Jharel Cotton had planned to build off a promising rookie campaign for the Oakland Athletics.He'll have to wait another year.The 26-year-old righty will undergo elbow surgery and not pitch in 2018, a setback for a young club trying to improve on a last-place finish."It's tough. I'm missing the 2018 season with my boys, so it's kind of hard to take. I'm trying to take it as best as I can and just get ready for the long process, the long road that's ahead," Cotton said Saturday.Cotton had been diagnosed with a sprain and had a second scan Friday, then was told he would need Tommy John surgery.Cotton was 9-10 with a 5.58 ERA average in 24 starts. This spring, he had a 3.75 ERA in four exhibitions, striking out 16 in 12 innings."Unfortunate. Just of him having to go through what a lot of guys have to go through," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "But we felt like he was on the cusp of really coming into his own and it's going to be delayed a year, unfortunately."The A's figure to go into the 2018... [More]

Jharel Cotton had planned to build off a promising rookie campaign for the Oakland Athletics.He'll have to wait another year.The 26-year-old righty will undergo elbow surgery and not pitch in 2018, a setback for a young club trying to improve on a last-place finish."It's tough. I'm missing the 2018 season with my boys, so it's kind of hard to take. I'm trying to take it as best as I can and just get ready for the long process, the long road that's ahead," Cotton said Saturday.Cotton had been diagnosed with a sprain and had a second scan Friday, then was told he would need Tommy John surgery.Cotton was 9-10 with a 5.58 ERA average in 24 starts. This spring, he had a 3.75 ERA in four exhibitions, striking out 16 in 12 innings."Unfortunate. Just of him having to go through what a lot of guys have to go through," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "But we felt like he was on the cusp of really coming into his own and it's going to be delayed a year, unfortunately."The A's figure to go into the 2018... [More]

Jharel Cotton had planned to build off a promising rookie campaign for the Oakland Athletics.He'll have to wait another year.The 26-year-old righty will undergo elbow surgery and not pitch in 2018, a setback for a young club trying to improve on a last-place finish."It's tough. I'm missing the 2018 season with my boys, so it's kind of hard to take. I'm trying to take it as best as I can and just get ready for the long process, the long road that's ahead," Cotton said Saturday.Cotton had been diagnosed with a sprain and had a second scan Friday, then was told he would need Tommy John surgery.Cotton was 9-10 with a 5.58 ERA average in 24 starts. This spring, he had a 3.75 ERA in four exhibitions, striking out 16 in 12 innings."Unfortunate. Just of him having to go through what a lot of guys have to go through," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "But we felt like he was on the cusp of really coming into his own and it's going to be delayed a year, unfortunately."The A's figure to go into the 2018... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics landed a new starting catcher, finalizing a $6.5 million, one-year contract with free agent Jonathan Lucroy.The team announced the deal Monday and Lucroy was in spring camp at Mesa, Arizona. The 31-year-old two-time All-Star batted .265 with six home runs and 40 RBIs in 123 games last season for Texas and Colorado, which acquired him on July 30.Bruce Maxwell, the first major leaguer to kneel for the national anthem last year following NFL players' leads, had been the projected starter before the acquisition of Lucroy.Oakland designated left-hander Jairo Labourt for assignment to create roster space for Lucroy.___More AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics landed a new starting catcher, finalizing a $6.5 million, one-year contract with free agent Jonathan Lucroy.The team announced the deal Monday and Lucroy was in spring camp at Mesa, Arizona. The 31-year-old two-time All-Star batted .265 with six home runs and 40 RBIs in 123 games last season for Texas and Colorado, which acquired him on July 30.Bruce Maxwell, the first major leaguer to kneel for the national anthem last year following NFL players' leads, had been the projected starter before the acquisition of Lucroy.Oakland designated left-hander Jairo Labourt for assignment to create roster space for Lucroy.___More AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

The Boston Red Sox plan to print 5,000 copies of their media guide during the last week of February. Their opening-day roster could include several players who won't make the deadline.Perhaps 100 free agents still seek contracts as the start of spring training workouts on Feb. 14 draws near, a group that includes J.D. Martinez, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Jake Arrieta and Yu Darvish.In a historically slow market, players and management are feuding publicly about riches and rules, and teams seemingly are seeking bargains like shoppers awaiting a closeout."Some guys feel like they're worth a little more than maybe what they're being offered," All-Star outfielder Andrew McCutchen said ahead of his first spring training since Pittsburgh traded him to San Francisco. "It's just all about being fair."As soon as the Houston Astros won their first World Series title last November , attention turned toward 2018 and the start of stretching in Scottsdale, catching in Clearwater and bunting in Bradenton.... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National League West entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:___Los Angeles DodgersManager: Dave Roberts (third season).2017: 104-58, first place, lost to Houston in World Series.Training Town: Glendale, Arizona.Park: Camelback Ranch.First Workout: Feb. 14/19.He's Here: OF Matt Kemp, RHP Tom Koehler.He's Outta Here: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, RHP Yu Darvish, LHP Scott Kazmir, RHP Brandon McCarthy, INF Charlie Culberson, OF Curtis Granderson, 2B Chase Utley, OF Andre Ethier.Going campin': The Dodgers returned to the World Series for the first time since winning it in 1988, only to lose to Houston in seven games. They topped 100 wins while earning a fifth straight NL West title. Clayton Kershaw is one of the elite pitchers in the game, a seven-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young Award winner. He begins the season with 144 career victories, 21 shy of Sandy... [More]

C Jonathan Lucroy was 3-for-4 with an RBI in Friday night's win over the Padres. It was his 11th multi-hit game of the season. Lucroy is hitting .324 (22-for-68) in his past 20 games.

C Jonathan Lucroy hit his first home run since joining the Rockies, ending a homerless drought of 58 at-bats with them and 173 at-bats in 51 games since he last homered June 9 at Washington. It's the second-longest homerless streak of Lucroy's career and the longest one during one season. He wnt 52 games without a homer from Aug. 14, 2014-June 3, 2015. Lucroy's two-run homer Monday gave him his first multi-RBI game with the Rockies.

C Jonathan Lucroy had a season- and career high-tying three runs scored. He last scored three runs on May 14, 2016, against San Diego while playing for Milwaukee. Lucroy went 2-for-4 with two doubles and in 11 games with the Rockies is hitting .333 with four doubles, two RBI, four runs scored and seven walks.

C Jonathan Lucroy went 2-for-3 in his Rockies debut and was hit with a pitch to lead off the ninth and ended up scoring the winning run when Nolan Arenado drew a bases-loaded walk. Lucroy, whom the Rockies acquired from Texas on Sunday for a player to be named later, was scratched from the lineup Tuesday because of a stomach illness and wasn't in the lineup Wednesday. In addition to two singles and scoring the winning run, Lucroy threw out Jose Reyes trying to steal second after he led off the eighth. Reyes was initially called safe, but it was ruled that second baseman DJ LeMahieu tagged Reyes just before he reached the base after a review that lasted 2 minutes, 59 seconds.

C Jonathan Lucroy sat out second straight day but hopes to make his Rockies debut Thursday. He was scratched from the lineup Tuesday due to a stomach illness that caused vomiting after batting practice. Lucroy, who was acquired Sunday from Texas for a player to be named, said Wednesday, "I feel a lot better. I'm still a little weak. I'm not in the lineup today, so I'll be in there tomorrow. I got to give these guys a return, so I got to get out there and play a little bit and start contributing the best I can. Believe me, it's terrible timing, absolutely terrible timing."

C Jonathan Lucroy was activated but scratched from his Rockies debut due to stomach illness. They acquired Lucroy on Sunday from the Texas Rangers for a player to be named. "He was vomiting right after batting practice," manager Bud Black said. "He's ill."

C Jonathan Lucroy was acquired by the Rockies from the Rangers on Sunday in exchange for a player to be named.Lucroy batted .242 with four home runs and 27 RBIs in 77 games with the Rangers this season, making a team-high 65 starts behind the plate as well as 10 starts as the designated hitter. He threw out 13 of 44 attempted base-stealers, and he leads all major league catchers with 159 runners caught stealing since 2011. Acquired by Texas in an Aug. 1, 2016, trade with Milwaukee, Lucroy finished a nearly year-long stint with the Rangers having batted .254 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs in 124 contests for the club. "His track record is pretty good. The guy's an All-Star. He's had success in the major leagues both offensively and defensively, so we should feel good about this one," Colorado manager Bud Black said. "To get this type of player, it's going to pick everybody up."

WASHINGTON -- The Colorado Rockies acquired catcher Jonathan Lucroy from the Texas Rangers on Sunday in exchange for a player to be named.The deal was announced in the middle of the Rockies' game Sunday night at Nationals Park, the nightcap of a doubleheader with the Washington Nationals."Getting Jonathan gives us a guy with some veteran presence behind the plate, just like Ryan Hanigan, as our young starters go into uncharted territory in the next two months," Rockies manager Bud Black said after Colorado lost 3-1 to split the doubleheader. "His track record is pretty good. The guy's an All-Star. He's had success in the major leagues both offensively and defensively, so we should feel good about this one."Lucroy batted .242 with four home runs and 27 RBIs in 77 games with the Rangers this season, making a team-high 65 starts behind the plate as well as 10 starts as the designated hitter.He threw out 13 of 44 attempted base-stealers, and he leads all major league catchers with 159 runners... [More]

MILWAUKEE -- This is exactly what Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin and manager Craig Counsell -- previously an assistant to Melvin -- had in mind when they began the 2015 season.The Brewers won their fourth in a row and fifth in six tries Tuesday, knocking off the Cleveland Indians 8-1 behind a strong effort from right-hander Matt Garza, a lineup that produced offense from top-to-bottom and a crisp defense that turned a season-high four double plays.The result left Milwaukee (42-52) within 10 games of .500 for the first time since May 19 and 37-35 since Counsell replaced Ron Roenicke as manager on May 4.So with the Brewers playing their best baseball of the year -- and performing to the level the front office had in mind -- is it too early to start dreaming?"We're playing better, we're more consistent," catcher Jonathan Lucroy said. "It's always possible, but a lot of things have to go right for us."The Brewers are 17 1/2 games behind the front-running St. Louis Cardinals in... [More]

C Jonathan Lucroy, whose name emerged as possible trade bait in weekend reports, said it is all part of the profession. "This is the third time dealing with it," Lucroy said. "One time I wasn't traded, and one time I was. And I knew it could be a possibility again if we didn't play well. Robinson (Chirinos) is playing really well. You realize you can become expendable. I'm not bothered by it. Actually, I don't think about it. I've been pretty bad all season, and I know I'm a lot better than this. That's what I'm thinking about." Lucroy is hitting .259 after going 0-for-4 in the Rangers' 7-5 loss on Monday to Boston. Lucroy, who had hits in four straight games and six of seven entering Monday, is batting .186 over his past 12 games.

C Jonathan Lucroy had three hits and three RBIs Friday, including a two-run homer. Manager Jeff Banister said after the game he is getting the barrel of the bat on front of breaking balls and even made a loud out when he lined to right in the sixth. Lucroy is hitting .353 this month and .268 this year.

NEW YORK -- Rookie Jordan Montgomery pitched a career-high seven innings and Aaron Hicks homered in consecutive at-bats to lead the New York Yankees to an 8-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.Montgomery (4-4) won his second straight start since laboring through 4 1/3 innings and throwing 98 pitches on May 29 at Baltimore. He followed up six scoreless innings in Toronto last Saturday by allowing two runs and five hits.Montgomery set a career high with eight strikeouts and issued one walk. He threw 94 pitches and pitched quickly after allowing both runs in the second. The left-hander allowed a two-run homer to Jonathan Schoop but with two on in the second, he began a stretch in which he retired 17 of the final 18 hitters.Hicks turned in the 10th multi-homer game by the Yankees, matching their total from last season. He hit a solo shot off Dylan Bundy (6-5) into the "Judge's Chambers" section in right field to start the sixth and added a two-run drive into the second deck... [More]

NEW YORK -- Rookie Jordan Montgomery pitched a career-high seven innings and Aaron Hicks homered in consecutive at-bats to lead the New York Yankees to an 8-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.Montgomery (4-4) won his second straight start since laboring through 4 1/3 innings and throwing 98 pitches on May 29 at Baltimore. He followed up six scoreless innings in Toronto last Saturday by allowing two runs and five hits.Montgomery set a career high with eight strikeouts and issued one walk. He threw 94 pitches and pitched quickly after allowing both runs in the second. The left-hander allowed a two-run homer to Jonathan Schoop but with two on in the second, he began a stretch in which he retired 17 of the final 18 hitters.Hicks turned in the 10th multi-homer game by the Yankees, matching their total from last season. He hit a solo shot off Dylan Bundy (6-5) into the "Judge's Chambers" section in right field to start the sixth and added a two-run drive into the second deck... [More]