on Tuesday. An MRI found a Grade 1 strain."It will probably put us against it a little bit," Boone said Wednesday. "I would say it's time for him to get back, but then getting built up and stuff. We'll see."The announcement came a day after New York said All-Star pitcher Luis Severino needed Tommy John surgery and would miss the entire season. Slugger Aaron Judge and lefty James Paxton already had been slowed this spring by injuries.The Yankees put a major league-record 30 players on the injured list last year, with Stanton missing most of the season.Asked if felt snake-bitten, Boone replied “No.”The AL East champion Yankees open on March 26 at Baltimore.Stanton played in just 18 games due a number of injuries... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — For the Twins to land free agent Josh Donaldson, Miguel Sano knew what would be asked of him. He didn't hesitate.Instead, Sano sent a video to Donaldson, lobbying the 2015 American League MVP to join the Twins. The key to Sano's pitch: He would happily move across the infield to play first base with Donaldson taking over at third.Understand, too, that Sano has appeared in just 31 games at first base since making his big league debut in 2015, spending the last five seasons working to improve at third."The first time I met him, I saw that he's a really good guy and he's got a lot of energy," Sano said. "He's the kind of player that I love to see. He's positive and he loves the game. He likes to win and play hard. That's something that I see all the time."Just as his teammates saw what Sano did."The teammate that he was to kind of help on the recruiting process of JD, tell him, 'Hey, you can have third base, I'm willing to move to first base' I think needs to be put... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Oft-injured New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton will likely miss opening day because of a strained right calf.Manager Aaron Boone said Stanton was injured near the end of defensive drills on Tuesday. An MRI found a Grade 1 strain."It will probably put us against it a little bit," Boone said Wednesday. "I would say it's time for him to get back, but then getting built up and stuff. We'll see."This was the second straight day New York announced an injury to one of its stars. Pitcher Luis Severino needs Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire season, the team said Tuesday.The AL East champion Yankees open on March 26 at Baltimore.Stanton played in just 18 games due a number of injuries last season, batting .288 with three homers in 59 at-bats. He hit 38 homers in his first year with the Yankees in 2018, one year after a going deep a career-high 59 times in 2017 with the Miami Marlins.The outfielder/designated hitter signed a $325 million, 13-year contract after the 2014 season. "It's disappointing because you want to get guys going and built up," Boone said. “But it's just a little bump in the road and we're equipped to handle it.”___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Luis Severino will miss the season with an elbow injury that requires Tommy John surgery, and the New York Yankees' rotation no longer looks all that imposing.New York announced Tuesday that the 26-year-old right-hander has a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament, a development that means the two-time All-Star will miss all of 2020 after being sidelined for nearly all of 2019. Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek will operate Thursday in New York. “I am extremely disappointed that I will not be able to put on a Yankees uniform and compete with my teammates this year," Severino said in a statement posted on Twitter. “but I promise that I will be working tirelessly during this process to come back stronger than ever.” Left-hander James Paxton already was projected to miss the first two months of the season following back surgery on Feb. 5. Domingo Germán must serve the final 63 games of an 81-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence... [More]

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Luis Severino will miss the season with an elbow injury that requires Tommy John surgery, and the New York Yankees' rotation no longer looks all that imposing.New York announced Tuesday that the 26-year-old right-hander has a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament, a development that means the two-time All-Star will miss all of 2020 after being sidelined for nearly all of 2019. Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek will operate Thursday in New York. Left-hander James Paxton already was projected to miss the first two months of the season following back surgery on Feb. 5. Domingo Germán must serve the final 63 games of an 81-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy. He is eligible to return June 5, barring any postponements.Severino's injury leaves the AL East favorites with a rotation of newly signed ace Gerrit Cole, Masahiro Tanaka, J.A. Happ and two openings. The usual recovery time for Tommy John surgery is a year or more.“I... [More]

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Luis Severino will miss the season with an elbow injury that requires Tommy John surgery, and the New York Yankees' rotation no longer looks all that imposing.New York announced Tuesday that the 26-year-old right-hander has a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament, a development that means the two-time All-Star will miss all of 2020 after being sidelined for nearly all of 2019.Left-hander James Paxton already was projected to miss the first two months of the season following back surgery on Feb. 5. Domingo Germán must serve the final 63 games of an 81-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy. He is eligible to return June 5, barring any postponements.Severino's injury leaves the AL East favorites with a rotation of newly signed ace Gerrit Cole, Masahiro Tanaka, J.A. Happ and two openings. The usual recovery time for Tommy John surgery is a year or more.“I don’t want to sugarcoat the fact that being without Sevy, that’s a blow,... [More]

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees pitcher Luis Severino needs Tommy John surgery and will miss the 2020 season, another setback for the two-time All-Star and the rotation of the AL East favorites.“His plan is to have it done as soon as possible,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday.The right-handed Severino, who turned 26 this month, was sidelined until the final weeks of the regular season last year. Yankees manager Aaron Boone recently said Severino had been feeling on and off discomfort since October. New York already expects to be without left-hander James Paxton for the first two months of the season following back surgery on Feb. 5. Severino's injury leaves the Yankees with a rotation of newly signed ace Gerrit Cole, Masahiro Tanaka, J.A. Happ and two openings until the return of Paxton and Domingo Germán, who must serve the final 63 games of an 81-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy. Germán is eligible to return June 5,... [More]

NORTH PORT, Fla. (AP) — It’s still painful for reliever Chris Martin to talk about what happened in the playoffs.Game 1 of the NL Division Series last year. The 6-foot-7 reliever entered in the eighth inning against St. Louis with the Braves leading 3-1.After throwing his warmup pitches, Martin was finished.“I wanted to stay away from that question,” he said. “Real tough. One of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through.”Acquired from Texas in late July to help in those exact situations, Martin never threw a pitch in October. He suffered an oblique injury, underwent an MRI and was lost for the series.The Braves wound up losing the playoff opener 7-6 and eventually dropped the series in a decisive Game 5.“That hurt a lot,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Martin’s loss. “We win that first game and it’s a totally different series. That was a huge loss. At that time of year, you can’t afford to lose a guy like that.”To shore up their bullpen, the Braves signed Will Smith to a three-year,... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Houston ace Justin Verlander is slated to make his 2020 spring training debut on Thursday, when former teammate Max Schezer is scheduled to be on the mound for World Series champion Washington.The pair were teammates on the Detroit Tigers from 2010-14 and have combined for five Cy Young Awards.“It wasn't done intentionally. That is a pretty good match-up, though,” new Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “I'm sure you guys will hype it up.”Verlander won his second Cy Young last season, going 21-6 with a 2.52 ERA. His 225 wins are the most among active players. Zack Greinke, second among active pitchers with 205 wins, is to make his first spring training appearances the following day.Scherzer, a the three-time Cy Young winner, won the World Series opener last October and did not get a decision in Game 7. Verlander lost Games 2 and 6.Scherzer opened spring training with two scoreless innings against Houston on Saturday.Houston's starting outfielders from 2019 are... [More]

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — José Altuve insisted he tuned out the hecklers. He couldn't avoid a pitch that grazed him.“He was hit in the foot. That ain’t nothing, you know what I mean?” Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker said Monday after an 11-1 win over Detroit at half-empty Joker Marchant Stadium. “It wasn’t intentional.”Altuve was loudly booed when he was introduced for his spring training debut, cheered when he struck out and called a cheater by several fans. Quite a difference from past years, when the diminutive All-Star second baseman was among the most popular players in the majors.But that was before Altuve and his Houston teammates were implicated in the sign-stealing scandal that’s rocked baseball.“We just heard a lot of noise, and that's it,” Altuve said.Altuve and fellow starters Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa and Yuli Gurriel all played for the first time in the exhibition season. After Houston opened the Grapefruit League in the stadium it shares with the World Series champion Washington... [More]

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — José Altuve insisted he tuned out the hecklers. He couldn't avoid a pitch that grazed him.``He was hit in the foot. That ain’t nothing, you know what I mean?’’ Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker said Monday after an 11-1 win over Detroit at half-empty Joker Marchant Stadium. “It wasn’t intentional.”Altuve was loudly booed when he was introduced for his spring training debut, cheered when he struck out and called a cheater by several fans. Quite a difference from past years, when the diminutive All-Star second baseman was among the most popular players in the majors.But that was before Altuve and his Houston teammates were implicated in the sign-stealing scandal that’s rocked baseball.“We just heard a lot of noise, and that's it,” Altuve said.Altuve and fellow starters Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa and Yuli Gurriel all played for the first time in the exhibition season. After Houston opened the Grapefruit League in the stadium it shares with the World Series champion... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Kenta Maeda got off to a memorable start for the Minnesota Twins, that's for sure.The Twins newcomer gave up a home run to Boston's Andrew Benintendi to begin the game Monday, prompting the Japanese pitcher to laugh later."First time facing hitters so I just wanted to get that feel back," Maeda said through an interpreter. "And I wasn't scheduled to give up a home run on the first hitter, just so you know."Maeda threw 37 pitches in two innings, allowing two hits with one walk and one strikeout. The Twins won 3-2."Everything felt fine. Velocity is up there way more than I expected. It's just the little things that need to be refined, adjusted," he said.It's all about adjustments for Maeda right now.Maeda, 32 in April, is entering his fifth MLB season after four with the Dodgers and eight years in Japan. He went 10-8 with a 4.04 ERA last season for Los Angeles.Minnesota acquired the right-hander earlier this month in a deal that sent its top pitching prospect, right-hander... [More]

GOODYEAR, Ariz (AP) — Nolan Jones hopes his older brother will now finally stop bugging him.The Indians' top infield prospect received a big surprise when he was invited to training camp on Monday after making a quick recovery following thumb surgery in October. Jones, a left-handed slugging third baseman who has moved quickly through Cleveland's minor league system, doesn't have to hear any more taunts and teasing from his brother, Peyton, a Penn State goaltender likely headed to play in the NHL.“My brother kept telling me I'm soft,” Jones said with a grin shortly after he was called into Indians manager Terry Francona's office and welcomed. “I'm super excited. It is a huge opportunity to learn from the best players in the game. I get to be around a lot of these guys and get to know them.”The thumb injury sustained in the Arizona Fall League marred a season in which Jones, the Indians' second overall draft pick in 2016, was making more progress. The 21-year-old was promoted to Double-A... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Away from their friendly cocoon, Alex Bregman and some of the bigger names on the Houston Astros are about to see — and hear — how fans really feel about what happened.No hooting or hollering at Houston's most prominent sign stealers Sunday. Once again, the primary offenders were out of the Astros' lineup.For the second straight day, Astros manager Dusty Baker didn't start any of his stars against Washington Nationals at the spring training park the teams share.“It seems like a bit of a cop out to me,” Nationals fan Josh Kohn said. “This is the first two games of spring training. This is what the guys in MLB live for. They want to be out there. I have to imagine even the players are a little upset that they can't play today, but I understand why they are not out there.”Kohn also attended Saturday night's rained-out Grapefruit League opener between these same clubs, wearing a shirt that read “bang foul poles, not trash cans” — an homage to Howie Kendrick's home... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Oakland Athletics fan K.C. Sandstrom was sitting down the right field line watching his team warm up while armed with a small dry-erase board, a marker and a statement written in all caps.“MIKE FIERS FOR PRESIDENT”It's been a tumultuous few months for Fiers, the current A's pitcher and former Houston player who helped expose the Astros' sign-stealing scandal that's rocked Major League Baseball. But on a cool Sunday in Arizona, the 34-year-old received a largely warm reception during his first spring training appearance in Mesa.“Oakland's going to support us no matter what," Fiers said after throwing two perfect innings against San Francisco. “They've always been there. It's fun, it's fun playing in front of these fans and with these guys. Just a great day of baseball.”While Fiers is now widely known for his connection to the Astros' sign-stealing, he's also an accomplished pitcher. He's thrown two no-hitters over nine seasons and is coming off his best year in the big... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Oakland Athletics fan K.C. Sandstrom was sitting down the right field line watching his team warm up while armed with a small dry-erase board, a marker and a statement written in all caps.“MIKE FIERS FOR PRESIDENT”It's been a tumultuous few months for Fiers, the current A's pitcher and former Houston player who helped expose the Astros' sign-stealing scandal that's rocked Major League Baseball. But on a cool Sunday in Arizona, the 34-year-old received a largely warm reception during his first spring training appearance in Mesa.“Oakland's going to support us no matter what," Fiers said after throwing two perfect innings against San Francisco. “They've always been there. It's fun, it's fun playing in front of these fans and with these guys. Just a great day of baseball.”While Fiers is now widely known for his connection to the Astros' sign-stealing, he's also an accomplished pitcher. He's thrown two no-hitters over nine seasons and is coming off his best year in the big... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — The Boston Red Sox placed second baseman Dustin Pedroia on the 60-day injured list Sunday, further putting in doubt whether the former AL MVP will play again.The Red Sox made the move while claiming right-hander Phillips Valdez off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.The 36-year-old Pedroia has played just nine games over the last two seasons. The four-time All-Star has spent the time trying to recover from an injury he sustained when Baltimore's Manny Machado slid spikes-high into his left knee in May 2017.Pedroia has two years and $25 million remaining on his contract.Earlier this month, new Boston manager Ron Roenicke said Pedroia wouldn't report to spring training with the rest of the position players."When a guy just ages and then he's not as good, that part's easy to see. But not a guy who has an injury and because of it has not been able to perform," Roenicke said at the time. "That part is really difficult."This was the third straight spring the Red Sox were... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — The Boston Red Sox placed second baseman Dustin Pedroia on the 60-day injured list Sunday, further putting in doubt whether the former AL MVP will play again.The Red Sox made the move while claiming right-hander Phillips Valdez off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.The 36-year-old Pedroia has played just nine games over the last two seasons. The four-time All-Star has spent the time trying to recover from an injury he sustained when Baltimore's Manny Machado slid spikes-high into his left knee in May 2017.Pedroia has two years and $25 million remaining on his contract.Earlier this month, new Boston manager Ron Roenicke said Pedroia wouldn't report to spring training with the rest of the position players."When a guy just ages and then he's not as good, that part's easy to see. But not a guy who has an injury and because of it has not been able to perform," Roenicke said at the time. "That part is really difficult."This was the third straight spring the Red Sox were... [More]