MONTREAL (AP) — Charlie Montoyo was a 27-year-old infielder still trying to carve out a major league career the last time he stepped on the field at Montreal's Olympic Stadium.Montoyo, now the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, returned to the city Monday as his team opened a two-game exhibition series against the Milwaukee Brewers."I'm never going to forget having my first hit of two here," Montoyo said. "That's a memory that I'm always going to have. Hopefully they (show) the highlights before the game. They'd have to stop the game for five seconds."Montoyo, who was drafted by the Brewers twice — in 1986 and 1987 — made his major league debut with the Montreal Expos in 1993, appearing in four games with a pair of hits and three RBIs. But that would be it for his big league playing career.Montoyo sat in a familiar spot in the Olympic Stadium dugout when addressing the media before Monday night's game, a 10-5 win for the Brewers. It was the same spot he was sitting in when former ... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Chicago Cubs pitcher Cole Hamels has had a fun few days of firsts. Over the weekend, he recorded his first hole-in-one on a golf course, and on Monday night he hit a home run in his final spring training tuneup.Hamels has another first coming up when he faces the Texas Rangers in his initial start of the regular season. It'll be the first time the left-hander has pitched against a former team.Although Cubs manager Joe Maddon had not announced the rotation order, it is now lined up with Jon Lester starting on opening day Thursday against the Rangers, followed by Yu Darvish, Hamels, Kyle Hendricks and Jose Quintana."It's finally that time. I feel healthy, strong," Hamels said. "Now it's go time, get in front of the big crowds and big stadiums and everything starts to matter."Monday night was Hamels' fifth spring start. He faced the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox and did serve up Andrew Benintendi's home run with one out in the third, but led off the C... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Steve Pearce will begin the season on the injured list for the Boston Red Sox.The 2018 World Series MVP exited an exhibition game last weekend due to discomfort in his left calf. First baseman Sam Travis will likely make the team and take Pearce's spot on the roster.Pearce, a right-handed batter, normally platoons with lefty-hitting Mitch Moreland at first.The Red Sox begin defense of their championship Thursday in Seattle against the Mariners.Pearce was acquired from Toronto in a trade last June and batted a combined .284 with 11 homers, 42 RBIs and an .890 OPS in 76 games with the Blue Jays and Red Sox last season. He was 4 for 12 (.333) with three homers, eight RBIs and a 1.167 OPS in the World Series victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers.Pearce became a free agent and re-signed with Boston for one year and $6.25 million.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Chicago Cubs pitcher Cole Hamels had had fun few days of firsts. Over the weekend, he recorded his first hole-in-one on a golf course, and on Monday night, he hit a home run in his final spring training tuneup.Hamels has another first coming up when he faces the Texas Rangers in his first start of the regular season. It'll be the first time the left-hander has pitched against a former team.Although Cubs manager Joe Maddon has not officially announced the rotation order, it is now lined up with Jon Lester starting on opening day Thursday against the Rangers, followed by Yu Darvish, Hamels, Kyle Hendricks and Jose Quintana."It's finally that time. I feel healthy, strong," Hamels said. "Now it's go time, get in front of the big crowds and big stadiums and everything starts to matter."Monday night was Hamels' fifth spring start. He faced the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox and did serve up Andrew Benintendi's home run with one out in the third, but led o... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Steve Pearce's status for opening day with the Boston Red Sox remains uncertain because of a left calf injury.The 2018 World Series MVP left an exhibition game last weekend due to discomfort. Boston manager Alex Cora said Pearce has had plenty of at-bats in minor league games, so he's feeling good as far as his swing is concerned."It's just a matter of how he feels moving around," Cora explained Monday. "We're not going to push him. We have to be smart about this. Just to push him out there because it's opening day makes no sense for what we're trying to accomplish."The defending champions begin the season Thursday in Seattle against the Mariners. If the Red Sox place Pearce on the injured list, Sam Travis could start at first base."He's been swinging the bat, he plays first, he's a right-handed hitter," Cora said. "It seems like we're going to face a lot of lefties on the West Coast. Having a right-handed bat would help us out."Pearce, also a right-handed hitter, ... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Greg Holland is back in a familiar role as the Arizona Diamondbacks' closer."I'm comfortable in the ninth inning, so I'm glad I get the opportunity to do it again," said Holland, who won the job Sunday over Archie Bradley and Yoshihisa Hirano."That being said, you've got to worry about today. Things can change in the course of a series, so you've just got to stay locked in mentally and go about your business and get outs whether it's the seventh, eighth, ninth inning, or extra innings."Holland, who has 189 saves in an eight-year career, agreed to a one-year deal with the Diamondbacks on Jan. 31 that calls for a $3.25 million base salary and gives him an opportunity to earn an additional $3.5 million in performance bonuses: $1 million for games and $2.5 million for games finished.The 33-year-old Holland had 40-save seasons with Kansas City in 2013-14 and returned from Tommy John surgery to lead the NL with 41 saves for Colorado in 2017. He was 2-2 with a 4.66 ERA with S... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mike Tauchman (TOCK-min) needed to face facts: Getting traded to the New York Yankees meant the outfielder had to get rid of the beard he's worn for years.It was a hairy situation, because he was on the road and had a trimmer but no razor.So Tauchman said he went out in search of a pharmacy and bought the right tool the night before the Yankees' scheduled exhibition finale Monday at the Washington Nationals. That allowed him to abide by the team policy that bars Yankees players from wearing facial hair other than mustaches, except for religious reasons.The 28-year-old Tauchman made it by a whisker, arriving clean shaven at the visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park.His beard was gone, but he did carry one remnant from his 52-game career with Colorado since his major league debut in 2017, a purple-and-black Rockies bag.The Yankees got him in exchange for left-hander Phillip Diehl.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Every team has a "next big thing" in the minors, waiting for the chance to dazzle in the majors, and Washington Nationals fans have been hearing about Victor Robles for years.He's an outfielder whose speed fuels his offense and defense. He's shown power, too. "Toolsy" is the way new Nationals second baseman Brian Dozier described him. "Explosive," was first baseman Ryan Zimmerman's adjective.Robles started in center field and went 0 for 3 in Washington's exhibition finale Monday, a 5-3 victory over the New York Yankees at Nationals Park. That's also where he's expected to be on opening day, finally getting his turn to begin a season in the big leagues, moving into an outfield that lost Bryce Harper to free agency."That's what we work here for, to be an everyday player in the big leagues. I feel physically and mentally ready for that," Robles said in an interview through bullpen catcher Octavio Martinez, who serves as a team translator. "Absolutely, that's something ... [More]

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals selected the contract of first baseman Lucas Duda from Triple-A Omaha and waived outfielder Brian Goodwin on Monday as they continued to shape their opening day roster.Duda attended spring training with Minnesota on a minor league contract, was released last week and signed a minor league deal with the Royals on Friday. He gets a $1.25 million, one-year contract from Kansas City and the chance to earn $250,000 in performance bonuses.He hit .242 with 13 homers and 48 RBIs in 87 games for the Royals last season and was traded to Atlanta in August. Duda appeared in 20 games down the stretch, hitting .222 with a homer and two RBIs.Duda was 0 for 3 in three games during the Braves' Division Series loss to the Dodgers.Goodwin hit .200 with three homers and 12 RBIs for the Nationals last season before a late-July trade to Kansas City. He played in 27 games for the Royals, hitting .266 with three homers and 13 RBIs.Kansas City opens the season Thursday against the Chicago White Sox.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MONTREAL (AP) — Reliever Alex Wilson and the Milwaukee Brewers have finalized a $750,000, one-year contract, a deal that includes $825,000 in performance bonuses.The 32-year-old right-hander has a 3.23 ERA in six major league seasons, the past four with Detroit. He had attended spring training with Cleveland and opted out of his deal after being told he would not make the opening-day major league roster.Brewers closer Corey Knebel is out indefinitely with a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, the type of injury that sometimes ends in Tommy John surgery. He's expected to join Jeremy Jeffress, down with a sore right shoulder, on the injured list to open the season.Milwaukee announced the deal Sunday.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mike Tauchman (TOCK-min) needed to face facts: Getting traded to the New York Yankees meant the outfielder had to get rid of the beard he's worn for years.It was a hairy situation, because he was on the road and had a trimmer but no razor.So Tauchman said he went out in search of a pharmacy and bought the right tool the night before the Yankees' scheduled exhibition finale Monday at the Washington Nationals. That allowed him to abide by the team policy that bars Yankees players from wearing facial hair other than mustaches, except for religious reasons.The 28-year-old Tauchman made it by a whisker, arriving clean shaven at the visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park.His beard was gone, but he did carry one remnant from his 52-game career with Colorado since his major league debut in 2017, a purple-and-black Rockies bag.The Yankees got him in exchange for left-hander Phillip Diehl.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals placed five players on the injured list as they began to shape their roster for Thursday's opener at the Milwaukee Brewers.St. Louis said Monday the official reason for Brett Cecil's designation is carpal tunnel syndrome, though the left-hander also is dealing with arm fatigue and erratic mechanics. Right-hander Carlos Martinez is out with a strained rotator cuff and reliever Luke Gregerson with a right shoulder impingement.Jedd Gyorko will start the season on IL after dealing with a calf issue for most of March. He was hoping to be ready by opening day but will instead be out until at least April 4.Justin Williams is on the IL with a fracture in his right hand, though the Cardinals have plenty of depth in the outfield and he will likely head to Triple-A Memphis when he's ready to go.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Every team has a "next big thing" in the minors, waiting for the chance to dazzle in the majors, and Washington Nationals fans have been hearing about Victor Robles for years.He's an outfielder whose speed fuels his offense and defense. He's shown power, too. "Toolsy" is the way new Nationals second baseman Brian Dozier described him. "Explosive," was first baseman Ryan Zimmerman's adjective.Robles started in center field Monday for Washington's exhibition finale against the New York Yankees at Nationals Park. That's also where where he's expected to be on opening day, finally getting his turn to begin a season in the big leagues, taking over in an outfield that lost Bryce Harper to free agency."That's what we work here for, to be an everyday player in the big leagues. I feel physically and mentally ready for that," Robles said in an interview through bullpen catcher Octavio Martinez, who serves as a team translator. "Absolutely, that's something you imagine, to be ... [More]

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles put scheduled opening-day starter Alex Cobb on the 10-day injured list because of a strained right groin.He likely will be replaced by Andrew Cashner for Thursday's game at the New York Yankees. Cobb's last spring training was cut short after one inning Saturday because of the groin.Baltimore also placed catcher Austin Wynns on the 10-day IL on Monday because of a left oblique strain.Baltimore also selected the contract of catcher Jesus Sucre from Norfolk of the International League. Sucre, at spring training with a minor league contract, gets a one-year deal paying at the rate of $850,000 in the major leagues and $250,000 in the minors. Outfielder Mark Trumbo, recovering from September surgery on his right knee, was placed on the 60-day injured list, opening a spot on the 40-man roster.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mike Tauchman (TOCK-min) needed to face facts: Getting traded to the New York Yankees meant the outfielder had to get rid of the beard he's worn for years.It was a hairy situation, because he was on the road and had a trimmer but no razor.So Tauchman said he went out in search of a pharmacy and bought the right tool the night before the Yankees' scheduled exhibition finale Monday at the Washington Nationals. That allowed him to abide by the team policy that bars Yankees players from wearing facial hair other than mustaches, except for religious reasons.The 28-year-old Tauchman made it by a whisker, arriving clean shaven at the visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park.His beard was gone, but he did carry one remnant from his 52-game career with Colorado since his major league debut in 2017, a purple-and-black Rockies bag.The Yankees got him in exchange for left-hander Phillip Diehl.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mike Tauchman (TOCK-min) needed to face facts: Getting traded to the New York Yankees meant the outfielder had to get rid of the beard he's worn for years.It was a hairy situation, because he was on the road and had a trimmer but no razor.So Tauchman said he went out in search of a pharmacy and bought the right tool the night before the Yankees' scheduled exhibition finale Monday at the Washington Nationals. That allowed him to abide by the team policy that bars Yankees players from wearing facial hair other than mustaches, except for religious reasons.The 28-year-old Tauchman made it by a whisker, arriving clean shaven at the visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park.His beard was gone, but he did carry one remnant from his 52-game career with Colorado since his major league debut in 2017, a purple-and-black Rockies bag.The Yankees got him in exchange for left-hander Phillip Diehl.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Jake Arrieta has no doubt the Philadelphia Phillies will be successful this season."Of course I think we're a playoff team," Arrieta said Monday after the Phillies completed spring training with a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.The 33-year old right-hander allowed two runs, six hits and struck out eight in over six innings. He induced 20 swings and misses."Lots of empty swings," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. "That was the most encouraging thing about the day. Super encouraging. Strong in his legs. Delivery was easy. Arm slot was perfect. I thought everything looked really good."Philadelphia opens at home Thursday against NL East champion Atlanta. The Phillies transformed during the offseason, signing right fielder Bryce Harper to a $330 million, 13-year contract after adding left fielder Andrew McCutchen, shortstop Jean Segura and catcher J.T. Realmuto.Aaron Nola starts the opener for Philadelphia and Julio Teheran for Atlanta."It's exciting," Arrieta sa... [More]

MONTREAL (AP) — Reliever Daniel Hudson has agreed to a one-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays that includes a $1.5 million salary while in the major leagues, a deal that followed his release from a minor league deal by the Los Angeles Angels last weekend.To open a roster spot, the Blue Jays placed second baseman Devon Travis on the 60-day injured list Monday because of an inflamed left knee.Toronto also agreed to a minor league contract with reliever John Axford, two days after the Blue Jays released him. By cutting him and then bringing him back, the Blue Jays avoided having to pay a $100,000 retention bonus.A 32-year-old right-hander, Hudson was 3-2 with a 4.11 ERA for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. He struck out 44 and walked 18 in 46 innings.Axford, a 35-year-old right-hander from Simcoe, Ontario, has a stress reaction in a bone in his right elbow. He was 4-1 with a 5.27 ERA last year for the Blue Jays and Dodgers, who acquired him on July 31.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — As spring training neared its conclusion, a reporter mentioned to Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez that Max Scherzer was not precisely on schedule to start on opening day."He's going to be lined up," Martinez said with a laugh. "Come Thursday at 1:05, he'll be on the mound."Of course he will. Scherzer is, after all, one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, a three-time Cy Young Award winner and runner-up last season. So it makes perfect sense that when Washington hosts the NL East rival New York Mets this week, Scherzer will take on the pitcher who topped him in the NL voting, Jacob deGrom."It definitely has its prestige," Scherzer said. "It's symbolic. It's an honor to get the ball in that situation."That's because even in this data-driven age in baseball, when analytics and analysis are supposed to be replacing "gut feel" and sentiment when it comes to making any and all decisions, granting an opening day start to a particular pitcher beca... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Greg Holland has earned the closer's job with the Arizona Diamondbacks.Holland returned from Tommy John surgery and led the NL with 41 saves for Colorado in 2017. He was 2-2 with a 4.66 ERA with St. Louis and Washington last season, when he earned $14 million. He has a 2.83 ERA in eight major league seasons and has reached 40 saves three times.The 33-year-old right-hander agreed to a deal with the Diamondbacks on Jan. 31 that calls for a $3.25 million base salary and allows him to earn an additional $3.5 million in performance bonuses: $1 million for games and $2.5 million for games finished.He has a 12.27 ERA in four appearances this spring training and has given up two homers in 3 2/3 innings. Holland won out Sunday over right-handers Archie Bradley and Yoshihisa Hirano. The job opened when Brad Boxberger left to sign with Kansas City.Bradley and Hirano, who will open the season as setup men, had three saves apiece last year. Hirano, a closer from 2013-17 with the Or... [More]