LOS ANGELES (AP) — Robert Van Scoyoc has joined the Los Angeles Dodgers as hitting coach, along with Dino Ebel as third base coach, Aaron Bates as assistant hitting coach and Chris Gimenez as game planning coach.Van Scoyoc is on a major league coaching staff for the first time after spending last season with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He returns to the Dodgers, where he was the hitting consultant in 2016-17. The 32-year-old has worked with such big-league hitters as J.D. Martinez and the Dodgers' Chris Taylor as a private hitting instructor since 2011.Van Scoyoc replaces Turner Ward, who joined the Reds' staff.Ebel rejoins the Dodgers after 14 years with the Los Angeles Angels, including nine seasons as third base coach and four seasons as bench coach. The 52-year-old spent 17 years with the Dodgers as a minor league player, coach and manager.Bates was promoted to assistant hitting coach Wednesday for his first stint at the major-league level. The 34-year-old coach will also... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Neil Walker hit a three-run homer, Zach Britton started a game-ending double play on New York's third try in the ninth inning and the Yankees kept the Boston Red Sox from a bubbly celebration in the Bronx for at least another night with a 3-2 victory Tuesday.Batting from the left side, Walker launched a no-doubter in the seventh inning off Ryan Brasier for the Yankees' third hit of the game and a 3-1 lead.Aaron Judge returned to New York's lineup for the first time since breaking his right wrist July 26, while AL MVP candidate Mookie Betts got a day off for Boston after injuring his left side Sunday. Judge hit a pop fly to the warning track but finished 0 for 4.New York moved 2½ games ahead of Oakland for the top AL wild card. The A's lost at home to the Angels.Boston is trying to clinch the AL East at Yankee Stadium for the second time in three years. The Red Sox lead the Yankees by 10 1/2 games and entered the night with a magic number of four over the Astros to lock up... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — In a swap of backup catchers, the Minnesota Twins have traded Bobby Wilson to the Chicago Cubs for Chris Gimenez and a player to be named or cash.The deal for the 35-year-old veterans was announced Thursday.Wilson has been on the 10-day disabled list since Aug. 23 with a sprained right ankle. He hit .178 with two home runs and 16 RBIs in 47 games for Minnesota.Gimenez, who has been playing at Triple-A Iowa, will join the Twins. He batted .143 with one RBI in 12 games with the Cubs.

DENVER (AP) — To summon a recent reliever, Cubs manager Joe Maddon didn't even need to signal his bullpen. He just pointed toward his first baseman.Now pitching: Anthony Rizzo .That's no sort of curveball, either.In an increasing trend this season, position players are making more appearances on the mound to save wear and tear on the bullpen in games that have spiraled out of hand or as a last resort.Through Thursday, there have been 49 appearances by 39 non-pitchers (not counting two-way player Shohei Ohtani ). Both figures are major-league highs for the expansion era starting in 1961, according to the Elias Sports Bureau."It's just cool to be up there and get to do something that you don't get to do," said Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer, who was a closer and infielder at Oklahoma State but has never pitched in the majors despite his best lobbying efforts. "You have the ball in your hands nonstop."Rizzo pleaded for a while to get into a game. His chance arrived on July 23 with the Cubs... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have invited veteran catcher Chris Gimenez and 18 other non-roster players to their major league spring training camp.A nine-year veteran, Gimenez played for Chicago manager Joe Maddon when both were with Tampa Bay in 2012 and 2013 and was later a teammate of free agent pitcher Yu Darvish — a Cubs target — with the Texas Rangers.Chicago also invited pitchers Anthony Bass, Craig Brooks, David Garner, Justin Hancock, Thomas Hatch, Williams Perez, Alberto Baldonado, Daniel Camarena and Kyle Ryan; infielders Ryan Court, Mike Freeman, Jason Vosler and Chesny Young; catchers Taylor Davis, Ian Rice and Ali Solis; and outfielders Jacob Hannemann and Bijan Rademacher.Pitchers and catchers begin workouts Feb. 14, with the first full squad workout on Feb. 19.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs are having active talks with free agent Yu Darvish, hoping to add the right-hander to their rotation as they try for a second championship in three seasons.The 31-year-old Darvish is one of the top players available in a slow-moving market this winter. He finished last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, helping them reach the World Series.A person with direct knowledge of the discussions confirmed the talks to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday night because there was no agreement in place. The Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees also have expressed interest in Darvish.The conversations come amid reports the Cubs have agreed to a minor league deal with Chris Gimenez, who regularly caught Darvish while they were in Texas and developed a trusted working relationship with the Japanese pitcher.Darvish began a successful transition from Japan to the majors in 2012, going 16-9 with a 3.90 ERA in 29 starts... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — A person with direct knowledge of the discussions says the Chicago Cubs are having active talks with free-agent pitcher Yu Darvish.The 31-year-old Darvish is one of the top remaining players available in a slow-moving market this winter. He finished last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, helping them reach the World Series.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday night because there was no agreement in place. The Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees also have expressed interest in signing the Japanese pitcher.Darvish was 10-12 with a 3.86 ERA in 31 starts for the Rangers and Dodgers last year. The right-hander went 2-2 with a 6.14 ERA in four postseason starts, including a victory over the Cubs in Game 3 of the NL Championship Series at Wrigley Field.The talks with Darvish come amid reports the Cubs have agreed to a minor league deal with Chris Gimenez, who regularly caught Darvish while they were in Texas and developed a trusted working relationship with the pitcher.___AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley in San Francisco contributed to this report.

C Chris Gimenez homered in the third inning Monday and was 4-for-8 with two homers off Chris Sale when Red Sox manager John Farrell pulled Sale in favor of Heath Hembree. Gimenez hit into a double play but has homered in back-to-back games for the second time in his career -- the first since 2009. He is 6-for-his-last 18 against lefties after starting the season 2-for-15.

C Chris Gimenez pitched in Thursday's 9-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox, his sixth appearance of the season as a pitcher. Gimenez owns a 7.20 ERA this season after Thursday's scoreless inning with two hits allowed. Gimenez has done his part to try and ease the strain on Minnesota's depleted pitching staff. He entered the year with three career pitching appearances.

C Chris Gimenez had his first multi-homer game in the majors, connecting twice against Seattle LHP Ariel Miranda and driving in four runs. Gimenez, who has made five appearances as a pitcher this year, joked that he should be regarded as the best hitting catcher in the league. He has played 30 games this year as the backup to Jason Castro and provided the Twins with solid defense at catcher in his first season with the team.

C Chris Gimenez made his fifth appearance of the season as a relief pitcher. Gimenez took the mound in the top of the ninth inning as Minnesota trailed 12-3. He surrendered a pair of runs in the ninth on hits by Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager.

C Chris Gimenez made his fourth relief appearance of the season Tuesday, pitching a 1-2-3 eighth inning against Seattle. Gimenez got Kyle Seager, who earlier homered and had four RBIs, to fly out ot the warning track in center field. "He gassed up on me, bumped like 6 mph on his fastball," Seager said. "He's legit. A two-way guy."

C Chris Gimenez has taken the mound three times this season in an effort to save innings in the Twins' blistered bullpen. He has allowed two hits and two runs, including a home run. The 34-year-old career backstop is hitting .179 with a home run. Manager Paul Molitor said he wouldn't hesitate using Gimenez again if faced with another lost-cause late-inning situation.

C Chris Gimenez came on to pitch in the ninth inning of Sunday's blowout loss to Detroit. Gimenez got the one batter he faced to fly out. It was the fourth pitching appearance of Gimenez's career. He's allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings. He was the first position player to pitch for Minnesota since Eduardo Escobar on Aug. 11, 2016.

C Chris Gimenez was 2-for-4 with a double and RBI in his first start this season, on Friday night at Chicago. Gimenez was signed as a free agent in January. Jason Castro was behind the plate for the Twins first three games

C Chris Gimenez was removed from the Indians' roster for the ALCS to make room for LHP Ryan Merritt, who was added to the roster. Gimenez was one of three catchers on the Indians' roster in the Division Series, but C Roberto Perez caught every inning of the three-game sweep of Boston. The Indians' other catcher on the ALCS roster is C Yan Gomes, who missed most of the last two months of the season with a separated shoulder and a broken hand, but he has been cleared to play.

C Chris Gimenez continued his hot hitting Tuesday, belting a solo home run in the Indians' 9-1 loss to the Athletics. It was his fourth homer of the season. Gimenez only batted twice in the game. He walked in his first trip to the plate. Gimenez is now 6-for-17 (.353) in his past eight games.

C Chris Gimenez and Oakland DH Billy Butler got into a heated argument during Butler's at-bat in the fourth inning. The players had to be separated by home-plate umpire Tripp Gibson. Butler was upset that Gimenez was questioning a ball called by Gibson. "My job is to get as many strikes as I can for my pitcher. I don't care what the hitter thinks," Gimenez said.

C Chris Gimenez, who entered the Indians' 17-1 loss to the Blue Jays in the sixth inning as third baseman on Sunday, was pressed into pitching the seventh and eighth innings to preserve the bullpen. He pitched a perfect seventh but allowed four hits and four runs in the eighth. The appearance at third base was the fourth of his career at that position. He made his second appearance as a pitcher. His pitching debut was July 10, 2014, against the Angels, when he threw a shutout inning. "Unfortunately my career ERA of zero skyrocketed a little bit today," Gimenez said. He said he was throwing his "super changeup" most of the time. "Gimenez did a good job of just not getting hurt," manager Terry Francona said.

C Chris Gimenez was acquired from the Texas Rangers in exchange for cash considerations. Gimenez will be the backup catcher, replacing C Roberto Perez, who is on the disabled list with a right thumb injury. This will be Gimenez's third stint with the Indians. He was originally drafted by the Indians and was on the big league club in 2009-10, as well as 2014. "We had him in the past, so there is a lot of familiarity, and everyone really liked him a lot," said manager Terry Francona.