A look at what's happening around the majors Sunday:HAPPENINGJ.A. Happ makes his Yankees debut, three days after New York got him from Toronto in a trade for Brandon Drury and minor league outfielder Billy McKinney. The 35-year-old lefty starts out at home against Kansas City.Happ has enjoyed success over Boston in his career. With the Yankees chasing the AL East-leading Red Sox, Happ is set to pitch again next weekend at Fenway Park.ALTUVE OUTThe AL West-leading Astros will have to do without star second baseman Jose Altuve for a while. The AL MVP has been put on the disabled list for the first time in his career, sidelined by soreness in his right knee.The three-time batting champion is hitting .329 with nine home runs and 46 RBIs this season. Altuve didn't play Friday or Saturday, with versatile Marwin Gonzalez filling in at second.MORE DEALSAs Tuesday's trade deadline approaches, more and more players are on the go. In the latest swap, the busy Yankees sent relievers Chasen Shreve and... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:FIRED-UP COLECole Hamels goes from last place to first place when he joins the Chicago Cubs during this weekend's series at St. Louis. The Cubs got the left-hander Friday, trading pitchers Eddie Butler and Rollie Lacy and a player to be named to Texas.Hamels is in the midst of perhaps the worst year of his career, going 5-9 with a 4.72 ERA in 20 starts with the Rangers. He is 1-3 with an 11.12 ERA in four starts in July. But the 34-year-old Hamels is an experienced postseason pitcher — he was the NL Championship Series and World Series MVP when Philadelphia won the title in 2008."To be able to change kind of the mindset, now to go on a first-place team, there's something inside of you that sparks when you get in those situations," Hamels said.PLAYOFF PUSHSwitch-hitting infielder Eduardo Escobar is headed to Arizona after the NL West contenders got him from Minnesota Twins on Friday for minor league right-hander Jhoan Duran and outfielders... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Saturday:FIRED-UP COLECole Hamels goes from last place to first place when he joins the Chicago Cubs during this weekend's series at St. Louis. The Cubs got the left-hander Friday, trading pitchers Eddie Butler and Rollie Lacy and a player to be named to Texas.Hamels is in the midst of perhaps the worst year of his career, going 5-9 with a 4.72 ERA in 20 starts with the Rangers. He is 1-3 with an 11.12 ERA in four starts in July. But the 34-year-old Hamels is an experienced postseason pitcher — he was the NL Championship Series and World Series MVP when Philadelphia won the title in 2008."To be able to change kind of the mindset, now to go on a first-place team, there's something inside of you that sparks when you get in those situations," Hamels said.PLAYOFF PUSHSwitch-hitting infielder Eduardo Escobar is headed to Arizona after the NL West contenders got him from Minnesota Twins on Friday for minor league right-hander Jhoan Duran and outfielders... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge immediately knew something was wrong. He'd been hit by pitches before, and they never felt like this.A day later, the New York Yankees slugger could smile. Sort of. His fractured right wrist will put him out for three weeks, not the rest of the season."It could've been a lot worse," Judge said Friday night.Yankees manager Aaron Boone said it was "pretty realistic" that Judge should be able to play a game in three weeks. Asked whether that would be a minor league rehab appearance or a return to the Yankees' lineup, Judge said he thought it meant the majors."With the Yankees," the All-Star right fielder said, "I believe."Judge is hitting .285 with 26 home runs and 61 RBIs. Boone said Giancarlo Stanton will take over in right during Judge's recovery — Stanton has split time in left field, right and at designated hitter.Judge was nailed by a tailing fastball from Kansas City right-hander Jakob Junis in the first inning Thursday night."I had a bad feeling," Judge... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees manager Aaron Boone says it's "pretty realistic" that injured slugger Aaron Judge will be able to play in a game in three weeks.Boone made the assessment Friday, a day after Judge's right wrist was fractured when he was hit by a pitch against Kansas City. Boone said he's not sure if that timeframe means a minor league rehab game or a return to the Yankees' lineup."I think the three weeks is a possibility he's in a game," Boone said.Judge's wrist isn't in a cast and the team said the All-Star right fielder won't need surgery. The Yankees put him on the 10-day disabled list and recalled infielder-outfielder Tyler Wade from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.Judge wasn't available to the media before Friday night's game against Kansas City. He is hitting .285 with 26 home runs and 61 RBIs.The Yankees went into the weekend trailing AL East-leading Boston by 4½ games. The teams play four times at Fenway Park next week.Yankees pitcher Sonny Gray said his right thumb was feeling better a day after it was hit by a hard grounder. The right-hander said he fully expects to make his next start as scheduled."I'll be ready in five days," he said.The Yankees also said newly acquired J.A. Happ would make his New York debut Sunday when he starts against the Royals. Toronto traded the lefty on Thursday for infielder Brandon Drury and minor league outfielder Billy McKinney.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

NEW YORK (AP) — To the New York Yankees, lefty J.A. Happ put check marks in a lot of boxes — familiar with the AL East, comfortable in the postseason and perhaps most importantly, successful against the Boston Red Sox.Hours after ace reliever Zach Britton donned pinstripes for the first time, the Yankees also acquired the starting pitcher they sought. They got Happ from Toronto on Thursday for infielder Brandon Drury and minor league outfielder Billy McKinney."We definitely satisfied some needs here," New York general manager Brian Cashman said.The Yankees began the day 5½ games behind AL East-leading Boston. They were just 14-14 in their previous 28 games.Happ, who turns 36 in October, is 10-6 with a 4.18 ERA in 20 starts and was a first-time All-Star. He joins a rotation that includes Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia and Sonny Gray. Manager Aaron Boone said it hasn't been determined when Happ will make his Yankees debut.Happ was 0-3 in his last four starts, and had been hit... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Yankees plan to activate first baseman Greg Bird from the disabled list before Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Angels, forcing New York to make a difficult roster decision.Bird has been sidelined since having right ankle surgery on March 27. New York likely will decide whether to cut from eight relief pitchers to seven or option Tyler Austin to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre despite his strong performance in Bird's absence."It's something that we had a lot of conversations about, are still mulling over, just met a little bit ago to work through things and what we think the best way to go is," manager Aaron Boone said before Friday's series opener against the Los Angeles Angels. "It leads to a difficult decision, not a simple one, not an obvious one and something we're still kind of working through."New York optioned left-hander Ryan Bollinger to Double-A Trenton after Wednesday's game at Texas and maintained its eight-man bullpen by activating right-hander Tommy... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Yankees plan to activate first baseman Greg Bird from the disabled list before Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Angels, forcing New York to make a difficult roster decision.Bird has been sidelined since having right ankle surgery on March 27. New York likely will decide whether to cut from eight relief pitchers to seven or option Tyler Austin to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre despite his strong performance in Bird's absence."It's something that we had a lot of conversations about, are still mulling over, just met a little bit ago to work through things and what we think the best way to go is," manager Aaron Boone said before Friday's series opener against the Los Angeles Angels. "It leads to a difficult decision, not a simple one, not an obvious one and something we're still kind of working through."New York optioned left-hander Ryan Bollinger to Double-A Trenton after Wednesday's game at Texas and maintained its eight-man bullpen by activating right-hander Tommy... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Miguel Andujar will keep the New York Yankees' third base job, for now.Brandon Drury was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday following the end of his injury rehabilitation assignment.Acquired from Arizona just after the start of spring training in February, the 25-year-old Drury hit .217 (5 for 23) with one homer and four RBIs in New York's first eight games, then went on the disabled list April 7 with severe migraines that caused blurry vision.Drury started the rehab assignment April 25 and batted .315 with two homers, seven RBIs and a .914 OPS in 11 games with Scranton and six with Double-A Trenton.The 23-year-old Andujar is among a wave of players who have sparked the Yankees to a 28-12 record, tied with AL East rival Boston for the best in the major leagues. Andujar is hitting .282 with 12 doubles, three homers and 14 RBIs. He has walked just three times in 135 plate appearances.New York has 13 pitchers on its roster, leaving room for just three bench... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball's most bitter rivals, ready to tangle once again.And this time, the Red Sox and Yankees bring the two best records in the big leagues into a fight for first place in the AL East.Following their throwback brawl at Fenway Park last month, the teams square off on Yankee Stadium soil for the first time this season Tuesday night. New York ace Luis Severino is scheduled to start the opener of a three-game showdown against Boston left-hander Drew Pomeranz."Look, Red Sox-Yankees is always big, and obviously they're a great team. So we understand there will be a lot of excitement around it," first-year Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday. "There will be more eyes on this one and that's what you love about being a part of this."With the weather finally warming up on the East Coast, both teams are scorching hot.Mookie Betts and the Red Sox boast the top mark in the majors at 25-9, good for a one-game edge over New York. Boston has bounced back from a three-game skid to... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — The New York Yankees have put Aaron Hicks on the 10-day disabled list with a strained right ribcage in the latest injury to one of their outfielders.The Yankees made the move Friday, a day after Hicks got two hits in a season-opening 6-1 win at Toronto. Hicks, who played the entire game, felt soreness between his third and fourth at bats, general manager Brian Cashman said.Outfielder Billy McKinney was promoted from Triple-A to take the roster spot of Hicks. The 23-year-old McKinney was set to make his major league debut against Toronto on Friday night, batting seventh and starting in left field."We feel really good about him defensively wherever we put him, left or right field," manager Aaron Boone said.Hicks was limited to 88 games last season because of injuries to his core. He hit .266 with 15 home runs and 52 RBIs while primarily playing center field."He's such an important player," Boone said. "Hopefully it's a short term thing. If you're going to be as good a team... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — The New York Yankees have put Aaron Hicks on the 10-day disabled list with a strained right ribcage in the latest injury to one of their outfielders.The Yankees made the move Friday, a day after Hicks got two hits in a season-opening 6-1 win at Toronto. Hicks played the whole game, and it wasn't clear how he got hurt. He hustled to beat out an infield hit in the eighth inning.New York already was missing Jacoby Ellsbury, who's out with an oblique injury, and Clint Frazier, who's recovering from a concussion.Outfielder Billy McKinney was promoted from Triple-A to take the roster spot of Hicks. The 23-year-old McKinney hasn't played in the majors.Hicks was limited to 88 games last season because of injuries to his core. He hit .266 with 15 home runs and 52 RBIs while primarily playing center field.The Yankees could move Brett Gardner from left field to center, and put DH Giancarlo Stanton in left. Stanton was a full-time right fielder in Miami before getting traded in December, and the reigning NL MVP got off to a rough defensive start in spring training when he played left.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton says he is prepared for the scrutiny he will attract during his first season with the New York Yankees."The good times will be magnified and so will the bad," the slugger said Wednesday. "The fans expect a lot. I expect a lot, too."Stanton won the NL MVP last year after leading the major leaguers with 59 homers and 132 RBIs for the Miami Marlins. He was traded to the Yankees in December by Miami's new ownership group and joined a team that lost to Houston in Game 7 of the AL Championship Series.New York opens at Toronto on March 29, then hosts Tampa Bay starting April 2."''It's going to be an exciting new year for me," Stanton said. "It's going to be exciting opening up both places, New York and Toronto."Stanton enjoyed playing in New York while with the Marlins."Baseball is No. 1," Stanton said. "New York is some thing special when you go there. Being in that city is a different feeling — greatest city in the world."Stanton said he understands the Yankees'... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Lance McCullers Jr. had a dominant spring outing in front of the hometown fans.McCullers, a product of Tampa Jesuit High School, allowed one hit over 4 1/3 innings as the Houston Astros beat the New York Yankees 2-0 on Friday night."I feel like I'm in a good spot right now," McCullers said. "The biggest thing for me is I'm thinking pretty clear out there and I'm able to mix my pitches the way I intend to going into the game. Sometimes it's not always like that."McCullers struck out five and walked one. He held New York hitless until Miguel Andujar opened the fifth with a single. The right-hander was lifted after the next batter, Billy McKinney, flied out on his 72nd pitch.It was the first time McCullers pitched at Steinbrenner Field, which is a mile from Jesuit High."It was pretty cool for me to pitch here," he said.McCullers had allowed one run and five hits over 8 1/3 innings in three previous Grapefruit League starts."This is one of the first springs for him just to... [More]

Now that Ichiro Suzuki is back with the Seattle Mariners, he hopes to stick around a while."I think everybody hears that I want to play until I'm 50," he said through a translator. "But I want to make sure everybody understands that I always say at least 50."The 44-year-old outfielder rejoined his former team Wednesday with a $750,000, one-year contract."Even in the offseason when I would go back to Japan, I always came back to Seattle. This was my home ... has always been my home," he said. "Somewhere deep inside, I wanted to return and wear this uniform again."Suzuki was the AL MVP and Rookie of the Year with Seattle in 2001. He was traded to the New York Yankees during the 2012 season and spent three years in Miami.Suzuki has a .312 career average and 3,080 hits, not including the 1,278 hits he totaled in Japan. He played 136 games last year for the Marlins and hit .255 with a .318 on-base percentage.Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said discussions about Suzuki's return intensified... [More]

Now that Ichiro Suzuki is back with the Seattle Mariners, he hopes to stick around a while."I think everybody hears that I want to play until I'm 50," he said through a translator. "But I want to make sure everybody understands that I always say at least 50."The 44-year-old outfielder rejoined his former team Wednesday with a $750,000, one-year contract."Even in the offseason when I would go back to Japan, I always came back to Seattle. This was my home ... has always been my home," he said. "Somewhere deep inside, I wanted to return and wear this uniform again."Suzuki was the AL MVP and Rookie of the Year with Seattle in 2001. He was traded to the New York Yankees during the 2012 season and spent three years in Miami.Suzuki has a .312 career average and 3,080 hits, not including the 1,278 hits he totaled in Japan. He played 136 games last year for the Marlins and hit .255 with a .318 on-base percentage.Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said discussions about Suzuki's return intensified... [More]

Now that Ichiro Suzuki is back with the Seattle Mariners, he hopes to stick around a while."I think everybody hears that I want to play until I'm 50," he said through a translator. "But I want to make sure everybody understands that I always say at least 50."The 44-year-old outfielder rejoined his former team Wednesday with a $750,000, one-year contract."Even in the offseason when I would go back to Japan, I always came back to Seattle. This was my home ... has always been my home," he said. "Somewhere deep inside, I wanted to return and wear this uniform again."Suzuki was the AL MVP and Rookie of the Year with Seattle in 2001. He was traded to the New York Yankees during the 2012 season and spent three years in Miami.Suzuki has a .312 career average and 3,080 hits, not including the 1,278 hits he totaled in Japan. He played 136 games last year for the Marlins and hit .255 with a .318 on-base percentage.Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said discussions about Suzuki's return intensified... [More]

The bullpen cart is back in the big leagues.Nearly a quarter-century since relievers stopped catching rides to the mound, the Arizona Diamondbacks said Tuesday they will use a buggy — topped by the requisite oversized team cap — to transport pitchers from both bullpens at Chase Field."I don't know how it will be getting driven in, but I think it's a cool idea and we'll have some fun with it," Diamondbacks closer candidate Archie Bradley said.With Major League Baseball looking for ways to speed up things, it's hard to tell whether this will save any time. But it's certain to be a hit with fans, especially the kids the game is trying to attract."I love it. I love it. I love," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. "It brings a little personality. We're probably the only sport that can do something like that."The last known time a team in the majors used a motorized vehicle — some clubs had actual cars — to relay relievers was 1995, when the Milwaukee Brewers shuttled them in a motorcycle... [More]

The bullpen cart is back in the big leagues.Nearly a quarter-century since relievers stopped catching rides to the mound, the Arizona Diamondbacks said Tuesday they will use a buggy — topped by the requisite oversized team cap — to transport pitchers from both bullpens at Chase Field."I don't know how it will be getting driven in, but I think it's a cool idea and we'll have some fun with it," Diamondbacks closer candidate Archie Bradley said.With Major League Baseball looking for ways to speed up things, it's hard to tell whether this will save any time. But it's certain to be a hit with fans, especially the kids the game is trying to attract."I love it. I love it. I love," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. "It brings a little personality. We're probably the only sport that can do something like that."The last known time a team in the majors used a motorized vehicle — some clubs had actual cars — to relay relievers was 1995, when the Milwaukee Brewers shuttled them in a motorcycle... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Francisco Rodriguez allowed an unearned run and one hit over one inning in his second outing as he bids to win a spot in the Philadelphia Phillies' bullpen.Rodriguez, who agreed to a minor league contract in January, walked one and struck out one Monday night in a 4-3 loss to the New York Yankees.After Rodriguez got two quick outs in the fifth, Brandon Drury walked, Billy McKinney reached on first baseman Matt McBride's error and Tyler Wade hit an RBI single.Rodriguez threw a scoreless inning Friday against Toronto.A six-time All-Star closer, K-Rod ranks fourth on the career list with 437 saves, including a season-record 62 in 2008 for the Los Angeles Angels. But the 36-year-old right-hander is coming off his worst season in the majors. He had a 7.82 ERA in 28 appearances with Detroit in 2017, when he made his last appearance June 22.He appears to be imparting his veteran knowledge on a young team."I don't think I went to Wal-Mart and bought 900 appearances and 437 saves," an anonymous sign said in Phillies clubhouse Sunday.___For more AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball