NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is optimistic Aaron Judge, James Paxton, Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton will be ready to play in time for New York's rescheduled opener at World Series champion Washington on July 23.Judge did not play in any exhibition games due to discomfort in his right pectoral muscle and shoulder that he felt when swinging. The Yankees said March 6 that the right fielder had a stress fracture to his first right rib, an injury likely dating from a diving catch late last season. Judge later said he had a collapsed lung.Paxton had surgery Feb. 5 to repair a herniated disk in his back and to remove a peridiscal cyst. The left-hander exited his final regular-season start, at Texas on Sept. 27, after one inning with what the Yankees said was a tight left glute muscle, then returned for three postseason starts.After agreeing to a $324 million, nine-year contract, right-hander Gerrit Cole heads a rotation that includes Paxton, righty Masahiro Tanaka,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball plans to unilaterally issue a 60-game schedule for its shortest season since 1878 after the players' association rejected a negotiated deal of the same length, putting the sport on track for a combative return to the field amid the coronavirus pandemic.Commissioner Rob Manfred and union head Tony Clark met last week and outlined plans that included expanding the playoffs from 10 teams to 16, widening use of the designated hitter to National League games and an experiment to start extra innings with a runner on second base. But the latest version of the deal proposed by MLB was rejected by the Major League Baseball Players Association’s executive board in a 33-5 vote on Monday. Those innovations now disappear.“Needless to say, we are disappointed by this development,” MLB said in a statement. “The framework provided an opportunity for MLB and its players to work together to confront the difficulties and challenges presented by the pandemic. It gave our... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jeremy Jeffress, Jordan Montgomery, Kevin Plawecki could be playing for free this season, earning salaries lower than what they already received as advances.Mookie Betts, George Springer, J.T. Realmuto, James Paxton and Marcus Stroman are likely to find fewer bidders, dollars and contract years as the free-agent market lurches into a free fall next offseason.And all of baseball could be bracing for a spring training lockout and shortened 2022 season after the coronavirus pandemic heightened the likelihood of the sport’s first work stoppage since 1994-95.“Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Christian Yelich, all these guys are lucky that they signed,” former Miami Marlins president David Samson said Sunday. “The biggest people you should watch this offseason are Mookie Betts and J.T. Realmuto because J.T. thought that he would surpass Joe Mauer and Buster Posey, and there is likely no chance. And Mookie Betts thought that he would be above Bryce Harper and I would view that as much... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — When and if opening day comes around this year, New York Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake anticipates a brimming bullpen.Major League Baseball and the players' association have talked about a compressed schedule to get in as many games as possible. That will set off a call to arms."I think if you have 15 guys it gives you some depth," Blake said Wednesday.Active rosters were to expand from 25 to 26 from opening day through Aug. 31 in exchange for the limit dropping from 40 to 28 from Sept. 1 on. When a strike delayed the start of the 1995 season until April 25, teams were allowed 28 players through May 15.There is talk of 28- to 30-man rosters following the shutdown caused by the new coronavirus. Teams are preparing for a season that could extend into late November or even December, if domes and ballparks in warm-weather cities are used."Both the PA and the MLB are very, very adamant about playing as many games as we can this year," Seattle pitcher Marco Gonzales said.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — When and if opening day comes around this year, New York Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake anticipates a brimming bullpen.Major League Baseball and the players' association have talked about a compressed schedule to get in as many games as possible. That will set off a call to arms."I think if you have 15 guys it gives you some depth," Blake said Wednesday.Active rosters were to expand from 25 to 26 from opening day through Aug. 31 in exchange for the limit dropping from 40 to 28 from Sept. 1 on. When a strike delayed the start of the 1995 season until April 25, teams were allowed 28 players through May 15.There is talk of 28- to 30-man rosters following the shutdown caused by the new coronavirus. Teams are preparing for a season that could extend into late November or even December, if domes and ballparks in warm-weather cities are used."Both the PA and the MLB are very, very adamant about playing as many games as we can this year," Seattle pitcher Marco Gonzales said.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Injured New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge still has not resumed baseball activities.Judge did not play in any spring training games because of discomfort in his right pectoral muscle and shoulder that he felt when swinging. The Yankees said March 6 that the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year had a stress fracture to his first right rib, an injury likely dating from a diving catch late last season.“Aaron is still in the healing phase of that that rib bone, and I think he'll be reevaluated again in a few weeks as far as re-imaging that to see if there's the continued healing with that rib,” manager Aaron Boone said during a conference call Wednesday. “He's been able to work out doing a lot of lower body stuff, is able to do some some upper body stuff, some overhead things.”Judge revealed last week he also had a collapsed lung and said he has recovered from that. Boone said that injury likely occurred during the diving catch but “it's probably something that it's impossible to... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Injured New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge still has not resumed baseball activities.Judge did not play in any spring training games because of discomfort in his right pectoral muscle and shoulder that he felt when swinging. The Yankees said March 6 that the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year had a stress fracture to his first right rib, an injury likely dating from a diving catch late last season.“Aaron is still in the healing phase of that that rib bone, and I think he'll be reevaluated again in a few weeks as far as re-imaging that to see if there's the continued healing with that rib,” manager Aaron Boone said during a conference call Wednesday. “He's been able to work out doing a lot of lower body stuff, is able to do some some upper body stuff, some overhead things.”Judge revealed last week he also had a collapsed lung and said he has recovered from that. Boone said that injury likely occurred during the diving catch but “it's probably something that it's impossible to... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees reliever Zack Britton has a bruised right wrist after getting hit by a line drive during a simulated game Wednesday. The Yankees said X-rays and a CT scan were both negative.Britton was pitching in his second inning when he got hurt on the drive off the bat of Erik Kratz. The 32-year-old left-hander walked to shallow left field while holding his wrist. He kept his right arm still and appeared to be in pain while walking off the field with athletic trainer Gene Monahan.Up until that point, it had been a good day on the injury front for the Yankees.Giancarlo Stanton faced pitching for the first time since straining his right calf on Feb. 26 and hit an opposite-field homer to right off Britton. Stanton is expected to be sidelined until April.Left-hander James Paxton resumed a throwing program in his rehabilitation from Feb. 5 back surgery and said he felt great and had no pain. He made 25 throws at 60 feet. Paxton said his best-case scenario is for a mid-May return.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sport s

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees reliever Zack Britton was hit on his right wrist by a line drive during a simulated game Wednesday and will undergo tests at a hospital.Britton was pitching in his second inning when he got hurt on the drive off the bat of Erik Kratz. The 32-year-old left-hander walked off the mound and to shallow left field while holding his wrist. He kept his right arm still and appeared to be in pain while walking off the field with athletic trainer Gene Monahan.Up until that point, it had been a good day on the injury front for the Yankees.Giancarlo Stanton faced pitching for the first time since straining his right calf on Feb. 26 and hit an opposite-field homer to right off Britton. Stanton is expected to be sidelined until April.Left-hander James Paxton resumed a throwing program in his rehabilitation from Feb. 5 back surgery and said he felt great and had no pain. He made 25 throws at 60 feet. Paxton said his best-case scenario is for a mid-May return.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sport s

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees catcher Gary Sánchez missed batting practice Tuesday because he has the flu and will be re-evaluated later this week.Manager Aaron Boone said Sanchez, sidelined since the weekend by a sore back, was examined by team doctors.“He had the fever last night, “ Boone said. ”They tested him and it was positive for the flu, He'll be away from us for the next couple days, at least. We'll see where he's at that point.”Sánchez is to be evaluated again Friday.He played consecutive games for the first time this year on Thursday and Friday, then felt back soreness on Saturday and hasn't played since. He took part in catching drills Monday and was scheduled to resume batting practice on Tuesday.Yankees ace Gerrit Cole missed a couple days last week because of a fever.Outfielder-designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, who strained his right calf during defensive drills on Feb, 26, will start running outdoors Wednesday or Thursday. Stanton, expected to be out until sometime in April, has been playing catch and hitting in an indoor cage.Left-hander James Paxton is scheduled to start a throwing program Wednesday as part of his rehabilitation from back surgery on Feb. 5 for a herniated disk and the removal of a cyst. He likely will be sidelined until May or June.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees catcher Gary Sánchez could be back in the lineup Friday if his sore back keeps improving.Sánchez played consecutive games for the first time this year on Thursday and Friday, then felt sore Saturday and hasn't played since."I'm not real concerned about it," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday. "He's doing better today."New York said left-hander James Paxton plans to start a throwing program on Wednesday as he works to return from a back injury that is expected to keep out until May or June. Dr. Andrew Dossett in Dallas performed a microscopic lumbar discectomy Feb. 5 in which a herniated disk was repaired and a peridiscal cyst was removed. Boone said Sánchez would have played Monday had this been during the season. Sánchez will get a layoff for much of this week while the Yankees play on Florida's east coast on Wednesday and Thursday.Sánchez took part in catching drills Monday but did not resume batting practice. He is expected to hit on Tuesday and face pitching Thursday.__More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez was scratched from batting practice Saturday due to a sore back, though manager Aaron Boone said he doesn't think the problem is serious.Boone said he thought the soreness stemmed from Sanchez playing back-to-back games for the first time in spring training. Boone said he expected Sanchez would be shut down on Sunday, but didn't rule out a return to game action in a few days.“His back was a little sore this morning,” Boone said. “Nothing I’m too concerned about. I think that’s kind of normal wear and tear (after) first back-to-backs kind of thing. I don’t think it will be much of an issue."Sanchez joins a growing list of Yankees' regulars impacted by injuries.The team announced Friday that slugger Aaron Judge has a broken rib. It’s not clear whether he will need surgery, leaving doubt when he’ll be back in the lineup.Judge will rest two weeks while recovering from the stress fracture to his first right rib. He hasn’t played in... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has a broken rib and it's not clear whether he will need surgery, leaving doubt when he'll be back in the lineup.Manager Aaron Boone said he thought the star right fielder hurt himself making a diving catch late last season.“Frustrated, especially with an injury that happened at the end of last year and still didn't heal up,” Judge said. “At least we have an answer, so now we can start working on a solution. Overall, I'm just mad. I want to be out there with my team, especially in spring training. We've got a good team here, a good club. and we've got a lot of goals here in 2020.”Judge will rest two weeks while recovering from the stress fracture to his first right rib. He hasn't played in any spring training games while dealing with soreness in his right pectoral muscle and shoulder and has no timeline for a return.“I want to be out there. but the first thing is you've got to this healed, get this right and then you can move forward,”... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has a broken rib and it's not clear whether he will need surgery, leaving doubt when he'll be back in the lineup.Manager Aaron Boone said he thought the star right fielder hurt himself making a diving catch late last season.Judge will rest two weeks while recovering from the stress fracture to his first right rib. He hasn't played in any spring training games while dealing with soreness in his right pectoral muscle and shoulder.Judge underwent about a dozen tests, including and MRI plus CT and bone scans, to determine the source of his pain.“It shows signs of healing so we're going to give it the next couple and re-test to show how much healing is going on with that rib," Boone said.Removal of the bone is a possibility, depending on the healing process.“I wouldn't say that's off the table, but you wouldn't want to go do that right now especially if the bone is healing," Boone said.Judge was able to do all his normal workouts during... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has a broken rib and it's not clear whether he will need surgery, leaving doubt when he'll be back in the lineup.Manager Aaron Boone made the announcement Friday. He said he thought the star right fielder hurt himself making a diving catch late last season.Judge will rest two weeks while recovering from the stress fracture to his first right rib. He hasn't played in any spring training games while dealing with soreness in his right pectoral muscle and shoulder.Judge underwent around a dozen tests, including and MRI plus CT and bone scans, to determine the source of his pain.“It shows signs of healing so we're going to give it the next couple and re-test to show how much healing is going on with that rib," Boone said.Removal of the bone is a possibility depending on the healing process.“I wouldn't say that's off the table, but you wouldn't want to go do that right now especially if the bone is healing,," Boone said.Since winning the... [More]

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Gerrit Cole gave up homers on consecutive pitches to Detroit's Travis Demeritte and Miguel Cabrera in the first inning on Thursday.Then Demeritte and Cabrera went deep against the New York Yankees ace on back-to-back pitches in the second."Probably pleased with most of the pitches, just got blistered on a handful of bad ones," Cole said. “It's not my favorite day of 2020 so far, but it is just spring training. You just take it for what it is, plain and simple, and we'll learn from it and get better,”Cole, who signed a $324 million, nine-year contract as a free agent, allowed six runs. six hits and one walk in two innings with three strikeouts. The 29-year-old right-hander threw 33 of 44 pitches for strikes.After Victor Reyes had a leadoff double in the first, Demeritte hit a two-run drive and Cabrera homered to the back of a grass berm in deep left-center field. Demeritte hit another two-run drive in the second and Cabrera drove a pitch off the center-field backdrop."Miguel's... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Injured Yankees outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are likely to miss New York's opener at Baltimore on March 26.Judge is having more tests to determine the cause of soreness in the right pectoral area near his shoulder. Judge has not hit on the field since spring training started, and the right fielder felt discomfort Friday when he took batting practice for the second straight day in an indoor cage.“He feels it more now in the pec," general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday. “It's moved down toward the pec. We're just trying to figure it out and determine what's bothering him. In the meantime, I can just tell you he is feeling better in the last 48 hours."Stanton strained his right calf on Feb. 26 during defensive drills. Cashman thinks Stanton will be back in April.“For the time frame, obviously, we've got to get the healing component done for a Grade 1 strain and then rehab it,” Cashman said. “With arguably, what, 3 1/2 weeks to go before opening day I... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Injured New York Yankees outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are likely to miss New York's opener at Baltimore on March 26.Judge is having more tests to determine the cause of soreness in the right pectoral area near his shoulder. Judge has not hit on the field since spring training started, and the right fielder felt discomfort Friday when he took batting practice for the second straight day in an indoor cage.“He feels it more now in the pec," general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday. “It's moved down toward the pec. We're just trying to figure it out and determine what's bothering him. In the meantime, I can just tell you he is feeling better in the last 48 hours."Stanton strained his right calf on Feb. 26 during defensive drills. Cashman thinks Stanton will be back in April.“For the time frame, obviously, we've got to get the healing component done for a Grade 1 strain and then rehab it,” Cashman said. “With arguably, what, 3 1/2 weeks to go before opening... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Yankees outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are likely to miss New York's opener at Baltimore on March 26 because of their injuries.Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday that Judge is having more tests to determine the cause of soreness in the right pectoral area near his shoulder. Judge has not hit on the field since spring training started. The right fielder felt discomfort Friday when he took batting practice for the second straight day in an indoor cage.“He feels it more now in the pec," Cashman said. “It's moved down toward the pec. We're just trying to figure it out and determine what's bothering him. In the meantime, I can just tell you he is feeling better in the last 48 hours."Stanton strained his right calf on Feb. 26 during defensive drills. Cashman thinks Stanton will be back in April.Since winning the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year award, Judge has been limited to 112 games in 2018 because of a broken right wrist and to 102 games last year... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso was the breakout star in an impressive group of major league rookies last summer. Now another wave of young talent is looking to leave its mark on the sport.Here is a closer look at a handful of rookies who could play a starring role this year: —OF Luis Robert, Chicago White Sox: The 22-year-old Robert joins a formidable White Sox lineup after agreeing to a $50 million, six-year contract in January — ahead of his major league debut. The athletic Cuban slugger batted .328 with 32 homers, 92 RBIs and 36 steals over three minor league stops last season.—INF Carter Kieboom, Washington Nationals: Anthony Rendon's departure in free agency created an opening at third base for the Nationals, and the reigning World Series champions are looking to Kieboom to fill the role. Kieboom spent most of last year with Triple-A Fresno, hitting .303 with 16 homers and 79 RBIs in 109 games.—LHP Brendan McKay, Tampa Bay Rays: McKay was hampered by shoulder stiffness... [More]