WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman left Wednesday's 11-5 victory over the Miami Marlins because of back stiffness.Bregman walked in the first inning and was replaced after the second. He was playing his third spring training game following arthroscopic elbow surgery on Jan. 11.Astros manager A.J. Hinch said Bregman probably will be held out a day and return to the lineup on Friday.AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND CACTUS LEAGUESBLUE JAYS 9, PHILLIES 7Cavan Biggio, the son of Astros Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, and Anthony Alford both homered for the first time for the Blue Jays. Dalton Pompey hit two doubles and drove in three runs for Toronto. Aaron Sanchez made his second start, allowing a hit and two walks in 2 2/3 scoreless innings.Vince Velasquez made his first start for Philadelphia, allowing one run, one hit and two walks in one inning. Aaron Althier went 0 for 3, striking out twice and lowering his average to .143.ORIOLES 9, RAYS 6Mike Yastrzemski, a grandson... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman left Wednesday's 11-5 victory over the Miami Marlins because of back stiffness.Bregman walked in the first inning and was replaced after the second. He was playing his third spring training game following arthroscopic elbow surgery on Jan. 11.Astros manager A.J. Hinch said Bregman probably will be held out a day and return to the lineup on Friday.AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND CACTUS LEAGUESBLUE JAYS 9, PHILLIES 7Cavan Biggio, the son of Astros Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, and Anthony Alford both homered for the first time for the Blue Jays. Dalton Pompey hit two doubles and drove in three runs for Toronto. Aaron Sanchez made his second start, allowing a hit and two walks in 2 2/3 scoreless innings.Vince Velasquez made his first start for Philadelphia, allowing one run, one hit and two walks in one inning. Aaron Althier went 0 for 3, striking out twice and lowering his average to .143.ORIOLES 9, RAYS 6Mike Yastrzemski, a grandson... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman left Wednesday's 11-5 victory over the Miami Marlins because of back stiffness.Bregman walked in the first inning and was replaced after the second. He was playing his third spring training game following arthroscopic elbow surgery on Jan. 11.Astros manager A.J. Hinch said Bregman probably will be held out a day and return to the lineup on Friday.AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUEBLUE JAYS 9, PHILLIES 7Cavan Biggio, the son of Astros Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, and Anthony Alford both homered for the first time for the Blue Jays. Dalton Pompey hit two doubles and drove in three runs for Toronto. Aaron Sanchez made his second start, allowing a hit and two walks in 2 2/3 scoreless innings.Vince Velasquez made his first start for Philadelphia, allowing one run, one hit and two walks in one inning. Aaron Althier went 0 for 3, striking out twice and lowering his average to .143.ORIOLES 9, RAYS 6Mike Yastrzemski, a grandson of Red... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Danny Farquhar took the mound in a game again. That was more than enough on Saturday.Farquhar's spring training appearance for the New York Yankees was his first game since the 32-year-old reliever collapsed in the Chicago White Sox dugout on April 20 because of a ruptured aneurysm and brain hemorrhage. The right-hander got one out and was charged with five runs in an 8-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates."I felt great out there," Farquhar said. "I was happy to be back on the mound. Obviously, the results weren't great but I call it a good day. I felt like a baseball player, again."Farquhar allowed three hits and walked two while throwing 19 pitches in the fourth inning. He is in camp with the Yankees on a minor league deal."The fact that he's on the mound and gotten to this point is pretty awesome," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "I found myself a little more emotional than I even thought. Even though it didn't go great, I think he really appreciated how special... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gold Glove-winning free-agent second baseman DJ LeMahieu and the Yankees have agreed to a $24 million, two-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press, a deal that would appear to eliminate New York as a destination for Manny Machado.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Friday because no agreement had been announced.The 30-year-old LeMahieu spent the previous eight seasons with Colorado at hitter-friendly Coors Field and won the NL batting title in 2016 with a .348 average. He hit .276 last year with 15 homers and 62 RBIs, and he won his second straight Gold Glove and third overall.New York was seeking infielders in the absence of shortstop Didi Gregorius, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery and is not expected back until summer. The Yankees signed former Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki last week and said he will be their starting shortstop. LeMahieu likely will see time at second, third and possibly even first.NOTES: OF... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Oft-injured first baseman Greg Bird and the New York Yankees have agreed to a $1.2 million, one-year contract to avoid arbitration.The 26-year-old hit .214 with 11 homers and 31 RBIs in 311 plate appearances during an injury wrecked 2018 season in which he lost the first base job to July acquisition Luke Voit.Bird started the season on the disabled list following surgery March 27 to remove a broken spur on the outside of his right ankle, and he did not play for the Yankees until May 26. Bird made $572,000 last year.New York has eight remaining players eligible to swap proposed salaries Friday: shortstop Didi Gregorius; outfielder Aaron Hicks; starting pitchers Luis Severino, James Paxton and Sonny Gray; relievers Dellin Betances and Tommy Kahnle, and backup catcher Austin Romine.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Plunking an opponent paid off for CC Sabathia.The New York Yankees gave Sabathia a $500,000 performance bonus, even though the 38-year-old left-hander was ejected from his final regular-season start six outs shy of the 155 innings specified in his contract for the payment.Sabathia hit Tampa Bay's Jesus Sucre starting the sixth inning on Sept. 27 with his 55th pitch of the night, retaliation for Andrew Kittredge throwing a pitch behind Austin Romine in the top half."We thought it was a very nice gesture by the Yankees," Sabathia's agent, Kyle Thousand of Roc Nation Sports, told The Associated Press on Monday. "CC was very appreciative and is really excited to come back next year and, hopefully, win a championship."Neither side announced the decision, which became evident when the $500,000 was included in the Yankees' final luxury tax payroll."It was something that we did very private and weren't looking to publicize, and I'll just leave it at that," Yankees general manager... [More]

CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) — CC Sabathia says 2019 will be his final season in the major leagues."This will be it," the 38-year-old left-hander said in a video posted on Twitter on Wednesday after the New York Yankees finalized his $8 million, one-year contract.Sabathia and New York had reached the agreement Tuesday, subject to a successful physical.A six-time All-Star and the 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner, Sabathia went 9-7 with a 3.65 ERA in 29 starts this year. He had surgery on his right knee after the 2010 season, in July 2014, after the 2016 season and again last month. Sabathia pitches with a brace on the knee and needs periodic injections there during the season.He is 246-153 in 18 major league seasons with a 3.70 ERA and 2,986 strikeouts, including 129-80 in a decade with the Yankees. His new deal boosts his pay from New York to $229 million.Sabathia signed a $161 million, seven-year contract with the Yankees before the 2009 season and led New York to its first World Series title since... [More]

CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) — CC Sabathia is staying with the New York Yankees for an 11th season, agreeing to an $8 million, one-year contract,New York announced the agreement Wednesday after a successful physical. The deal does not include any performance bonuses.The 38-year-old left-hander went 9-7 with a 3.65 ERA in 29 starts this year. He had surgery on his right knee after the 2010 season, in July 2014, after the 2016 season and again last month. Sabathia pitches with a brace on the knee and needs periodic injections there during the season.He is 129-80 for the Yankees, and his new deal boosts his pay from New York to $229 million over 11 seasons.Sabathia signed a $161 million, seven-year contract with the Yankees before the 2009 season and led New York to its first World Series title since 2000, then used the leverage of an opt-out provision after the 2011 season to get a new deal that added a $25 million salary for 2016 with a $25 million team option for 2017.Sabathia took a cut to $10... [More]

CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) — CC Sabathia is staying with the New York Yankees for an 11th season, agreeing to an $8 million, one-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement is subject to a successful physical. The deal does not include any performance bonuses.The 38-year-old left-hander went 9-7 with a 3.65 ERA in 29 starts this year. He had surgery on his right knee after the 2010 season, in July 2014, after the 2016 season and again last month. Sabathia pitches with a brace on the knee and needs periodic injections there during the season.He is 129-80 for the Yankees, and his new deal boosts his pay from New York to $229 million over 11 seasons.Sabathia signed a $161 million, seven-year contract with the Yankees before the 2009 season and led New York to its first World Series title since 2000, then used the leverage of an opt-out provision after the 2011 season to get a new deal that added a $25 million... [More]

CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) — Brian Cashman wants to bring CC Sabathia back for an 11th season with the New York Yankees, and he's also holding out some hope of re-signing J.A. Happ.Eight days after the Boston Red Sox won their fourth World Series title in 15 seasons — compared to one in that span for New York — Cashman arrived at the annual general managers' meetings searching for pitching."The Red Sox winning doesn't change the hunger level of trying to deliver a championship sooner than later for our fan base," the Yankees GM said Monday. "I think the hunger and the effort, the passion's there, despite the horrible outcome that took place in the World Series this year."After paying luxury tax for 15 straight years, a total of $341 million, the Yankees dropped below the threshold for the first time in 2018, when Boston took over as baseball's biggest spender for the first time since records began in the free-agent era. Cashman is a man with money to spend this offseason."Yeah, we got under... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Austin Romine never expected to replace Aroldis Chapman as the Yankees' closer.A backup catcher, Romine was leaning on the dugout railing and watching New York get blown out by Boston in Game 3 of the AL Division Series when bench coach Josh Bard walked up to him in the eighth inning."Can you throw?" Romine recalled Bard asking."I can try," the seven-year big league veteran replied.Romine became just the second position player to pitch in postseason history. The 29-year-old right-hander — has he ever been called that before? — allowed Brock Holt's two-run ninth-inning homer, completing the first-ever postseason cycle. Romine got the last three outs of New York's 16-1 loss Monday night, the largest margin of defeat for the Yankees in their 396 postseason games."No, I didn't envision myself getting in these playoffs in that role," said Romine, whose previous playoff experience was one start at catcher plus one inning as a late substitute against Houston in last year's AL Championship... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Austin Romine never expected to replace Aroldis Chapman as the Yankees' closer.A backup catcher, Romine was leaning on the dugout railing and watching New York get blown out by Boston in Game 3 of the AL Division Series when bench coach Josh Bard walked up to him in the eighth inning."Can you throw?" Romine recalled Bard asking."I can try," the seven-year big league veteran replied.Romine became just the second position player to pitch in postseason history. The 29-year-old right-hander — has he ever been called that before? — allowed Brock Holt's two-run ninth-inning homer, completing the first-ever postseason cycle. Romine got the last three outs of New York's 16-1 loss Monday night, the largest margin of defeat for the Yankees in their 396 postseason games."No, I didn't envision myself getting in these playoffs in that role," said Romine, whose previous playoff experience was one start at catcher plus one inning as a late substitute against Houston in last year's AL Championship... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:THE ONLY SHOW IN TOWNBaseball's biggest rivalry gets the spotlight to itself as the Red Sox try to eliminate the Yankees in Game 4 of their AL Division Series. New York will be trying to rebound from the most lopsided postseason loss in the franchise's distinguished history — a 16-1 drumming Monday night capped by Brock Holt completing the first-ever postseason cycle. The blowout was so bad, backup catcher Austin Romine became the second position player ever to appear on the mound in the playoffs. He gave up Holt's ninth-inning homer.Game 4 may be the final appearance with New York for veteran CC Sabathia, who is expected to make his 23rd career postseason start. He's made 17 of those as a Yankee, going 8-3 with a 3.29 ERA during a span that included a 2009 ALCS MVP. The 38-year-old said Monday he plans to play again next season, though it's uncertain if the upcoming free agent will be back in pinstripes.Rick Porcello will throw for Boston... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Their ace got booed off the mound, loudly. Their manager let things get out of hand. And their backup catcher wound up pitching."It was an embarrassing day today," New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius said.Not much else to say after the Yankees absorbed the most-lopsided loss in their distinguished, 396-game postseason history, routed by the Boston Red Sox 16-1 Monday night in the AL Division Series.Now down 2-1 and in danger of being eliminated in the best-of-five matchup, they'll turn to CC Sabathia on Tuesday night in hopes of saving their season. Rick Porcello starts for Boston."No choice but to flush," manager Aaron Boone said. "The good thing about today is it's one game. And as awful of a night as it was for us, we got to turn the page. And tomorrow's obviously do or die."Luis Severino looked out of sorts from the start. There was a TBS report that he began to warm up only 10 minutes before the game began, but Boone insisted he had enough time to get ready. Severino... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Austin Romine never expected to replace Aroldis Chapman as the Yankees' closer.A backup catcher, Romine was leaning on the dugout railing and watching New York get blown out by Boston in Game 3 of the AL Division Series when bench coach Josh Bard walked up to him in the eighth inning."Can you throw?" Romine recalled Bard asking."I can try," the seven-year big league veteran replied.Romine became just the second position player to pitch in postseason history. The 29-year-old right-hander — has he ever been called that before? — allowed Brock Holt's two-run ninth-inning homer, completing the first-ever postseason cycle. Romine got the last three outs of New York's 16-1 loss Monday night, the largest margin of defeat for the Yankees in their 396 postseason games."No, I didn't envision myself getting in these playoffs in that role," said Romine, whose previous playoff experience was one start at catcher plus one inning as a late substitute against Houston in last year's AL Championship... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Tuesday:THE ONLY SHOW IN TOWNBaseball's biggest rivalry gets the spotlight to itself as the Red Sox try to eliminate the Yankees in Game 4 of their AL Division Series. New York will be trying to rebound from the most lopsided postseason loss in the franchise's distinguished history — a 16-1 drumming Monday night capped by Brock Holt completing the first-ever postseason cycle. The blowout was so bad, backup catcher Austin Romine became the second position player ever to appear on the mound in the playoffs. He gave up Holt's ninth-inning homer.Game 4 may be the final appearance with New York for veteran CC Sabathia, who is expected to make his 23rd career postseason start. He's made 17 of those as a Yankee, going 8-3 with a 3.29 ERA during a span that included a 2009 ALCS MVP. The 38-year-old told ESPN on Monday he plans to play again next season, though it's uncertain if the upcoming free agent will be back in pinstripes.Rick Porcello will throw... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Edwin Jackson is the only starting pitcher included on the Oakland Athletics' roster for their AL wild-card game against the New York Yankees.Right-hander Liam Hendriks will be on the mound for the start of Wednesday night's game, and A's manager Bob Melvin would not say who will follow.His bullpen includes just one left-hander, Ryan Buchter. The righties in addition to Jackson are closer Blake Treinen, Lou Trivino, Jeurys Familia, Shawn Kelley, Emilio Pagan, Yusmeiro Petit, Fernando Rodney and J.B. Wendelken.Mike Fiers, among Oakland's few healthy starting pitchers, was left off and if the A's advance would be in position to start an AL Division Series opener at Boston on Friday. When the A's had him make his first relief appearance of the season, on Friday at the Los Angeles Angels, Fiers replaced Trivino in the second and allowed six runs in 3 1/3 innings.Teams may change rosters after each round.First baseman Greg Bird was left off the Yankees' roster following a season-long slump, and right-hander Jonathan Holder was picked for the 10th and final pitching spot over left-hander Stephen Tarpley.Yankees manager Aaron Boone carried three backup catchers, including Kyle Higashioka in addition to starter Gary Sanchez and backup Austin Romine.Backup infielders include Neil Walker, Adeiny Hechavarria and Tyler Wade.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia was suspended five games Saturday for hitting a Tampa Bay batter, a penalty that won't take effect until next year.Sabathia appealed the ban that was issued by Major League Baseball. Any games he misses will come at the start of the 2019 season.The Yankees will host Oakland in the AL wild-card game on Wednesday.Sabathia was penalized for hitting Rays catcher Jesus Sucre in the leg leading off the bottom of the sixth inning at Tropicana Field on Thursday. The 38-year-old lefty was ejected, and the benches cleared."It is what it is," Sabathia said after the Yankees' 8-5 win at Boston. "Everybody saw what happened."Sabathia was cruising with a big lead when he got tossed. He needed two more innings to trigger a $500,000 bonus for pitching 155 innings this season.In the fifth, Sabathia hit Jake Bauers in the wrist with a pitch. In the top of the sixth, Rays pitcher Andrew Kittredge threw up-and-in to Yankees catcher Austin Romine.Kittredge was suspended three games and fined. Sabathia also was fined an undisclosed amount.Asked if it bothered him that Kittredge's penalty was shorter, Sabathia said, "Yeah, kind of.""Whatever, it is what it is. It's behind us. It's over. We'll just move on," he said.Kittredge said it was likely he would appeal after talking it over with his agent. The regular season ends Sunday."Figured this would be a possibility. I'm a little disappointed, obviously. I guess I'm not overly surprised," he said.

BOSTON (AP) — Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia has been suspended five games for hitting a Tampa Bay batter, a penalty that was set to take effect at the start of next season.Sabathia has appealed the ban that was issued Saturday by Major League Baseball. Any penalty will apply in 2019.The Yankees will host Oakland in the AL wild-card game on Wednesday.Sabathia was penalized for hitting Rays catcher Jesus Sucre in the leg leading off the bottom of the sixth inning at Tropicana Field on Thursday. The 38-year-old lefty was ejected, and the benches cleared.Sabathia was cruising with a big lead when he got tossed. He needed two more innings to trigger a $500,000 bonus for pitching 155 innings this season.In the fifth, Sabathia hit Jake Bauers in the wrist with a pitch. In the top of the sixth, Rays pitcher Andrew Kittredge threw up-and-in to Yankees catcher Austin Romine.Kittredge was suspended three games and fined. Sabathia also was fined an undisclosed amount.Kittredge said it was likely he would appeal. The regular season ends Sunday.