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]

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Anthony Rendon had to laugh at the notion that he picked up right where he left off in helping the Washington Nationals win the World Series last year. Still, it was nice to leave his first game in a new uniform with a 1.000 batting average.Rendon went 2 for 2 in his spring training debut with the Los Angeles Angels, driving in a run and scoring one Tuesday night during a 7-3 win over Cincinnati.Back from spending time with his wife and newborn child, the All-Star third baseman played three innings in the field.“It’s inevitable. You’ve got to get out there every day to get comfortable,” Rendon said. “So Day One, you take in stride and take it slow, too. Not try to get too crazy.”Rendon, who signed a $245 million, seven-year contract as a free agent last December, was just one of the big-name Angels players to play for the first time this spring. He batted third, between AL MVP Mike Trout and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, the two-way star from Japan who also pitches.Outfielder... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Brian Johnson knows about perseverance.Selected by Boston with the 31st overall pick in the 2012 amateur draft, the left-hander was hit on the face by a line drive that Aug. 18 at Fenway Park in his fourth professional appearance, a Class A game. He sustained multiple orbital fractures.Johnson recovered and made his big league debut for the Red Sox at Houston on July 21, 2015. He returned to Triple-A for two more starts but his season was cut short by elbow pain. That offseason, he was a passenger in a vehicle that was carjacked at gunpoint. He missed almost two months of the 2016 season due to anxiety and depression.Johnson made five starts for the Red Sox in 2017 — all wins — and his first opening day-roster in 2018 m when he had 13 starts and 25 relief appearances for a team that went on to win the World Series. He sank to 1-3 with a 6.02 ERA in seven starts and 14 relief appearances last year, was put on waivers, went unclaimed and was sent outright to Pawtucket."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]

PHOENIX (AP) — Keston Hiura gave Milwaukee a lift when he was called up in mid-season. His reward is more responsibility in a new-look Brewers offense.Following the departures of Yasmani Grandal and Mike Moustakas as free agents, manager Craig Counsell and the Brewers are counting on a full season from the 23-year-old to help avoid a drop a the plate."I'm excited about this year, I have a lot of stuff to work on and am looking forward to being able to accomplish those goals this year," Hiura said. Hiura debuted May 14 and hit .303 with 19 homers and 49 RBIs in 84 games to help the Brewers return to the postseason for the second straight year.Milwaukee drafted him ninth overall in 2017 out of UC Irvine despite a right elbow injury that prevented Hiura from playing in the field that season. He batted .442 in his junior year.He bounced back with a strong 2018, returning to second base, and was selected MVP of the Arizona Fall League, an award previously won by the New York Yankees' Gleyber... [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]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — This isn’t quite how Chaim Bloom imagined things would go, back when he dreamed of running a baseball team.Less than two months after taking over the Red Sox — and with the start of spring training looming — Boston's new chief baseball officer needed to replace a World Series-winning manager. Then Bloom incurred the wrath of the Fenway fans when he traded Mookie Betts, the ballclub’s best player, as part of a salary dump. And the team is still sweating out the results of an investigation into whether it cheated when it won the championship in 2018.Like a manager reshuffling his rotation after an 18-inning game, Bloom has been forced to adjust — and quickly.“Baseball will throw different things at you every day,” he last week as he settled into his first spring training with the Red Sox. “I've been in baseball long enough to know that there's a lot of things about this business that don't go according to plan, and it throws you a lot of unexpected surprises. So the... [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]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Chris Archer was scratched from his scheduled Monday night against the New York Yankees and Gerrit Cole due to neck tightness.Pittsburgh said the move was precautionary and that Archer is day to day.Archer went 3-9 with a 5.19 ERA in 23 starts last season.Cole was scheduled to make his first start with the Yankees after signing a $324 million nine year contract as a free agent.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Free agent second baseman Brian Dozier and the San Diego Padres have reached agreement on a minor league contract with an invitation to big league spring training.Dozier has played in the World Series the past two years. He hit 20 home runs with 50 RBIs for the champion Washington Nationals last season, and was with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018.The 32-year-old Dozier was an All-Star with Minnesota in 2015 and hit 42 home runs for the Twins the next year.The Padres have several players vying for time at second base, including newcomer Jurickson Profar and Ty France.—-More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHOENIX (AP) — Utilityman Brock Holt is guaranteed $3.25 million under his one-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, which includes a club option for 2021 and performance bonuses that could make the deal worth $8.25 million over two seasons.Holt has a $2.5 million salary this year as part as the agreement announced Wednesday, and the Brewers have a $5 million option for 2021 with a $750,000 buyout. He can earn $750,000 in performance bonuses this year based on plate appearances: $250,000 each for 400, 425 and 450.He would earn $100,000 if he is voted MVP, $75,000 for finishing second and $50,000 for third. He also would get $50,000 each for All-Star selection, Comeback Player of the Year, Silver Slugger, Hank Aaron Award and World Series MVP. He would receive $25,000 apiece for Gold Glove and League Championship Series MVP.A 31-year-old left-handed batter, Holt spent his first eight major league seasons with the Boston Red Sox and was an All-Star in 2015.Holt hit a career-high .297 last year with three homers and 31 RBIs in 295 plate appearances while playing every position except pitcher, catcher and center field.He has a .271 career batting average and .714 OPS___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NORTH PORT, Fla. (AP) — Cole Hamels rejoined the Atlanta Braves just in time for their spring training opener. The injured left-hander is still a ways off from using the mound at the club's new spring home, though.Hamels signed an $18 million, one-year deal with Atlanta this offseason but informed the team just before camp started that he was experiencing shoulder discomfort during training. The 36-year-old was sent to Dallas to get treatment from surgeon Keith Meister.Now he's back but says he's waiting for inflammation in the shoulder “to calm down.” He expects to remain in North Port after Atlanta breaks camp for opening day.“I know I’m behind the 8-ball,” he said. “But once I knock (the inflammation) out right away, I know I’ll be able to be the best pitcher I can and put up good numbers.“I need to come back at 100%. This is an extremely talented team so I when I come in to take over a spot, I want to be ready.”The 14-year-veteran went 7-7 with a 3.81 ERA last season with the Chicago... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — On the day Houston outfielder Josh Reddick said he and other players have received death threats in the wake of the team's sign-stealing scandal, union head Tony Clark said safety had become an issue for some of his members.“There are undoubtedly concerns out there based on some of the commentary that .. there's a heightened sense of concern to make sure that themselves and their families are protected," Clark said Friday after speaking with the Astros. “There's no doubt making sure that our players and their families are able to go to and from the ballpark and perform safely ... is a huge piece of the puzzle." Clark spoke before Reddick told reporters that he received death threats on social media and that people have commented on pictures of his infant twins, saying they hope they get cancer. He said teammates have also received threatening messages and he thinks it will be “pretty scary" for his wife and children to join him on the road this season since... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — It will be champs vs. cheaters in a World Series rematch when the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros play their exhibition opener on Saturday night.The last time these teams met, the Nationals were celebrating their first World Series title in Houston after winning Game 7 at Minute Maid Park. Since then, the Astros have become the league's villains, with a sign-stealing scandal sullying their reputation and casting a shadow on their 2017 title. As the Astros prepare to take the field for the first time since their cheating scam was uncovered there’s much speculation about what kind of reception they’ll receive, though the players say they're focused on baseball. “Honestly, I haven't thought about it,” shortstop Carlos Correa said. “But whatever it is, our job is to go there and play baseball. So, I'm not too concerned about that.”There have been a handful of hecklers at Astros camp this week as the team assembled for the first time since Major League Baseball... [More]

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — After Corey Kluber was traded to Texas, his new manager got a lot of texts and calls from people saying what a phenomenal pitcher and person the Rangers got. The only message that surprised Chris Woodward was the one he got from the two-time Cy Young Award winner. “One of the first texts he sent me, 'I've got a lot to prove,'” Woodward said Friday. “You don't expect that to come from a guy who's had so much success."While the 33-year-old right-hander had an injury-plagued final season in Cleveland last year, he was coming off an extended stretch as one of baseball's best pitchers. He was a 20-game winner in 2018, and the American League Cy Young winner in 2014 and 2017 — all that during a five-year span when he threw at least 203 innings with 222 strikeouts or more each season.Kluber was the Indians' opening day starter for the fifth season in a row last year, but suffered a broken right forearm when he was hit by a comeback liner in his seventh start. When he was... [More]

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Kyle Lewis showed late last season that he’s ready for a regular role in the Seattle Mariners outfield, and he hopes his short time in the major leagues following a September callup is a preview of the kind of offensive production he can provide.Lewis homered in his major league debut off the Cincinnati Reds’ Trevor Bauer. He went on to become the first player in major league history to hit a home run in six of his first 10 career games, and the second player in big league history to homer in each of his first three career games.“I feel like I was in a good spot going into that, you know, swinging the bat well,” Lewis recalled when asked about his torrid start, which came after he was called up from Double-A Arkansas. “Just trying to stay in the moment. Locked in with what I had been working on and trying to be free.”Lewis, a first-round pick in the 2016 first-year player draft, offered a glimmer of hope for the future last year for fans who suffered through a 68-94... [More]

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — Cleveland Indians right-hander Carlos Carrasco has been diagnosed with a mild strain of his right hip flexor after feeling discomfort while doing squats in the weight room during spring training.The team said Friday that Carrasco was considered day to day after an MRI revealed the strain.Manager Terry Francona said Carrasco felt something in his upper leg when squatting on Wednesday.The 32-year-old pitcher made an inspiring comeback last season after being diagnosed with leukemia. He revealed that in June, and returned as a reliever in September after treatment.Carrasco had said earlier in camp that his health was good and that he was excited about the upcoming season, when he is expected to move back into the rotation.The Indians, who traded two-time AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber this winter, were already down one starter this spring with right-hander Mike Clevinger recovering from knee surgery and out until mid-April. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports