PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — The future of the Seattle Mariners’ starting rotation is now, with left-hander Justus Sheffield virtually assured of a spot and fellow rising prospect Justin Dunn a top contender to join the group.Both got a taste of the big leagues last season when they made their Mariners debuts. This season they figure to be a major part of Seattle’s rebuilding process as it enters its second year following a 68-94 season.“Every year’s a step forward, but mainly this year I’m looking forward to going out there and competing and changing this thing around,” said Sheffield, who was 0-1 in eight games, including seven starts, and posted a 5.50 ERA over 36 innings. The club appears to have set expectations for Sheffield, which he appreciates. “As they should,” he said. “As anyone should. Everyone has a sense of responsibility of going out there and proving what they can do.”Sheffield, 23, is in his second spring training with the Mariners. He’s learned from last season that baseball... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Twins right fielder Max Kepler didn’t get to watch a lot of major league baseball growing up in Germany. The games he did did see included many Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees matchups, which caused him to become a big fan of Derek Jeter.“I loved watching Jeter, even though I’m a lefty and the complete opposite of what he was,” Kepler said Tuesday before Minnesota’s second full-squad workout. “He was the guy I really looked up to.”The 27-year-old Kepler never played against the Yankees shortstop but learned from afar by watching how Jeter handled himself on the field.“He was in the league for plenty of seasons and had countless awards and recognitions,” Kepler said. “He would go out there every year and play as if he was a rookie fighting for his job, which impressed me.”Kepler hopes that he’ll learn what it takes to establish a lengthy career.“To keep that type of consistency is tough because you can get full of your success, any success,” Kepler said. “I’ve been... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Back managing a team, just being able to talk with his players is a challenge for Matt Williams.About 10 miles from the spring training camps of the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins, the 54-year-old is at spring training with South Korea's Kia Tigers.“You never know whether you’re going to get another chance to manager or not, so I look at it as a challenge or an opportunity,’’ he said, sitting in some small metal bleachers. “So far it’s been a lot of fun.”A World Series champion with the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, Williams was third-base coach with Oakland the past two years. The five-time All Star, who hit 378 homers over 17 years in the major leagues, was home in Los Angeles after last season when he got a call asking whether he was interested. Members of the organization came to LA, and a few days later he had the job.He was voted 2014 NL Manager of the Year with the Washington Nationals, then was fired after the 2015 season when the club didn’t make the playoffs.... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge did not hit or throw during the team's first full squad workout on Tuesday because of what the team said was a minor right shoulder issue.Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the problem is not considered serious and Judge could start to ramp up activities in a couple days. Judge is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season."Just dealing with some crankiness, a little soreness in his shoulder," Boone said. “I feel like it's a pretty minor thing. Just something we wanted to try and get ahead of while we're at this point at this point in the calendar.” Judge had a number of tests, including an MRI, and did conditioning.The outfielder hit .272 with 27 homers with 55 RBIs in 102 games last season. He was on the injured list from April 21 to June 21 with a left oblique strain.Judge was scheduled to talk with reporters later Tuesday.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/ML B and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NORTH PORT, Fla. (AP) — Before taking batting practice, Atlanta outfielder Nick Markakis teed off on the scam-ridden Houston Astros."I feel every single guy over there deserves a beating," he said Tuesday.Markakis wasn't happy with commissioner Rob Manfred, either.“I think the commissioner completely handled it the wrong way. But that's the way he did it and we got to live with that. I know a lot of people disagreed with the way he handled this decision," Markakis said. “He should be embarrassed of himself.”As the Braves began their first full-squad workout, Markakis became the latest major leaguer to take aim at the Astros in the wake of their sign-stealing scandal."I ain't commenting on everybody's comments. Go ahead. You want to beat on us, go ahead," new Astros manager Dusty Baker said. "I didn't think Markakis talked too much."When told Markakis doesn't, Baker said, “OK, maybe he had his Wheaties.”The Braves and Astros play twice in spring training. Houston closes the regular season... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Wade Davis has again entered spring training as the Colorado Rockies' closer after a rough 2019 season.Davis lost his ninth-inning role in the final two months last year, when he finished 1-6 with 15 saves and an 8.65 ERA in the least effective effort of an 11-year career. “It sucks when you're not doing well at anything, anything in life,” Davis said. “The biggest thing is to move past it. That's when you learn and grow. You work harder. You prepare and you are at ease with what happened and your struggles. That's why I feel good about where I'm at now, despite whatever.”Scott Oberg took over as closer and pitched well before a blood clot in his right shoulder forced him to miss the final six weeks of the season and required offseason surgery, though he is healthy this spring and will join Davis in the back end of the bullpen.“I think in a perfect world, Wade is our closer and Scotty pitches in front of him in some capacity, whether it is an inning or one-plus... [More]

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Versatile newcomer Jonathan Villar is expected to be an ironman in the Miami Marlins' lineup, even if they don’t know where.Villar played in all 162 games last year for the Baltimore Orioles, mostly at second base and shortstop. But the Marlins will give him a spring training tryout in center field because they have little experience there.“I’m coming here to help the team,” Villar said. “They want me to play center field, so I’ll try. If I can play another position I’ll do it.”Villar's seven-year career has included eight games in center field, most recently in 2017 with the Milwaukee Brewers. He has been mostly a middle infielder but has also played third base and left field.“We’re going to mess around with center field and see if that’s a position he can handle,” manager Don Mattingly said. “You look at Jonathan and really feel he’s the best athlete on the field. So we’re going to give it a shot. We think he fits there with our club and our pieces, and it would be... [More]

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection in his ailing throwing arm, likely delaying his regular-season debut by about one month.A 2018 All-Star, Mikolas received a similar injection after last season to treat a flexor tendon issue.St. Louis manager Mike Shildt said Tuesday that the injection will keep Mikolas from throwing for three to four weeks. Once he is cleared to throw, Mikolas will have to restart his throwing program from the beginning.“It gives us a better chance to be able to get him off to a healthy start and get what he's dealing with behind him,” Shildt said.The Cardinals scratched Mikolas from his second scheduled bullpen session of the spring. An MRI done over the last few days showed the arm to be no better or worse than during a similar exam taken following the 2019 season.It's possible that Mikolas will remain in Jupiter when the Cardinals break camp in late March.“I think the plan is still evolving,... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The San Francisco Giants are putting up zeroes.They believe they are doing something rarely seen: using uniform numbers 0 and 00 in the same year.When San Francisco added speedy outfielder Billy Hamilton with a minor league deal earlier this month, equipment manager Brad Grems called Major League Baseball to make sure there's a difference between the two because new first base coach Antoan Richardson already had claimed 00.“He's good with stuff like that,” shortstop Brandon Crawford said Monday of Grems' due diligence.San Francisco has 72 players in camp. Given that the Giants have 11 retired numbers with their long list of Hall of Famers and there are 13 coaches and a pair of bullpen catchers also in uniform under new manager Gabe Kapler, Hamilton's other choices were 96 or 98. He opted for 0.The Giants already have made history by hiring baseball's first female coach on a big league staff — Alyssa Nakken is wearing No. 92. Longtime equipment manager and current... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was not in any batting practice group for the team's first full squad workout on Tuesday because of a minor right shoulder issue.The problem is not considered serious and Judge is expected to take part in other drills.The outfielder hit .272 with 27 homers with 55 RBIs in 102 games last season. He was on the injured list from April 21-June 21 with a left oblique strain.Judge is scheduled to talk with reporters following the workout.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The San Francisco Giants are putting up zeroes.They believe they might be doing something rarely seen: using uniform numbers 0 and 00 in the same year.When San Francisco added speedy outfielder Billy Hamilton with a minor league deal earlier this month, equipment manager Brad Grems called the league to make sure there's a difference between the two — because new first base coach Antoan Richardson aleady had claimed 00.“He's good with stuff like that,” shortstop Brandon Crawford said Monday of Grems' due diligence.Given the Giants have 11 retired numbers with their long list of Hall of Famers and 13 coaches and a pair of bullpen catchers in uniform under new manager Gabe Kapler, Hamilton's other choices were 96 or 98. San Francisco has 72 players in camp.Already having made history with the hiring of baseball's first female coach on a big league staff — Alyssa Nakken is wearing No. 92 — longtime equipment manager and current senior adviser Mike Murphy can't remember... [More]

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Elvis Andrus has a few aging distinctions going into his 12th major league season. The only player left in the Texas Rangers clubhouse to wear that uniform in a World Series, the 31-year-old shortstop is the club's longest-tenured player by five years and expected to be the oldest regular starting shortstop in the majors.“I still believe I'm a rookie," Andrus said Monday, when the Rangers had their first full-squad workout. “I never want to feel comfortable. I always want to feel that somebody is going to take my job, and that's the mentality and that's the reality of the game." Andrus hit .275 last season — matching his career average through 1,623 regular-season games. He was hitting .361 through the season's first month and was at .309 by the end of June, then batted .240 over the final 74 games of the season while Texas skidded to its third straight losing season since AL West titles in 2015 and 2016. Second-year manager Chris Woodward said the Rangers “were pretty... [More]

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Elvis Andrus has a few aging distinctions going into his 12th major league season. The only player left in the Texas Rangers clubhouse to wear that uniform in a World Series, the 31-year-old shortstop is the club's longest-tenured player by five years and expected to be the oldest regular starting shortstop in the majors.“I still believe I'm a rookie," Andrus said Monday, when the Rangers had their first full-squad workout. “I never want to feel comfortable. I always want to feel that somebody is going to take my job, and that's the mentality and that's the reality of the game." Andrus hit .275 last season — matching his career average through 1,623 regular-season games. He was hitting .361 through the season's first month and was at .309 by the end of June, then batted .240 over the final 74 games of the season while Texas skidded to its third straight losing season since AL West titles in 2015 and 2016. Second-year manager Chris Woodward said the Rangers “were pretty... [More]

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Elvis Andrus has a few aging distinctions going into his 12th major league season. The only player left in the Texas Rangers clubhouse to wear that uniform in a World Series, the 31-year-old shortstop is the club's longest-tenured player by five years and expected to be the oldest regular starting shortstop in the majors.“I still believe I'm a rookie," Andrus said Monday, when the Rangers had their first full-squad workout. “I never want to feel comfortable. I always want to feel that somebody is going to take my job, and that's the mentality and that's the reality of the game." Andrus hit .275 last season — matching his career average through 1,623 regular-season games. He was hitting .361 through the season's first month and was at .309 by the end of June, then batted .240 over the final 74 games of the season while Texas skidded to its third straight losing season since AL West titles in 2015 and 2016. Second-year manager Chris Woodward said the Rangers “were pretty... [More]

GOODYEAR, Arizona (AP) — For now, Francisco Lindor isn't going anywhere. And, if he had his way, he'd never leave Cleveland.“My approach this year is winning here,’’ the four-time All-Star shortstop said Monday following the Indians' first full-squad workout of training camp. “I want to win here. I want to stay here in Cleveland; this is home. I’m not playing to get traded to put myself in a good spot to get traded … I am playing to win. I want to win here.”There's no way of knowing Lindor's future. He's under contract for two more seasons, but the Indians may not be able to afford to keep him and it's possible they'll have to trade him at some point rather than risk him walking away as a free agent in 2021.Lindor can't worry about what might happen, so he's concentrating on the here and now.“I am focusing on what I have in front of my toes,” he said. "We have a great group of guys in the clubhouse, a great coaching staff. I want to spend the whole year with them and win.’’The Indians'... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Players who have won a World Series -- and those who have come up short -- seethed Monday at Commissioner Rob Manfred's reference to the sport's championship trophy as merely a "piece of metal," saying that comment reflected a disconnect between baseball's boss and those who produce the product on the field."It bothered me, man. I hated it. It made him sound really out of touch," said reliever Sean Doolittle, a member of the 2019 title-winning Washington Nationals. "That's the holy grail of our sport. That's what we show up for in the beginning of February, thinking about and working towards."Added Doolittle: "I just can't believe how out of touch that is. You're the commissioner of our game. You're the steward of this game. That's a really special thing. It's an iconic symbol of our game. Please don't say that, even off-hand, even tongue-in-cheek." As with so many things being talked about around the majors as spring training gets started, this all stems from... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Houston Astros pitcher Francis Martes was suspended for the 2020 season following his second positive test for a performance-enhancing substance under baseball's major league drug program.Martes tested positive for Boldenone, the commissioner's office said Monday. Boldenone is sold under the brand name Equipose and is used commonly on horses.A 24-year-old right-hander, Martes is on the Astros' 40-man major league roster but hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2017.He was suspended last March 12 for 80 games following a positive test for Clomiphene, a women's fertility drug that has been used by some athletes to counter side effects of steroids use. Martes returned Aug. 21 and made two starts for the rookie level Gulf Coast Astros and one for Quad Cities of the Class A Midwest League. He was 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in 5 1/3 innings.Martes' ban isn't quite the Houston-related cheating punishment fans and players have clamored for around baseball. The Astros have been pummeled... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts isn't convinced bringing in more high-priced free agents during the offseason would have boosted Chicago."Just because you spent a lot of money doesn't mean you're going to win. We've seen that in our own organization our last couple of years," Ricketts said Monday. "The fact is, it's not about how much you spend, it's about where you spend it and getting the right guys on board."Star third baseman Kris Bryant said last weekend the Cubs have the financial ability to keep their All-Star core together "if they want to."“Where we place our resources is a baseball decision,” Ricketts said, referring to president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer.Ricketts insisted the $208 million luxury tax threshold isn't holding the Cubs back."Those aren't defining the decisions in the front office, but they are always a consideration in the front office," Ricketts said, adding later, "We had the highest baseball budget in the (National)... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Backup infielder Aledmys Díaz went to arbitration Monday with the Houston Astros, who offered the same $2 million salary he earned last year.Díaz asked arbitrators Mark Burstein, Stephen Raymond, Gary Kendellen for a raise to $2.6 million.Acquired from Toronto in November 2018, Díaz hit .271 for the AL champions with nine homers and 40 RBIs in 247 plate appearances over 69 games. He was 0 for 9 with a walk in the postseason.A decision is expected Wednesday.Teams are 6-1 against players this year, beating Boston pitcher Eduardo Rodríguez, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson, Minnesota pitcher José Berríos, Milwaukee closer Josh Hader, Atlanta reliever Shane Greene and Colorado catcher Tony Wolters.Dodgers reliever Pedro Báez is the lone winning player so far.A decision is expected Wednesday for Miami first baseman Jesús Aguilar, whose hearing was Friday. Aguilar asked for a raise from $637,500 to $2,575,000 and the Marlins argued for $2,325,000.Four players remain scheduled for hearings this week: Philadelphia catcher J.T. Realmuto and reliever Héctor Neris, Arizona reliever Archie Bradley and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Brian Goodwin.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — These are the new sounds of spring for the Houston Astros: a fan banging on a trash can, another calling José Altuve a cheater.That's what greeted the Astros during their first full-squad workout at camp Monday. And with so many around baseball not ready to forgive or forget their sign stealing, this won’t be the last time they hear it.Meanwhile, the two-time AL champions say they are focused on ignoring the noise, and hope the official start of spring training can signal a step forward for their scandal-ridden team. “I understand the severity of the situation, I truly do,” outfielder George Springer said. “But I think ... the best thing for our game to try to do and especially for us is to try to put this behind us, however that’s possible.”The Astros have been bombarded with questions about the sign-stealing scam since arriving in Florida. A news conference last week with owner Jim Crane, Altuve and third baseman Alex Bregman featuring poorly worded apologies... [More]