CHICAGO (AP) — Addison Russell says he understands the booing he has heard since returning to the Chicago Cubs after his suspension for violating baseball's domestic violence policy, calling it "a serious issue."Russell received a mostly chilly reception when he started Wednesday against Miami in his first major league game since September. The 25-year-old infielder was optioned to Triple-A Iowa after he completed his 40-game suspension last week, but he returned to the majors when infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist went on the restricted list for undisclosed personal matters.Russell was the talk of sports radio in Chicago on Friday after he did an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times that made it sound as if he was faulting the fans for booing. But he seemed to walk back his comments before making his second start at second base in the opener of a three-game series against Milwaukee."I totally understand. It's a serious issue," Russell said. "What can I do? Get better day by day. That's... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Wilmer Flores snapped a 13th-inning tie with an RBI single, helping the Arizona Diamondbacks end a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.Eduardo Escobar made up for a crucial throwing error, leading off the 13th with a single off Adam Kolarek (2-1) — Arizona's first hit since the fifth inning. He moved to second on a double-play grounder before scoring on Flores' two-out broken-bat hit to right field off Chaz Roe.Archie Bradley (2-3) pitched three scoreless innings to get the win. Zack Godley, the eighth Diamondbacks pitcher, worked a perfect 13th for his first career save.Arizona pitchers combined to set a franchise record with 23 strikeouts.The Rays rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force extra innings, scoring on Escobar's eighth-inning error and Kevin Kiermaier's two-out, pinch-hit single in the ninth.CUBS 3, MARLINS 2, 11 INNINGSCHICAGO (AP) — Jason Heyward homered leading off the 11th inning to lift surging Chicago... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Wilmer Flores snapped a 13th-inning tie with an RBI single, helping the Arizona Diamondbacks end a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.Eduardo Escobar made up for a crucial throwing error, leading off the 13th with a single off Adam Kolarek (2-1) — Arizona's first hit since the fifth inning. He moved to second on a double-play grounder before scoring on Flores' two-out broken-bat hit to right field off Chaz Roe.Archie Bradley (2-3) pitched three scoreless innings to get the win. Zack Godley, the eighth Diamondbacks pitcher, worked a perfect 13th for his first career save.Arizona pitchers combined to set a franchise record with 23 strikeouts.The Rays rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force extra innings, scoring on Escobar's eighth-inning error and Kevin Kiermaier's two-out, pinch-hit single in the ninth.CUBS 3, MARLINS 2, 11 INNINGSCHICAGO (AP) — Jason Heyward homered leading off the 11th inning to lift surging Chicago... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Wilmer Flores snapped a 13th-inning tie with an RBI single, helping the Arizona Diamondbacks end a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.Eduardo Escobar made up for a crucial throwing error, leading off the 13th with a single off Adam Kolarek (2-1) — Arizona's first hit since the fifth inning. He moved to second on a double-play grounder before scoring on Flores' two-out broken-bat hit to right field off Chaz Roe.Archie Bradley (2-3) pitched three scoreless innings to get the win. Zack Godley, the eighth Diamondbacks pitcher, worked a perfect 13th for his first career save.Arizona pitchers combined to set a franchise record with 23 strikeouts.The Rays rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force extra innings, scoring on Escobar's eighth-inning error and Kevin Kiermaier's two-out, pinch-hit single in the ninth.CUBS 3, MARLINS 2, 11 INNINGSCHICAGO (AP) — Jason Heyward homered leading off the 11th inning to lift surging Chicago... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Addison Russell and the Chicago Cubs don't believe the 2016 All-Star has become a completely changed man since his ex-wife accused him of physical and emotional abuse.They do believe he's made positive strides and, with the Cubs needing an infielder for a depleted roster, Russell has been deemed the best option available.Russell rejoined the surging Cubs on Wednesday after completing a 40-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy and spending extra time in the minors to get ready.The Cubs recalled Russell from Triple-A Iowa, then started him at second base and in the eighth during a 3-2, 11-inning win over Miami. Russell was eligible to rejoin the team May 3 against St. Louis at Wrigley Field, but the organization opted to give him more time with the minor league club."This is not a finish line," Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Esptein said. "This does not represent the end of the road or an accomplishment in any way, but there... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have banned indefinitely from Wrigley Field the fan that used what appeared to be a racist hand gesture behind an African American television reporter during a game at their ballpark.The Cubs sent a letter Wednesday to the bearded man who flashed the offensive sign in back of former Cubs outfielder Doug Glanville, who was working for NBC Sports Chicago on Tuesday night. The team said it had been unable to contact the fan by phone, and didn't publicly identify him.President of Business Operations Crane Kenney said the fan could be prosecuted for criminal trespass if he tries to enter the stadium."The individual responsible will not be welcome back at Wrigley Field," Cubs spokesman Julian Green said.Green said the man purchased his ticket on StubHub. Another fan reported his gesture to the team by text during the game against the Miami Marlins — by the time security arrived, the man was gone.Glanville, who played three seasons for the Cubs, was standing beside... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Addison Russell and the Chicago Cubs don't believe the 2016 All-Star has become a completely changed man since his ex-wife accused him of physical and emotional abuse.They do believe he's made positive strides, and with the Cubs needing an infielder for a depleted roster, Russell has been deemed the best option available.Russell rejoined the surging Cubs on Wednesday after completing a 40-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy and spending extra time in the minors to get ready.The Cubs recalled Russell from Triple-A Iowa, then started him at second base Wednesday night and in the eighth spot in the batting order against Miami. Russell was eligible to rejoin the team May 3 against St. Louis at Wrigley Field, but the organization opted to give him more time with the minor league club."This is not a finish line," Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Esptein said. "This does not represent the end of the road or an accomplishment in... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Addison Russell and the Chicago Cubs don't believe the 2016 All-Star has become a completely changed man since his ex-wife accused him of physical and emotional abuse.They do believe he's made positive strides, and with the Cubs needing an infielder for a depleted roster, Russell has been deemed the best option available.Russell rejoined the surging Cubs on Wednesday after completing a 40-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy and spending extra time in the minors to get ready.The Cubs recalled Russell from Triple-A Iowa, then started him at second base Wednesday night and in the eighth spot in the batting order against Miami. Russell was eligible to rejoin the team May 3 against St. Louis at Wrigley Field, but the organization opted to give him more time with the minor league club."This is not a finish line," Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Esptein said. "This does not represent the end of the road or an accomplishment in... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Shortstop Addison Russell is rejoining the Chicago Cubs after completing a 40-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy and then spending extra time in the minors to get ready.The Cubs recalled Russell from Triple-A Iowa before Wednesday night's game against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. He was set to start at second base and bat eighth.Russell was eligible to rejoin the Cubs on May 3 against St. Louis at Wrigley Field, but the organization opted to give him more time with the minor league club to prepare for his return.In a corresponding move, the Cubs placed infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist on the restricted list. Team spokesman Peter Chase said the veteran was leaving the team for an indefinite period for personal reasons.Russell was suspended last fall after a series of allegations made by ex-wife Melisa Reidy. Without getting into specifics, he said in February that he was accountable for his past actions and apologized for... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Shortstop Addison Russell is rejoining the Chicago Cubs after completing a 40-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy and spending extra time in the minors to get ready.The Cubs recalled Russell from Triple-A Iowa and he was set to start at second base Wednesday night and bat eighth against Miami. Russell was eligible to rejoin the team May 3 against St. Louis at Wrigley Field, but the organization opted to give him more time with the minor league club.The 25-year-old Russell was suspended last fall after a series of allegations made by ex-wife Melisa Reidy. Without getting into specifics, he said in February that he was accountable for his past actions and apologized for "the hurt and the pain" he caused. Russell was working out in Arizona, playing in extended spring training games and meeting with a counselor twice a week before joining Iowa in late April. He batted .222 (10 for 45) with two doubles, three home runs and 13 RBIs in... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Shortstop Addison Russell is rejoining the Chicago Cubs after completing a 40-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy and then spending extra time in the minors to get ready.The Cubs recalled Russell from Triple-A Iowa before Wednesday night's game against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. He was set to start at second base and bat eighth.Russell was eligible to rejoin the Cubs on May 3 against St. Louis at Wrigley Field, but the organization opted to give him more time with the minor league club to prepare for his return.In a corresponding move, the Cubs placed infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist on the restricted list. Team spokesman Peter Chase said the veteran was leaving the team for an indefinite period for personal reasons.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have optioned shortstop Addison Russell to Triple-A Iowa after he completed his 40-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy.To make room on the 40-man roster, the Cubs transferred closer Brandon Morrow (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Thursday.Russell was eligible to rejoin the Cubs when they open a weekend series against St. Louis at home Friday. But manager Joe Maddon said Tuesday in Seattle the team wanted to give him more time at Triple-A to get ready.Russell was suspended last fall after a series of allegations made by his ex-wife. He was working out in Arizona, playing in extended spring training games and meeting with a counselor twice a week, before joining Iowa last week.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SEATTLE (AP) — The Chicago Cubs will option shortstop Addison Russell to Triple-A Iowa when he's eligible to return from his 40-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy later this week.Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Tuesday before the Cubs opened a two-game series in Seattle that the team wants to give Russell more time in the minors before rejoining the major league roster. Maddon said he didn't expect Russell to be in the minors for long.Russell is eligible to join the Cubs when they return home to open a series against St. Louis on Friday."We want to make sure he's ready when the time comes and he hasn't had the benefit of a real spring training yet so we thought more games, more at-bats would benefit him and us," Maddon said. "When the time comes we'll make that move. There's not a real urgent need for him right now. I think we're better off letting him continue to go through a spring training."Russell was suspended last fall after a series of allegations... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — The Chicago Cubs will option shortstop Addison Russell to Triple-A Iowa when he's eligible to return from his 40-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy later this week.Cubs manager Joe Maddon said the team wants to give Russell more time in the minors before rejoining the major league roster. Maddon said Tuesday before Chicago opened a two-game series in Seattle that he didn't expect Russell to be in the minors for long.Russell was suspended last fall after a series of allegations made by his ex-wife. Without getting into specifics, Russell said in February that he was accountable for his past actions and apologized for "the hurt and the pain" he caused.Russell had been working out in Arizona, playing in extended spring training games and meeting with a counselor twice a week before joining Iowa last week to begin getting ready for the season.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at what's happening around the majors Wednesday:SABATHIA'S STRIKEOUTSYankees pitcher CC Sabathia needs six strikeouts to join Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton as the only left-handers with 3,000 Ks, putting him within reach during a start against the Angels. Sabathia (1-0, 0.00 ERA) would be the 17th player overall to reach the milestone. When he does, he'll be the first pitcher to do so since John Smoltz in 2008. The 38-year-old Sabathia announced prior to the season that he'll retire at year's end.TOE'S A GOReigning AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell is set to return to the Rays 10 days after breaking a toe. Snell (2-1, 2.16) fractured the fourth toe on his right foot attempting to move a decorative display in a bathroom April 14. He threw 18 pitches off a mound Saturday and eight more pitches Monday, and now he's scheduled to start against Kansas City.RUSSELL RETURNSCubs shortstop Addison Russell is joining Triple-A Iowa to prepare for his return from a 40-game suspension for... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs shortstop Addison Russell is joining Triple-A Iowa to prepare for his return from a 40-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy.Russell is expected to play when Iowa begins a nine-game homestand Wednesday night against Nashville. He had stayed in Arizona to work out after the Cubs broke camp for the start of the season.Manager Joe Maddon said John Baker, who works in Chicago's front office, recently watched Russell play."He said he's hitting the ball extremely well," Maddon said before Tuesday night's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. "I know he's eager and anxious to get out there. So one thing at a time, just get him playing, see how that's going and then after that we'll make our call."Russell was suspended last fall after a series of allegations made by his ex-wife. While declining to get into any specifics, Russell said in February he was accountable for his past actions and apologized for "the hurt and the pain" he caused.Barring... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs shortstop Addison Russell is joining Triple-A Iowa to prepare for his return from a 40-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy.Russell is expected to play when Iowa begins a nine-game homestand Wednesday night against Nashville. The 25-year-old had stayed in Arizona to work out after the Cubs broke camp for the start of the season.Russell was suspended last fall October after a series of allegations made by his ex-wife. While declining to get into any specifics, Russell said in February he was accountable for his past actions and apologized for "the hurt and the pain" he caused.Barring any postponements, Russell would be eligible to return to the Cubs for their series opener against St. Louis on May 3 at Wrigley Field.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — The Chicago Cubs believe it was time to give David Bote a big-money contract, even if they are not ready to give the infielder a starting job.Bote and the Chicago Cubs agreed to a $15 million, five-year contract covering 2020-24 on Wednesday, a deal with two team options that if exercised would increase its value to $28 million over seven seasons.The 25-year-old has less than one year of major league service and has made two starts at second base and one at third base this season. He hit .239 with six homers in 184 at-bats last year.Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein described Bote's current role as "sort of lefty mashing infielder." Epstein and the Cubs believe Bote can evolve as a more complete hitter with a full-time job."With how hard he hits the ball and his desire to learn and make adjustments and his work ethic, there is a significant chance he raises the floor and takes on an even greater role sometime in the future," Epstein said.Epstein said Bote... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Washington pitcher Max Scherzer took over from Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout as baseball's highest-paid player at $37.4 million and the World Series champion Boston Red Sox remained the sport's biggest spender for the second straight year, according to a study of major league salaries by The Associated Press.Baseball's average salary dropped for an unprecedented second straight year on opening day, falling about $36,000 to approximately $4,375,000. But the drop was due to signing bonuses in new contracts for Trout, Clayton Kershaw, Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and a few others. Baseball's accounting rules allocate signing bonuses in equal portions over each guaranteed year of a contract, and the signing bonuses of nine players caused an $82,000 drop in the opening-day average.Trout was the highest-paid last season at $34.08 million but his new deal dropped his salary for this year in exchange for a $20 million signing bonus. Scherzer's salary is discounted because... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Washington pitcher Max Scherzer took over from Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout as baseball's highest-paid player at $37.4 million and the World Series champion Boston Red Sox remained the sport's biggest spender for the second straight year, according to a study of major league salaries by The Associated Press.Baseball's average salary dropped for an unprecedented second straight year on opening day, falling about $36,000 to approximately $4,375,000. But the drop was due to signing bonuses in new contracts for Trout, Clayton Kershaw, Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and a few others. Baseball's accounting rules allocate signing bonuses in equal portions over each guaranteed year of a contract, and the signing bonuses of nine players caused an $82,000 drop in the opening-day average.Trout was the highest-paid last season at $34.08 million but his new deal dropped his salary for this year in exchange for a $20 million signing bonus. Scherzer's salary is discounted because... [More]