NEW YORK (AP) — Catcher Austin Wells has agreed to a minor league contract that includes a $2.5 million signing bonus after the New York Yankees selected him 28th overall in the amateur draft.The Yankees also announced Friday they had released Chad Bettis from his minor league deal after the veteran right-hander announced his retirement.Wells, who turns 21 on July 12, hit .375 with two homers and 14 RBIs for the University of Arizona in a season cut to 15 games because of the coronavirus pandemic. He batted .357 with seven homers and 74 RBIs over 71 games in two seasons.Wells' slot had a value of nearly $2.5 million for the Yankees' signing bonus pool.Bettis, 31, pitched in the majors for parts of seven seasons, all for Colorado. He signed a minor league deal with New York in February.Bettis was diagnosed with testicular cancer in November 2016 after going 14-8 in the Rockies’ rotation. He underwent surgery and chemotherapy and returned to the majors in August 2017, throwing seven shutout innings to beat Atlanta at Coors Field.He was 1-6 with one save and a 6.08 ERA in 39 games, including three starts, for Colorado last season. He went 31-31 with a 5.12 ERA in 164 career games, 92 of them starts.___More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Free agent pitcher Chad Bettis signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees on Sunday with an invitation an invitation to big league spring training.The 30-year-old right-hander was 1-6 with one save and a 6.08 ERA in 39 games, including three starts, for Colorado last season. He went on the injured list Aug. 14 with a left hip impingement and didn't pitch the rest of the year.Bettis has pitched in parts of seven seasons in the majors, all for Colorado. He is 31-31 with one save and a 5.12 ERA in 164 games, 92 of them starts.Bettis was diagnosed with testicular cancer in November 2016 after going 14-8 in the Rockies' rotation. He underwent surgery and chemotherapy and returned to the majors in August 2017, throwing seven shutout innings to beat Atlanta at Coors Field.___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A team-by-team look at the National League West entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:___Los Angeles Dodgers Manager: Dave Roberts (fifth season). 2019: 106-56, first place, lost to Nationals in Division Series. Training Town: Glendale, Arizona. Park: Camelback Ranch. First Workout: Feb. 14/18. He's Here: OF Mookie Betts, LHP David Price, LHP Alex Wood, RHP Blake Treinen, RHP Jimmy Nelson, 2B Clayton Daniel.He's Outta Here: LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu, RHP Kenta Maeda, LHP Rich Hill, OF Joc Pederson, OF Alex Verdugo, 1B David Freese, RHP Yimi Garcia, 3B Jedd Gyorko, C Russell Martin, RHP JT Chargois, 2B Kristopher Negron.Going campin': In what's become a familiar refrain, the Dodgers arrive at camp still looking for their first World Series championship since 1988. After losing in two straight World Series, they were ousted by Washington in five games in the NL Division Series last fall.... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:NAME THAT NICKNAMEJerseys will take on a different look during Players' Weekend, when big leaguers are encouraged to be creative with what goes on the back of their uniforms.Cleveland outfielder Yasiel Puig will have Wild Horse, for the way he charges around the bases. Rays pitcher Charlie Morton will use Ground Chuck, for how he induces grounders. Reds first baseman Joey Votto will go with Who — for the "Abbott and Costello" comedy routine of "Who's on First?"Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis is skipping letters and going with an emoji — of lettuce, to rhyme with his last name.OCTOBER PREVIEW?Yankees lefty James Paxton is having one of the best stretches of his career. Paxton (9-6, 4.53 ERA) takes the mound at Dodger Stadium looking to win his fifth straight start — he won seven in a row in 2017 with Seattle.Los Angeles counters with lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu, who is 12-3 and leads the majors with a 1.64 ERA.New York manager Aaron Boone knows this... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Friday:NAME THAT NICKNAMEJerseys will take on a different look during Players' Weekend, when big leaguers are encouraged to be creative with what goes on the back of their uniforms.Cleveland outfielder Yasiel Puig will have Wild Horse, for the way he charges around the bases. Rays pitcher Charlie Morton will use Ground Chuck, for how he induces grounders. Reds first baseman Joey Votto will go with Who — for the "Abbott and Costello" comedy routine of "Who's on First?"Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis is skipping letters and going with an emoji — of lettuce, to rhyme with his last name.OCTOBER PREVIEW?Yankees lefty James Paxton is having one of the best stretches of his career. Paxton (9-6, 4.53 ERA) takes the mound at Dodger Stadium looking to win his fifth straight start — he won seven in a row in 2017 with Seattle.Los Angeles counters with lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu, who is 12-3 and leads the majors with a 1.64 ERA.New York manager Aaron Boone knows this... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — When first hit by a pitch from Colorado's Chad Bettis, Yankees slugger Luke Voit was scared. He remembered when Giancarlo Stanton's jaw was broken by Milwaukee's Mike Fiers five years ago."I thought broken jaw. My teeth were going to be all scattered everywhere," Voit said Sunday. "I grabbed my face. So I was like, 'Oh, oh.' ... But then, it wasn't as bad as I thought. Just a scary thing."Voit was back in the New York Yankees' lineup at first base for Sunday's 8-4 loss to Colorado, while left fielder Brett Gardner was scratched after hurting his left knee and may miss a few days.Voit said his jaw was "super sore" when he awoke, but after icing there was only a little swelling. He said it felt as if he had been punched, and there was a slight cut on his chin. Concussion tests were negative.Part of the force of the 91 mph pitch was absorbed when the ball grazed Voit's shoulder. He also was able to turn his face slightly."I dodged a bullet, got lucky," said Voit, who planned... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — When first hit by a pitch from Colorado's Chad Bettis, Yankees slugger Luke Voit was scared. He remembered when Giancarlo Stanton's jaw was broken by Milwaukee's Mike Fiers five years ago."I thought broken jaw. My teeth were going to be all scattered everywhere," Voit said Sunday. "I grabbed my face. So I was like, 'Oh, oh.' ... But then, it wasn't as bad as I thought. Just a scary thing."Voit was back in the New York Yankees' lineup at first base for Sunday's series finale against Colorado. His jaw was "super sore" when he awoke, but after icing there was only a little swelling. He said it felt as if he had been punched, and there was a slight cut on his chin. Concussion tests were negative.Part of the force of the 91 mph pitch was absorbed when the ball grazed Voit's shoulder. He also was able to turn his face slightly."I dodged a bullet, got lucky," said Voit, who planned to try a protective chin strap on his helmet before the game.Left fielder Brett Gardner was scratched... [More]

LONDON (AP) — Gary Sánchez hit a go-ahead, two-run single during a nine-run seventh inning, and the New York Yankees overcame a four-run deficit to beat the Boston Red Sox 12-8 Sunday for a two-game sweep of the groundbreaking, high-scoring trip across the pond.DJ LeMahieu doubled off Marcus Walden (6-1) leading off the seventh and hit a two-run double against Josh Taylor later in the inning as the Yankees opened an 11-4 lead, sending 14 batters to the plate in their highest-scoring inning in four years.Didi Gregorius went deep against Ryan Brasier in the eighth, extending New York's record streak of games with home runs to 31. Combined with the Yankees' 17-13 win Saturday, the teams scored 50 runs on the weekend, four more than their previous scoring mark in consecutive games against each other.Adam Ottavino (3-2), the second of six New York relievers, got the win.Before a sellout crowd of 59,059 at Olympic Stadium, Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez and Christian Vázquez became the first... [More]

LONDON (AP) — Gary Sánchez hit a go-ahead, two-run single during a nine-run seventh inning, and the New York Yankees overcame a four-run deficit to beat the Boston Red Sox 12-8 Sunday for a two-game sweep of the groundbreaking, high-scoring trip across the pond.DJ LeMahieu doubled off Marcus Walden (6-1) leading off the seventh and hit a two-run double against Josh Taylor later in the inning as the Yankees opened an 11-4 lead, sending 14 batters to the plate in their highest-scoring inning in four years.Didi Gregorius went deep against Ryan Brasier in the eighth, extending New York's record streak of games with home runs to 31. Combined with the Yankees' 17-13 win Saturday, the teams scored 50 runs on the weekend, four more than their previous scoring mark in consecutive games against each other.Adam Ottavino (3-2), the second of six New York relievers, got the win.Before a sellout crowd of 59,059 at Olympic Stadium, Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez and Christian Vázquez became the first... [More]

LONDON (AP) — Gary Sánchez hit a go-ahead, two-run single during a nine-run seventh inning, and the New York Yankees overcame a four-run deficit to beat the Boston Red Sox 12-8 Sunday for a two-game sweep of the groundbreaking, high-scoring trip across the pond.DJ LeMahieu doubled off Marcus Walden (6-1) leading off the seventh and hit a two-run double against Josh Taylor later in the inning as the Yankees opened an 11-4 lead, sending 14 batters to the plate in their highest-scoring inning in four years.Didi Gregorius went deep against Ryan Brasier in the eighth, extending New York's record streak of games with home runs to 31. Combined with the Yankees' 17-13 win Saturday, the teams scored 50 runs on the weekend, four more than their previous scoring mark in consecutive games against each other.Adam Ottavino (3-2), the second of six New York relievers, got the win.Before a sellout crowd of 59,059 at Olympic Stadium, Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez and Christian Vázquez became the first... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Mitch Moreland homered off Merrill Kelly on the first pitch of the seventh inning, and the World Series champion Boston Red Sox ended an awful opening trip with a 1-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.Boston went 3-8 against Seattle, Oakland and Arizona, its worst start since losing nine of 11 in 2011. The Red Sox host Toronto on Tuesday, their first game at Fenway Park since winning the World Series at Dodger Stadium last October.Hector Velázquez, Brandon Workman, Marcus Walden (1-0), Matt Barnes and Ryan Brasier combined on a three-hitter. Walden got six outs for his first major league victory and Brasier retired Adam Jones on a game-ending groundout with a runner on second.YANKEES 15, ORIOLES 3BALTIMORE (AP) — Gary Sánchez hit three of the Yankees' seven home runs, their most on the road since 1961, and New York completed a three-game sweep to move back above .500 at 5-4.Clint Frazier homered twice and had four hits, and Austin Romine and Gleyber Torres also... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Domingo German overcame control problems on a chilly night to win for the first time since last June, Gary Sanchez and Brett Gardner homered and the banged-up New York Yankees beat the punchless Detroit Tigers 3-1 Monday.Aaron Judge made a sprawling, backhand catch on Niko Goodrum's hard-hit liner after Adam Ottavino walked the first two batters in the eighth inning, a drive that would have tied the score if it had gotten by the right fielder.New York lost two more regulars to the 10-day injured list before the game after they got hurt a day earlier, outfielder Giancarlo Stanton with a strained left biceps and third baseman Miguel Andujar with a small labrum tear in his right shoulder.Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Andujar, runner-up for AL Rookie of the Year last season, will be treated conservatively with a rehab program and there is some optimism he will respond well. But if not, he could need season-surgery.They joined a group of sidelined Yankees that includes pitchers... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Domingo German overcame control problems on a chilly night to win for the first time since last June, Gary Sanchez and Brett Gardner homered and the banged-up New York Yankees beat the punchless Detroit Tigers 3-1 Monday.Aaron Judge made a sprawling, backhand catch on Niko Goodrum's hard-hit liner after Adam Ottavino walked the first two batters in the eighth inning, a drive that would have tied the score if it had gotten by the right fielder.New York lost two more regulars to the 10-day injured list before the game after they got hurt a day earlier, outfielder Giancarlo Stanton with a strained left biceps and third baseman Miguel Andujar with a small labrum tear in his right shoulder.Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Andujar, runner-up for AL Rookie of the Year last season, will be treated conservatively with a rehab program and there is some optimism he will respond well. But if not, he could need seasno-surgery.They joined a group of sidelined Yankees that includes pitchers... [More]

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez is headed for Tommy John surgery and out for the season. New York Yankees ace Luis Severino is shut down, too — at least through opening day.Hours after Severino stopped warming up in the bullpen because of an inflamed right shoulder, the Royals announced more damaging news Tuesday: Perez will have surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow, keeping the six-time All-Star off the field for the entire year.Perez hurt the elbow during a workout last week and said over the weekend that he was harboring a slim hope he might be able to play through it. Instead, he is expected to undergo surgery Wednesday."There was nothing that can prepare us for this. There was no information we had that led us this direction," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. "Salvy was having no issues. He's asymptomatic. He has wear and tear, just like any 28-year-old catcher who's been squatting and catching since he was 12 years old. There was no warning sign... [More]

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez is headed for Tommy John surgery and out for the season. New York Yankees ace Luis Severino is shut down, too — at least through opening day.Hours after Severino stopped warming up in the bullpen because of an inflamed right shoulder, the Royals announced more damaging news Tuesday: Perez would have surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow, keeping the six-time All-Star off the field for the entire year.Perez hurt the elbow during a workout last week and said over the weekend that he was harboring a slim hope that he might be able to play through it. Instead, he is expected to undergo surgery on Wednesday."There was nothing that can prepare us for this. There was no information we had that led us this direction," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. "Salvy was having no issues. He's asymptomatic. He has wear and tear, just like any 28-year-old catcher who's been squatting and catching since he was 12 years old. There was no warning... [More]

New York Yankees ace Luis Severino will miss opening day because of an inflamed right shoulder that acted up while he was getting loose for his first spring training start.Severino felt something wrong when he threw his first slider in the bullpen and was immediately scratched. He won't throw for two weeks, manager Aaron Boone said after a 5-1 win over Atlanta."Obviously, anytime a starting pitcher and a guy like Sevie walks off while he's warming up to start a game, you always get worried and concerned about that," Boone said. "But it sounds like the shoulder is pretty clean, it's just the inflammation issue. So if that's the case, then hopefully two weeks is something that will do the trick, then he can start ramping back up with his throwing program, but we'll re-evaluate it also at the same time."Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, CC Sabathia and J.A. Happ are also projected to be in the Yankees' rotation. Luis Cessa, Jonathan Loaisiga and Domingo German are possible short-term replacements... [More]

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — The biggest play from the Phillies' spring training game Thursday: great communication behind the home dugout.Philadelphia fans with an eye on their smartphones cried out when reports emerged that Bryce Harper had agreed to a deal with the Phillies, breaking the news to manager Gabe Kapler and his players during a 5-5 split-squad tie with the Orioles. Harper agreed to a $330 million, 13-year deal with the club, the largest contract in baseball history. Harper's agent, Scott Boras, said the deal was agreed to shortly before noon, subject to a successful physical."If the reports are true, it's a huge moment for our baseball team," Kapler said. "Certainly I think that the city of Philadelphia would embrace Bryce Harper. I think he would be very happy in this city because our fans care deeply about winning."A 26-year-old All-Star who had spent his entire big league career with the Washington Nationals, Harper topped the $325 million, 13-year agreement outfielder Giancarlo... [More]

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — The biggest play from the Phillies' spring training game Thursday: great communication behind the home dugout.Philadelphia fans with an eye on their smartphones cried out when reports emerged that Bryce Harper had agreed to a deal with the Phillies, breaking the news to manager Gabe Kapler and his players during a 5-5 split-squad tie with the Orioles. Harper agreed to a $330 million, 13-year deal with the club, the largest contract in baseball history. Harper's agent, Scott Boras, said the deal was agreed to shortly before noon, subject to a successful physical."If the reports are true, it's a huge moment for our baseball team," Kapler said. "Certainly I think that the city of Philadelphia would embrace Bryce Harper. I think he would be very happy in this city because our fans care deeply about winning."A 26-year-old All-Star who had spent his entire big league career with the Washington Nationals, Harper topped the $325 million, 13-year agreement outfielder Giancarlo... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Four-time All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado asked for $30 million in salary arbitration Friday, while the Colorado Rockies offered $24 million.Arenado, who has won six straight Gold Glove Awards and four consecutive Silver Slugger Awards, made $17.85 million last year.He hit .297 with an NL-high 38 home runs and 110 RBIs, which tied for second in the league, to help the Rockies reach the playoffs for the second straight season. They beat the Chicago Cubs in the wild-card game before being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the Division Series.Colorado agreed to one-year contracts with All-Star shortstop Trevor Story, right-handers Jon Gray and Chad Bettis, left-hander Tyler Anderson, right-handed reliever Scott Oberg and catcher Tony Wolters to avoid arbitration.Story, the Rockies' first-round pick in the 2011 amateur draft, gets a big raise from $630,000 to $5 million. He hit .291 with 37 homers and 108 RBIs in earning his first All-Star selection.Anderson, also a first-round... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Young right-hander Brandon Woodruff not only made the Milwaukee Brewers' playoff roster, but he's starting Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Colorado Rockies.The Brewers' playoff roster announced before the series opener on Thursday features an 11-man pitching staff that includes rookie right-handers Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta. Like Woodruff, they are promising starters who have been pitching out of the bullpen.Woodruff leads off what manager Craig Counsell called a bullpen day on Thursday against the Rockies, who are starting right-hander Antonio Senzatela (6-6, 4.38 ERA).Woodruff is 3-0 with a 3.61 ERA in 19 games this year with four starts. The 25-year-old has pitched exclusively in relief after Sept. 1, going 1-0 with a 0.73 ERA over 12 1/3 innings in seven appearances."He's just throwing the ball really well, and two, I think he has the potential to do a little more than a reliever, maybe," Counsell said.One of Woodruff's four starts came... [More]