WEBB SET FOR START (9:34 p.m. ET)
Diamondbacks righty Brandon Webb is scheduled to make his first start of the spring Wednesday at Tucson Electric Park against Team Mexico.

Webb has been held out since feeling tightness in his right forearm while playing catch Feb. 26, the day before his first scheduled spring start against the White Sox.

"It was a real minor thing, and to the point that now he is actually on a regular spring training schedule," Melvin said. "It hasn't been an issue since he was playing catch." Webb threw a bullpen session three days ago

HARDEN COMING ALONG (9:30 p.m. ET)
Cubs right-hander Rich Harden threw in a bullpen session Tuesday morning, and all indications are that it went well.

He will throw a simulated game Friday and make his Cactus League debut early next week

PRIOR THROWS IN BULLPEN AGAIN (8:10 p.m. ET)
Padres right-hander Mark Prior drew a crowd for his latest bullpen session on Tuesday, which lasted about 10 minutes and included 45-50 pitches.

"It felt all right," said Prior, who threw only fastballs. "I don't think it was as good as my last one as far as how I felt, but I felt good out there. For a while it was moving pretty quick then it slowed down at the end, talking about some things."

Prior, who hasn't pitched in the big leagues since Aug. 10, 2006, is trying to bounce back from shoulder surgery in June.

LOOPER OUT TO START SEASON? (5:02 p.m. ET)
Brewers righty Braden Looper will miss his second straight spring training start because of a strained oblique muscle and might not be ready for Opening Day.

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Brewers manager Ken Macha said Tuesday that Looper will not be allowed to throw for the next 10 to 12 days and might not heal in time for the April 7 opener.

"We may have to be prepared for getting somebody else ready," Macha said.

Righty Seth McClung will take Looper's rotation spot and will start Thursday against Australia's World Baseball Classic team.

Looper, signed as a free agent for $4.75 million just before spring training, was scratched minutes before his scheduled start Saturday against the Angels after he felt tightness in his left oblique during his bullpen warm-ups. He has said he first felt a twinge in his side when he sneezed earlier in the week.

"I know I'm feeling a lot better," he said. "I hope I feel good enough Thursday that by my next turn in the rotation I'd be ready to throw to hitters. That's just my goal. That may be completely not feasible, but that's what I'm working for."

DREW FEELING BETTER ALREADY (3:32 p.m. ET)
J.D. Drew returned to Boston on Monday and received an injection in his lower back, according to The Boston Globe, but manager Terry Francona emphasized the move was "precautionary" and Drew was not facing surgery any time soon.

"The day he left, he was hitting balls onto that street. I just think we felt like it was a good time to do it," Francona told the Globe. "We weren't comfortable having it done down here. [Dr. Bill Palmer]'s so good. There's a reason we want him to do these things. So we just thought, again, we'd take advantage of the earliness of camp and try to get it done."

Drew's back was problematic in the latter portion of last season, when a herniated disk limited his playing time and continued to affect him in the offseason.

Drew, back with the Red Sox in Fort Myers on Tuesday, told a Boston television reporter that he already was encouraged by the results, the Globe reported.

"Yeah, you know it was really encouraging," he said on NESN. "Usually after you get an injection like that, because of the numbing medicine, if you feel relief right away then they've kind of got it in the right area. Felt really good getting up off the table, so I was very encouraged by that, and think hopefully this could be kind of a long-term benefit."

Francona said he didn't know what the injection was, but added Drew was scheduled to take batting practice on Thursday and be in the lineup on Friday, the Globe reported. Story

STRAWBERRY UNDERSTANDS A-ROD (3:10 p.m. ET)
Darryl Strawberry understands what Alex Rodriguez is going through. On his first day at spring training this year as an instructor with the Mets, Strawberry said he would have been tempted to use performance-enhancing drugs in his playing days.

"In our nature, we are competitive creatures, and we have a tremendous drive and high tolerance," Strawberry said Tuesday. "I'm not saying that was the right thing to do, but people ask me, if I was faced with it, what would I have done? If that was going on in the era of the '80s, it probably would have been in my system, too."

Strawberry said he respects Rodriguez for making the admission but thinks it's unfair A-Rod was the only name to become public among the 104 on a sealed list for testing positive during baseball's anonymous 2003 survey. Strawberry hasn't spoken directly with Rodriguez but has passed on messages of encouragement through Yankees contacts.

"It's unfortunate, but that's what happens when you play in New York," Strawberry said. "A lot of times everyone is going to pick on the biggest player, and he is the biggest player in the game. He is a great player, regardless of what people say."

Strawberry thinks Rodriguez now has an opportunity to help teach young players to learn from his mistake.

SHOULDER AILING GAGNE (2:57 p.m. ET)
A shoulder problem might hurt Eric Gagne's chance to make the Brewers' bullpen in spring training.

Assistant general manager Gord Ash told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Gagne, whose shoulder began acting up after his last bullpen session, wanted to pitch through the problem but the Brewers, on the advice of medical personnel, won't allow it.

The Brewers have no timetable for Gagne's return.

NO SHOULDER PAIN FOR NATHAN (2:49 p.m. ET)
Closer Joe Nathan said he felt no pain after throwing a 25-pitch bullpen session Tuesday.

"I feel great -- and that's no lie," Nathan told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "The real test will come later."

Nathan, whose sore shoulder forced him to withdraw from the World Baseball Classic, said he felt no soreness in the AC joint while throwing and plans to throw to live hitters during batting practice Thursday. He could also pitch an inning during the Twins' game against the Pirates on Saturday.

LATE TO CAMP, EARLY TO IMPRESS (8:57 a.m. ET)
First baseman Mike Carp considers himself the recipient of good fortune, having walked away from a pre-camp car wreck with not a scratch.

The Mariners believe they are the lucky ones, after seeing their prospect make a huge impression this spring.

Carp, 22, has shown an attack mentality at the plate, boasting an early spring batting average of .444. The Mariners had insisted on getting Carp, who spent last season at Double-A Binghamton, from the New York Mets in a three-team, 12-player trade in December that sent former All-Star closer J.J. Putz to New York. Seattle saw Carp as a future regular at first base, perhaps as soon as 2010.

But with his performance so far, Carp is opening eyes as a possible contributor this season, part of the Mariners' never-ending quest for left-handed hitting.

Carp had delayed leaving for spring training from his Lakewood, Calif., home because of heavy rains in the area. But a downpour began early in his trek anyway, and after getting splashed by a passing car, his 2003 Mustang Cobra hydroplaned, spun around twice, then slammed into a cement divider in the median.

Carp then drove the wrong way for about 100 yards against oncoming traffic to get out of everyone's way -- "a little stunt driving," he said with a chuckle.

Afterward, he phoned Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik and braced for a reprimand about being late to camp. But Zduriencik made sure Carp was OK, then told him to wait a day before going to camp. "He took it better than I thought he was going to," Carp said.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

CONTRERAS, COLON CONTINUE COMEBACKS (9:31 p.m. ET)
With general manager Ken Williams, pitching coach Don Cooper and manager Ozzie Guillen all looking on, both Jose Contreras and veteran pitcher Bartolo Colon threw their first pitches off the mound of spring training before the White Sox's 5-3 loss to the Mariners on Monday.

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Contreras is more than three months ahead of schedule after rupturing his left Achilles tendon last August. Not only did he throw all his pitches, but several times he dropped his arm angle down and threw sidearm to test the injury.

His fastball had pop on it, leaving Cooper saying, "Hey, we could plug him tomorrow. But we're not going to do that."

Colon is coming off offseason surgery to clean some bone chips up in his right elbow.

Contreras and Colon are on the same schedule, each penciled in to throw off the mound Wednesday and then again on March 7. If there are no setbacks, they will face hitters in a batting practice session on March 9, with the hope of seeing Cactus League action by March 15 or 16.

HAMILTON GETS DAY OFF (8:58 p.m. ET)
Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton is expected to return to the lineup Wednesday after some extra recovery time for his strained left Achilles tendon.

Hamilton, who got hurt Sunday, didn't travel with the team for its spring training game Monday against Cleveland. Hamilton did report to Rangers camp and asked to be the designated hitter against the Indians, but the decision was made for him to not make the trip.

Texas has its first off day of the spring Tuesday, giving Hamilton consecutive days off.

Hamilton, an All-Star last season who hit 32 home runs and led the American League with 130 RBIs, felt tightness after hitting a triple in the first inning Sunday. He said it was no big deal and that he felt fine after coming out of that game.

The 28-year-old Hamilton is 5-for-9 with two homers, a triple and four RBIs in four games this spring.

DODGERS LOOKING FOR A FIVE GUY (8:47 p.m. ET)
The field of pitchers in the running for the Dodgers' fifth starter spot behind No. 4 Clayton Kershaw is quite deep.

But manager Joe Torre feels with more than a month before the team opens the season in San Diego on April 6, there is still plenty of time for a solid No. 5 to emerge.

Two prime candidates, Eric Milton and Claudio Vargas, each tossed a pair of scoreless innings in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the White Sox. Shawn Estes, Jason Schmidt and Jeff Weaver,big league starters who have been sidetracked by either injuries or on-mound struggles, are also on the lengthy list.

"Right now, Milton's been good, Vargas has been good, and they're definitely in the hunt for this thing," Torre said. "I don't have a guy we're looking at most right now. We're taking all the information and we're digesting it. We have time to see these guys pitch and stretch them out some, and they have time to show where they are."

Meanwhile, top Dodgers prospect Ivan DeJesus Jr. broke his right leg sliding into home plate during a B game against the Brewers. DeJesus, the organization's minor league player of the year for 2008, was taken off the field on a cart and X-rays revealed he had a broken lower tibia.

The 21-year-old son of former major league shortstop Ivan DeJesus was taken to a hospital and will remain there overnight while a decision is made whether he needs surgery on the leg. Torre said the shortstop is likely done for the season.

BOCHY HAS SURGERY (8:17 p.m. ET)
Giants manager Bruce Bochy missed Monday's game against the Royals to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder in San Francisco. Bochy had tears in his labrum and biceps repaired and is expected to rejoin the club Tuesday.

Bench coach Ron Wotus managed the team in Bochy's place.

WANG RETURNS (6:05 p.m. ET)
Chien-Ming Wang made his first appearance since partially tearing a tendon in his foot running the bases against Houston in June, pitching two scoreless innings for the Yankees in a 5-5 tie with the Astros.

"I feel good," Wang said. "Nothing wrong."

Wang, who threw 23 pitches, said he felt "about the same" as he has in previous seasons, including when he won 19 games in both 2006 and 2007.

"I think when you have an injury like that, you watch how they push off and he looked the same as before he got hurt," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "That means he's comfortable with the way he feels. If he's comfortable with the way he feels, we're obviously a lot more comfortable."

Meawhile, Jorge Posada, scratched from the Yankees' starting lineup Saturday because of minor soreness in his surgically repaired right shoulder, went 1-for-3, including an RBI single, as the designated hitter. He also threw at 100 feet before the game.

HANGING ON IN CHICAGO? (4:23 p.m. ET)
The Cubs have a couple of unlikely bullpen candidates hoping to win jobs in Mesa. Chad Fox, who has undergone three Tommy John surgeries on his right elbow, signed a minor league contract in January. And Mike Stanton, who ranks second to Jesse Orosco on baseball's career list with 1,178 appearances, is giving it another shot after signing a minor league deal at age 41.

Stanton didn't pitch in the majors last year after being released by Cincinnati in April. He continued to throw until July, then shut it down for several weeks when nobody called. When he resumed working out, it was with the help of a personal trainer for the first time in his career.

"There's no doubt in my mind I can still do this,'' Stanton said. "I can still compete. The right situation didn't come up after the Reds let me go, so I had a great summer with my family.

"I didn't think I'd have any problem getting somebody to invite me to spring training, but I wanted it to be the right situation where I'd have a chance to make the club. I didn't want to be away from the family just to go through the motions.''

Stanton has been in pro ball since 1987, and this is his first spring training in Arizona.

"My god, it's dry out here,'' he said.

-- Jerry Crasnick, ESPN.com

LIDGE GETTING BACK ON TRACK (3:53 p.m. ET)
Brad Lidge has yet to pitch in a spring training game. But things are starting to look up for the Phillies closer.

That's because Lidge, who has been bothered by tightness in his right forearm, had a solid bullpen session Monday.

"I felt for the first time this spring like I have a fighting chance at getting somebody out," Lidge told MLB.com. "Before I was wondering how I was going to do it."

Lidge also said he's on schedule for the April 5 season opener but hopes to pitch about 10 Grapefruit League games before that.

"The timetable right now is pretty good," Lidge told MLB.com. "[Monday] I threw well enough to be competitive, but I've got a little ways to go."

SABATHIA THROWS SIMULATED GAME (1:27 p.m. ET)

Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia threw 28 pitches over two innings in a simulated game Monday in Tampa, Fla.

The expected Opening Day starter made 14 pitches in both innings against Hideki Matsui and Kevin Cash in preparation for his first spring training start Friday night.

"Just trying to get a feel for it, the first time throwing to guys without a [pitching] screen up," Sabathia said. "It felt good."

Matsui, coming back from left knee surgery last Sept. 22, is expected to make his first spring appearance as the designated hitter in the next few days.

WOOD FEELS 'GREAT' AFTER BULLPEN SESSION (1:08 p.m. ET)

Cleveland Indians closer Kerry Wood threw 40 pitches in the bullpen for the second straight day, MLB.com reported, a demand he likely won't have to face once he's deemed ready again for live games.

"If I throw more than 40 in one inning," Wood said, "we probably lost."

Wood, 31, had taken several days off last week with soreness in his lower back.

"I feel great," Wood said, according to the Web site.

DUNN TO REPLACE HAWPE FOR CLASSIC (12:58 p.m. ET)

Washington Nationals outfielder Adam Dunn will replace Rockies outfielder Brad Hawpe on Team USA's roster for the World Baseball Classic.

Hawpe was injured after a collision at second base during a spring training game Friday against the Anaheim Angels and received four stitches.

Hawpe had been expected to join Team USA on Sunday night in Clearwater, Fla., according to MLB.com.

"You get to play for your country," Dunn said, according to the site. "It's a good thing to get in serious games and break up the monotony of spring. I would assume your concentration level [is at an all-time high]. I would kind of compare it to the playoffs. All the games are a must-win."

WEBB SET TO PITCH WEDNESDAY (9:06 a.m. ET)
Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb threw a bullpen session consisting of 30 pitches Sunday and said he "felt great."

Webb, who was scratched from his spring training debut on Saturday because of elbow stiffness, is on track to pitch Wednesday against the Mexican national team.

"I felt real good," he said, according to the Arizona Republic. "I felt great. Almost 100 percent, I'd say. I had no problems warming up. I threw every pitch, fastball, change-up, curveball."

EATON SIGNS MINOR LEAGUE DEAL (6:22 p.m. ET)
Adam Eaton and the Baltimore Orioles agreed to a minor league contract Sunday and the right-hander will join the team's major league spring training camp.

The 31-year-old Eaton was released by Philadelphia on Friday after going 4-8 with a 5.80 ERA in 21 games for the Phillies last year. He is 68-63 with a 4.80 ERA in nine seasons with San Diego, Texas and Philadelphia.

The Orioles have three spots in their starting rotation up for grabs behind right-handers Jeremy Guthrie and Koji Uehara. Left-hander Rich Hill, a starting candidate acquired in a February trade with the Chicago Cubs, was scratched from Sunday's scheduled start against Washington with left elbow soreness.

"It's an opportunity to add a veteran starter," said Andy MacPhail, Baltimore's president of baseball operations. "Last year, he had 19 starts, 10 of which were quality starts. It's something that's appealing to us. It represents a low-risk opportunity to have a veteran that we can evaluate to see if it makes sense to us going forward."

SCHMIDT STILL IN DODGERS MIX (5:05 p.m. ET)
The Dodgers are set with their first four starters -- Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda, Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw. Manager Joe Torre said Sunday that the first three pitchers are all candidates to start Opening Day against San Francisco.

The fifth starter spot remains wide open, with Jason Schmidt, Shawn Estes, Eric Milton, Claudio Vargas and young James McDonald in the mix.

Torre is encouraged with what he has seen thus far from Schmidt, who's undergone two shoulder surgeries and pitched a total of 25 2/3 innings in the first two years of a three-year, $47 million contract. Schmidt threw 21 pitches -- only 10 of them strikes -- in a "B'' game against the White Sox on Friday.

"If he goes out there and is able to take the ball on a regular basis, he'll win games,'' Torre said. "I think he's going to gain more arm strength. The best news for me is, he seems to be coming in the day after he throws feeling all right.''

-- Jerry Crasnick, ESPN.com

BYRNES OUT UNTIL MID-MARCH (4:15 p.m. ET)
Arizona outfielder Eric Byrnes, returning from hamstring injuries, is being held out of spring training games because he can't run full speed on the base paths.

Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said he hopes Byrnes will be able to play in mid-March.

"The one thing he hasn't conquered yet is making the turn at second [base] when he's going from first to third," Melvin said before the Diamondbacks played Oakland on Sunday.

Melvin was optimistic that Byrnes will be ready for the season opener April 6.

"If he starts playing games [in mid-March], he's not questionable at all," Melvin said.

NATHAN TO SKIP WBC (2:43 p.m. ET)
Twins closer Joe Nathan, who has been experiencing discomfort with the AC joint of his right shoulder, said Sunday that he won't pitch in the World Baseball Classic.

"It wouldn't be fair for me to say I'm 100 percent and go play for Team USA when I'm not," Nathan said, according to MLB.com. "It wouldn't be fair for the Twins or Team USA. As hard as it is to have to watch this [event] and know I want to be there, at the same time I know this is the right decision to make sure I'm ready for April 6."

Nathan said he isn't worried.

"I'm not worried about it being a major concern," Nathan said, according to MLB.com. "I guess it's news because of the World Baseball Classic tournament going on and I'm not able to attend.

"If I went and played for Team USA, it's basically going to be getting after it every time I go out there. Staying here allows me to kind of get this thing calmed down and strengthened back up kind of at our pace."

RAYS EXPECT PENA BACK SOON (2:37 p.m. ET)
Rays slugger Carlos Pena might be back in Tampa Bay's lineup by the end of this week.

Rays manager Joe Maddon said Sunday that the first baseman, who is recovering from minor offseason surgery to his abdominal muscles, might be in the Rays' lineup for Friday's game against the Pirates.

"Really, we'd like to get him in by Pittsburgh, if possible," Maddon said, according to MLB.com. "If not, it will be a little farther than that, but it could be by the time we got to Pittsburgh after the off-day.

"He's feeling good. If he starts playing around the sixth or the seventh [of March], that's almost a full camp. Or it is, based on what he normally does."

FUENTES TO SKIP FIRST ROUND OF WBC (2:30 p.m. ET)
Angels reliever Brian Fuentes will skip the early part of workouts and the opening round of the World Baseball Classic in Toronto, but he will join Team USA for the second round in Miami, assuming the Americans are still alive.

Fuentes, who has been dealing with what he described as "family issues," said his wife and four young children will be leaving Merced, Calif., and joining him in Arizona as he continues to settle in with his new team.

"This works out a lot better for me," Fuentes said. "I'm feeling a lot better about things. I'm going to join the [Classic] team in the second round. They'll have an open spot on the roster, and we're trying to make sure everything's good with the family.

"As of [Saturday], I wasn't going to do it [compete in the Classic] at all. But [Team USA officials] asked me I'd join them in Florida around the 14th [of March], and I said I could do that.

"I'll stay here in camp and throw, stay in shape, throw in [Cactus League] games. It will give me a chance to get to know the players and catchers a little better."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

SNEEZE COSTS LOOPER START (8:15 p.m. ET)
Braden Looper's spring has been slowed by a sneeze.

The Milwaukee right-hander was scratched from his Cactus League debut after feeling tightness in his left oblique muscle near the end of his bullpen warm-up.

Looper, signed as a free agent just before the start of spring training, said he first felt a twinge in his side after he sneezed earlier in the week but didn't think twice about it.

"I haven't felt it playing catch," Looper said. "I didn't feel it doing anything. I feel healthy. That's what is frustrating."

When told Hall of Fame reliever Goose Gossage once went on the disabled list after a sneezing-related injury, Looper said, "He's always been a hero of mine, actually. I remember watching him pitch when I was growing up."

BLACK'S WRIST BLUE AFTER BAT ATTACK (7:27 p.m. ET)
Padres manager Bud Black made it onto the unofficial injury report on Saturday, a day after getting hit on the right wrist when catcher Eliezer Alfonzo let go of his bat in a spring training game.

"I got smoked," said Black, whose wrist was swollen. "A little sore today. No further tests necessary."

He was in good spirits in giving the play-by-play of the injury, which happened after he crossed his arms in front of his face to protect himself during the eighth inning of Friday's game against the Indians at the Goodyear, Ariz., ballpark.

"Fairly short range between home plate and the third-base dugout, so I'm just leaning on the rail, as players and coaches do," Black said. "2-0 swing, good finish, came through, let go of the bat, the old whirlybird toward the dugout, right at me, zeroing in. Go into the protective mode, ow, start to turn, contact, bat down, glasses off."

Black, a former big league pitcher who had offseason surgery on his left shoulder thanks to wear and tear, said he reassured everyone in the dugout that he was OK, then put on a brave face despite the pain.

CARPENTER CRUISES IN RETURN (7:06 p.m. ET)
Chris Carpenter's first spring outing was a breeze.

In his first appearance in a game since September, Carpenter needed only 19 pitches to throw two hitless innings in the Cardinals' 9-2 victory over the Nationals.

"I've been in a lot of spring trainings, and spring training is a lot different than the regular season, but like I've said all along, I've felt strong and I've felt good, and my stuff's there," Carpenter said. "Now I have just got to be able to continue to progress my arm strength and pitch count, and get ready to go."

Carpenter was originally slated to throw 40 pitches, but Cardinals manager Tony La Russa pulled him after the second inning.

"Forty is just a number of conditioning, then you put the factors together and you see what makes sense," La Russa said. "He accomplished a lot. He pitched two solid innings. He'll have a great four days of preparation or five days -- there won't be anything that stops him from coming out there again. I didn't think a third inning was worth trying to push."

PAVANO PERFECT IN DEBUT (7:01 p.m. ET)
Carl Pavano made his debut for the Indians, working two perfect innings in a 1-0 loss to the Athletics.

"Carl threw the ball well," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said. "He's been very consistent this spring. It's early. We've got a long way to, but it's nice to see him get out there. A lot of guys are throwing the ball well. That's good to see."

Pavano, who signed a one-year, free-agent deal with the Indians, is taking it slow this spring.

"Up to this point, I've been working on my fastball command," Pavano said. "It's been a little inconsistent, but I kept it down. My secondary pitches are a little behind, but I'm working on those. This is just one step in getting ready for the season."

Meanwhile, Wedge doesn't know when Kerry Wood, who had a bullpen session Friday, will throw again. Wood has been bothered by a sore back, but had no problems Friday. And outfielder Grady Sizemore had treatment on his strained left groin Saturday. The injury forced him off the Team USA roster in the World Baseball Classic. He's expected to miss a few games.

PINIELLA SEES BRADLEY'S INTENSITY (3:53 p.m. ET)
Ron Washington, who managed Milton Bradley last year in Texas, described Bradley as a "perfectionist" during an interview this week. Lou Piniella, Bradley's new manager in Chicago, concurs with that assessment based on what he's seen early in spring training.

"The way he pushes himself is his trigger, in a way, to be successful," Piniella said Saturday. "I can see it when he does the drills -- just the way he goes about it -- or when he takes batting practice. It's a focused, intense effort, and it carries on into the game."

Piniella, understandably, is downplaying the possibility of another outburst or two this season from Bradley, whose history of blowups is well documented.

"Heck, when I played, I blew up a few times, too," Piniella said.

The Cubs' biggest concern this season will be keeping Bradley healthy. Last season, Bradley made 97 appearances at designated hitter and started only 20 games in the outfield. Although he should be more mobile now that he's 18 months removed from knee surgery, Piniella is already talking about resting him in day games after night games.

Bradley has been bothered by a tight left quad and a case of the flu early in Cubs camp, and he's listed as day to day.

-- Jerry Crasnick,. ESPN.com

CUBS, KOSKIE AGREE TO MINOR LEAGUE DEAL (3:24 p.m. ET)
Third baseman Corey Koskie and the Chicago Cubs have agreed to a minor league contract with an invitation to their spring training camp in Mesa, Ariz.

Koskie has been out of the majors since he sustained a concussion while playing for Milwaukee in 2006. But he says he is fully recovered and will play for Canada in the World Baseball Classic. He will report to the Cubs' camp after Canada is finished playing in the WBC.

Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said Saturday the club is glad to give the 35-year-old Koskie a chance. The completion of the deal is pending a physical.

Chicago is looking for a backup for Aramis Ramirez.

ROYALS' BALE TO HAVE THYROID SURGERY (10:31 a.m. ET)
Royals left-handed reliever John Bale is scheduled to have his thyroid removed Tuesday after being diagnosed with hyperthyroidism caused by Graves' disease, the Kansas City Star reported.

Bale had been losing weight during the offseason in an effort to get in shape, but a routine camp physical and follow-up exam in Kansas City revealed some of that weight loss was due to irregularity in his thyroid. Given a number of medical options, Bale decided to have it removed, because that promised the quickest return to the field -- within two weeks, if all goes well.

"The best way to go about this is to have surgery," Bale said, according to the Star. "Just have it taken out. If I do that, I'll be normal in two weeks. I want to nip it in the bud now."

Bale, who ended last season with 10 straight scoreless appearances, has been penciled in as the Royals' set-up man for closer Joakim Soria.

ONE SMALL STEP FOR A GIANT (10:08 a.m.)
Randy Johnson went two innings in his first outing for the San Francisco Giants on Friday, giving up one run. But he was happy just to be pitching in February -- something he didn't get to do the past two years, thanks to back surgeries.

"To be able to go out there and feel that good and compete and not worry about anything, that's a good position," Johnson said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "Tomorrow I know I'm going to feel good. I'll be able to do my program and get ready for my next start. Other than the senior moments I had with my splitter, I felt pretty good."

Those "senior moments" were a splitter that hit Royals first baseman Ryan Shealy and another that was scored as a wild pitch in the Royals' 6-1 win.

Another Giant also had a solid outing on the mound. Jonathan Sanchez, making his first and only appearance before leaving for the World Baseball Classic, threw 45 pitches, walked none and struck out four in three innings.

SCHMIDT PAIN-FREE IN BRIEF OUTING (9:55 a.m. ET)
The will-he-or-won't-he Manny Ramirez drama has dominated the headlines out of Los Angeles Dodgers camp this spring. But the Dodgers' 2009 fortunes might hinge on the health of Jason Schmidt's arm as much as they do on Ramirez's bat.

Schmidt threw 21 pitches (10 strikes), walked two hitters, and recorded just two outs in a brief outing in a B-game between Los Angeles and the Chicago White Sox Friday morning. Afterward, he said he was pitching pain-free but was still working to find the proper arm slot on his delivery.

Schmidt's manager, quietly optimistic about Schmidt's prospects, didn't sound too worried about his mechanics.

"Sometimes you can overthink that stuff," Joe Torre said. "I just have a sense -- and maybe I'm wishing this -- that once he gets a couple games under his belt, that he's going to feel comfortable."

-- Eric Neel, ESPN The Magazine

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BERNIE FEELING THAT PULL (5:21p.m. ET)
Bernie Williams admits his baseball passion is growing after spending the past week with the New York Yankees.

The 40-year-old former Yankees center fielder worked out for the last time with his old team Friday, and now will join Puerto Rico's squad for next month's World Baseball Classic.

"It's kind of like the logical step. You can't come here and not feel the fire of the competition. It's just bound to happen. If I come here and I don't feel that, then I definitely know I'm in the wrong place," he said.

The former All-Star, who hasn't played since spring 2007, hasn't ruled out playing again in the majors, but it will depend on his WBC performance.

"There's nothing like coming here and just getting this feeling of nice weather, playing baseball and working out with the guys," Williams said. "Spring training has always been one of my most favorite times of the year. There was a part of me that missed it, definitely."

-- Associated Press

HAWPE LEAVES ROCKIES GAME WITH FINGER INJURY (4:24 p.m. ET)
Colorado right fielder Brad Hawpe left Friday's game against the Angels with a lacerated little finger on his left hand. The injury is not serious, and Hawpe is listed as day to day.

Hawpe, 29, is the Rockies' most accomplished outfielder now that the team traded Matt Holliday to Oakland in the offseason. Hawpe's averaged 25 homers over the past three seasons, but has a .739 career OPS against left-handed pitchers compared to .897 vs. righties.

Ryan Spilborghs is the early frontrunner to be the everday center field for Rockies manager Clint Hurdle, but young Carlos Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler will get long looks in camp. Seth Smith, the frontrunner for the starting job in left field, will be pushed by Gonzalez and prospect Ian Stewart, a third baseman by trade. Scott Podsednik is also a candidate for an outfield bench job in Colorado.
-- Jerry Crasnick, ESPN.com

REDS FINISH DEALS FOR CUETO, RAMIREZ (4:21 p.m. ET)
Pitchers Johnny Cueto and Ramon Ramirez agreed to one-year deals with the Cincinnati Reds on Friday.

The Reds did not release any other contract details. Both right-handers made their major league debuts last season.

The 23-year-old Cueto went 9-14 with a 4.81 ERA in 31 starts. The 26-year-old Ramirez spent most of 2008 in the minor leagues, and went 1-1 with a 2.67 ERA in four starts and one relief appearance for the Reds.
-- Associated Press

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SLIMMED-DOWN SCIOSCIA (4:15 p.m. ET)
It was a productive offseason for Angels manager Mike Scioscia. He received a 10-year contract from the team, and also lost a considerable amount of weight.

How much weight?

"I can't tell you because of the HIPAA laws,'' Scioscia joked to several reporters in his office Thursday.

Scioscia was on his way to a back field for a workout when an Angels fan stopped him and told him he looked good.

"I don't want my wife to see you,'' the fan said, "because she's going to ask me what's wrong with me.''

-- Jerry Crasnick, ESPN.com

YOUTH ABOUNDS IN A'S ROTATION (4:10 p.m. ET)
Oakland pitching coach Curt Young is going to need a lot of patience this summer. The 16 pitchers on the A's 40-man roster have a combined total of 145 major league starts. That includes 27 by reliever Russ Springer, who hasn't started a game since the 1996 season in Philadelphia.

Dana Eveland leads the Oakland staff with 35 career starts. He's followed by Justin Duchscherer (27), Dallas Braden (24) and Sean Gallagher (21). They're the front-runners for the first four spots in manager Bob Geren's rotation coming out of spring training.

-- Jerry Crasnick, ESPN.com

MIXED REACTION FOR A-ROD (3:05 p.m. ET)
For Alex Rodriguez, more cheers mixed with boos.

The New York Yankees star got another split reception Thursday in his first spring training game at home since admitting he used performance-enhancing drugs.

Rodriguez went 0-for-2 and left after five innings with the Yankees leading Tampa Bay 2-0. The crowd at George M. Steinbrenner Field included the Yankees owner.

Rodriguez homered Wednesday in the Yankees' exhibition opener against Toronto. He heard some catcalls at the Blue Jays' ballpark, but also drew a standing ovation after his home run.

NO LUCKY STAR FOR U.S. WBC TEAM (1:07 p.m. ET)
Manager Davey Johnson had a material reason for hoping Alex Rodriguez would be on his U.S. team at the World Baseball Classic: Madonna.

The New York Yankees star played for the United States at the inaugural tournament three years ago, but chose to be with the Dominican Republic for this year's event.

"The only thing is I was upset about, Alex not, you know, being on my club," Johnson said Thursday, "I'm Madonna's fan. I was hoping she'd show up."

Rodriguez and Madonna were linked in tabloid reports last year as being very friendly.

The U.S. team opens March 7 against Canada. The Dominicans begin the same day against the Netherlands.

ISHIKAWA HOPES GLOVE HELPS HIS CHANCES
Travis Ishikawa appears to be the front-runner to become the San Francisco Giants' starting first baseman as spring training games begin -- and his glove is one of the major reasons.

"You can't rely on getting a game-winning hit every night or driving in four runs every night. What you can do, the things you can control, is how much effort you put into your defense," Ishikawa said. "Maybe you don't drive in that couple of runs, but you maybe save a couple with your defense. I've always taken pride in giving the pitchers as well as the team the best chance to win the game."

Ishikawa has potential competition at first: converted outfielder John Bowker, who started 67 games there last season; Pablo Sandoval, who could prove a better fit at first than at third; and Rich Aurilia, in camp on a minor-league deal. But Ishikawa, who had three hits, two home runs and four RBIs in a 10-7 Cactus League victory over Cleveland on Wednesday, is not concerned with that.

"I'm going to continue to think the same way until they tell me otherwise. I hope I never hear that," he said. "Regardless of what happens, if they find something else for me, I'll stay humble, whether it is being a bench player, a role player. I want to be the best possible player when I get that opportunity."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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M'S EASING GRIFFEY IN (9:38 p.m. ET)
Ken Griffey Jr. did not play in the Mariners' 4-3 exhibition loss in 10 innings against the Padres on Wednesday, four days after he signed with the Mariners.

Manager Don Wakamatsu said he is being cautious with the 39-year-old slugger who had arthroscopic knee surgery in October.

"He's ready to go," Wakamatsu said. "It will be my fault if he isn't in there the next couple of days."

Wakamatsu told MLB.com the veteran outfielder is penciled in to be the designated hitter in next Wednesday's game against Australia's World Baseball Classic team.

BENSON READY TO PERFORM (9:02 p.m. ET)
The only problem Kris Benson had in his Texas debut was waiting 20 minutes between innings as his new teammates circled the bases.

Benson allowed one run and two hits in two crisp innings, and the Rangers backed him with nine early runs Wednesday in a 12-7 exhibition victory over the Kansas City Royals.

"That little break got me out of my groove a little bit, but I'll take it any day," Benson said.

Signed to a minor league contract Saturday, Benson, who is coming off rotator cuff surgery, hasn't pitched in the majors since 2006. He needed only seven pitches to end the first inning, but allowed a long home run to designated hitter Billy Butler in the second before inducing a double play to end his outing.

Benson has been throwing for two months and acknowledged he's ahead of the other pitchers.

"I'm not looking at this as a done deal by any means," he said. "I have to go out there and perform every time."

NEW ERA FOR INDIANS (8:20 p.m. ET)
Hall of Famer Bob Feller threw out the ceremonial first pitch, four F-16 fighter jets screamed by in a fly-over and snakes stayed out of the press box.

Under brilliant sunshine and an infinite blue sky, the Cleveland Indians began a new era of spring baseball on Wednesday.

After training for 16 years in Florida, the Indians returned to Arizona and christened glistening Goodyear Ballpark with a 10-7 loss to the San Francisco Giants.

The 90-year-old Feller was dazzled.

"If the ballclub is as good as the facility, they ought to win the World Series in four games," he said.

Third baseman Mark DeRosa, acquired by the Indians in a trade with the Chicago Cubs this winter, hit a three-run homer and Stephen Head and Michael Aubrey added solo shots for Cleveland.

But the star of day was the ballpark, which sits on former cotton fields located more than 1,700 miles from Cleveland and a world away from the Indians' former spring home in Winter Haven, Fla.

Unable to find a new home in Florida, the Indians picked up and returned to Arizona, where they previously trained from 1946-92.

NAPOLI GETTING INTO SWING (8:16 p.m. ET)
Mike Napoli has been unable to throw this spring following offseason surgery on his right shoulder. His swing looks just fine, though.

Napoli's two-run double highlighted a three-run third inning and helped the Los Angeles Angels beat the Chicago White Sox 12-3 in the exhibition opener for both teams Wednesday.

Napoli split time with Jeff Mathis at catcher last season, when he had 20 homers in 227 at-bats. Napoli is expected to begin throwing drills later this week.

Chicago's A.J. Pierzynski drove in two runs with a single off starter Matt Palmer in the second. Palmer replaced scheduled starter Nick Adenhart, scratched Monday with flulike symptoms.

HAMPTON FINDS HIS FORM (7:54 p.m. ET)
Mike Hampton had to wait a few extra minutes to make his first start for the Houston Astros in a decade.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Houston's spring training opener against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday, and the pause for photos caused about a 15-minute delay.

Hampton feigned annoyance.

"I mean, I might wait for the president, but come on," he said.

When the 36-year-old lefty finally threw his first pitch, the rust showed. The first three Washington hitters reached on two walks and a hit batter, but Hampton quickly found his form in Houston's 6-3 victory before 1,973 fans at 5,300-seat Osceola County Stadium.

Hampton, a 22-game winner for the Astros in 1999 before they traded him, escaped that bases-loaded jam with a strikeout and a double play en route to two scoreless innings on 33 pitches.

Houston hopes that Hampton, who has made only 25 starts over the past four years due to various injuries, can pair with ace Roy Oswalt to give the Astros the potent one-two punch their rotation has lacked the past few seasons.

RAMIREZ HAPPY TO BE NO. 3 (6:32 p.m. ET)
The Florida Marlins like their new No. 3 hitter.

Their defense? Not so much.

Hanley Ramirez embraced his move to the third spot in the order, hitting a two-run homer against the St. Louis Cardinals in the spring training opener for both teams Wednesday. But the Marlins committed four errors in the game, which ended in a 5-all tie after 10 innings.

All the Marlins want from Ramirez offensively is more of the same, but in a new role. After unveiling the lineup for the first spring game, manager Fredi Gonzalez confirmed Ramirez will bat third this season.

"That's where I think it makes sense in our lineup," Gonzalez said. "We're a better club with him in that spot."

With Ramirez dropping in the order, rookie center fielder Cameron Maybin becomes the top candidate for the leadoff spot. He began the game with a single and finished 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.

Ramirez has spent most of his career batting leadoff, where his on base-plus-slugging percentage is .941. Batting third, it's .777.

But as Gonzalez noted, in the past two years the Marlins have a better record with Ramirez batting third (31-24) than leadoff (116-131). Dan Uggla, who went 0-for-3 batting fifth, said he likes Ramirez hitting third.

VERLANDER MAKING CASE AS ACE (6:18 p.m. ET)
Justin Verlander staked an early claim to regaining his role as the Detroit Tigers' ace, throwing two shutout innings Wednesday in a 5-4 win over the Atlanta Braves in each team's spring training opener.

Verlander struggled to an 11-17 record and 4.84 ERA last season. Rookie Armando Galarraga, called up in mid-April when Dontrelle Willis went on the disabled list, went 13-7 with a 3.73 ERA and proved to be a pleasant surprise in an otherwise disappointing season in Detroit.

"I felt strong," Verlander said. "Spring training got the best of me last year because I tried to do too much to be the ace. This year I just want to let the batters make contact. I am not going to make too much of anything, but if I can just get a good mix of pitches I can get it done."

Manager Jim Leyland said that, despite Verlander's troubles in 2008, he has him penciled in as the Opening Day starter.

"He got hyped up last year," Leyland said. "I talked to him and he won't let that happen to him this year. There's nothing wrong with him."

Detroit veteran Gary Sheffield was kept out of the lineup after being hit in the left elbow during batting practice on Tuesday. Leyland said Sheffield could have played Wednesday, but he decided to give him two days off before he suits up on Friday against Toronto in Dunedin.

HERNANDEZ BACK ON MOUND (6:14 p.m. ET)
Carlos Hernandez faced major league hitters for the first time in three years Wednesday when he pitched the first two innings of the Tampa Bay Rays' 7-0 loss to the visiting Cincinnati Reds at Charlotte Sports Park.

After moving their spring training headquarters downstate from St. Petersburg, the defending American League champions opened their new park in front of 6,028 fans, many of whom sat in traffic for hours as cars and trucks backed up for 2 miles along State Road 776, the only road that runs past the stadium.

Those caught in traffic missed Hernandez's two hitless innings. The 28-year-old lefty struck out one and didn't walk a batter.

"Feels good to be back," said Hernandez, a non-roster invitee who last faced big league hitters during spring training in 2006. "I know it's just the first game, but I'm looking forward to getting more outings and [doing] my job. Just be able to pitch, be able to throw strikes, be able to do my job, which is to get guys out, that's the main thing."

Hernandez, who was 9-8 with a 4.54 ERA in 35 games (33 starts) for the Astros from 2001 to '04, could push his way into the competition for the fifth starter's spot with Tampa Bay, joining rookie David Price, Mitch Talbot, Jeff Niemann and Jason Hammel.

RETIRED PIAZZA TAKING HITS (6:11 p.m. ET)
The blue-and-gray uniform Mike Piazza wore looked like a holdover from his days with the Los Angeles Dodgers, except the name across the chest said "Italia."

Piazza is the hitting coach for the Italian team, which played a practice game against the Florida Marlins on a back field Wednesday morning in preparation for the World Baseball Classic.

"I'm excited to get back on the field a little bit," Piazza said. "They're very serious about trying to grow the game in Italy, and I played for the World Classic team in '06, so I'm thrilled about it."

He said his new job is a chance to see how he likes coaching. He may also do some broadcasting this season.

The 40-year-old Piazza and his wife, former Playboy centerfold Alicia Rickter, live in Miami and are expecting their second child. He said he has no regrets about retirement.

"I knew it was time to move on," Piazza said. "I've got a baby now. I'm excited to be home and enjoy moments with my kid."

MOYER CATCHING THE BUS (6:09 p.m. ET)
Jamie Moyer had a bus to catch Wednesday after he pitched two scoreless innings in the Philadelphia Phillies' 8-2 exhibition loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

And it wasn't the team bus back to the Phillies' complex in Clearwater, Fla.

"In about 40 minutes, my kids will be getting home from school," Moyer said in the visiting clubhouse at McKechnie Field. "I can leave here and get them off the school bus."

Moyer and his family make their offseason home in Bradenton. Every day, he gets up at 5 a.m., drives to Clearwater for the Phillies' workout, and usually is home again in time for dinner.

"I get to put my kids to bed at night," Moyer said. "I see them every day. Family is what's important."

After piling up 246 career victories, Moyer isn't ready to call it quits. Sipping a protein shake, he smiled when someone asked if he thinks about the Hall of Fame.

"Not as much as you guys bring it up," Moyer said.

Moyer allowed one hit and two walks against the Pirates. He struck out two.

GOOD START FOR CASTILLO (5:07 p.m. ET)
Luis Castillo looked more like a cleanup hitter than a leadoff man Wednesday.

In his new role atop the Mets' lineup, Castillo drove in four runs with a single and a double, and New York got three RBIs from Ryan Church to beat the Baltimore Orioles 9-3 in the exhibition opener for both teams.

Jose Reyes was New York's leadoff hitter the past few years, but manager Jerry Manuel is considering a shake-up with Castillo at the top of the lineup. Castillo struggled in 2008 with injuries and batted only .245, but he sure looked good against the Orioles.

"I've got to get off to a good start," Castillo said. "I know they want me to get off to a good start."

The second baseman hit a two-run single in the second inning and a two-run double in the fourth. Church had a run-scoring double in the third and a two-run single in the fourth.

BECKETT SHARP IN SPRING DEBUT (4:50 p.m. ET)
Josh Beckett pitched two perfect innings in his first outing since struggling in the playoffs with a strained side muscle, and a Boston Red Sox split squad beat Boston College 7-1 Wednesday.

The right-hander struck out two and didn't allow a ball out of the infield in the Red Sox's first spring training game. They had another split-squad game scheduled against Minnesota on Wednesday night.

Beckett's first playoff start last year was pushed back four days to give his injury extra time to heal. Then he had the worst outing of his 10 career postseason starts as Boston lost 5-4 to the Los Angeles Angels in 12 innings.

He also hurt his back in last year's spring training camp and had elbow problems during the season.

In Wednesday's 6½-inning game, Beckett threw 22 pitches, 15 for strikes, before BC, which is 0-19 in the series, took a rare lead when Mike Belfiore singled in a run in the fourth inning off Kris Johnson.

BACKUP AT THIRD ON CUBS' RADAR (3:02 p.m. ET)
Aramis Ramirez played 149 games at third base for the Cubs last season. Now that Mark DeRosa has been traded to Cleveland, Chicago doesn't have much of a Plan B in the event that Ramirez goes down with an injury.

Second basemen Aaron Miles and Mike Fontenot, who've played a combined 15 games at third base in the majors (all by Miles), are the current backups at the position. The Cubs are also taking a look at former Minnesota Twin Luis Rivas and career minor leaguer Bobby Scales, who hit .320 for Triple-A Iowa last season.

Manager Lou Piniella, who concedes it's not an optimal situation, won't be surprised if the Cubs make a move before the end of spring training to add depth at the position. The Cubs were briefly linked to veteran Rich Aurilia before he re-signed with San Francisco on a minor league deal.

"If our scouts are looking for anything at all this spring, that's the one thing that they're looking for,'' Piniella said.

-- Jerry Crasnick, ESPN.com

BERKMAN MISSES SPRING OPENER (2:13 p.m. ET)
Houston Astros first baseman Lance Berkman missed Wednesday's spring training opener against Washington because of a sore left shoulder.

Berkman said the soreness didn't worry him, but he walked around the clubhouse before morning workouts with an ice pack taped around the shoulder.

He said the pain was most severe when he threw and that he didn't feel any tenderness when batting. Berkman attributed the pain to normal aches of early spring training.

Houston manager Cecil Cooper said he believed it was a result of Berkman's offseason conditioning.

"He's a little sore so we're just doing it as a precautionary measure," Cooper said.

A-ROD HOMERS IN SECOND AT-BAT (2:05 p.m. ET)
Alex Rodriguez homered in his second at-bat of his first 2009 spring training game and received a standing ovation from the Yankees fans in attendance.

Rodriguez didn't swing until the ninth pitch he saw, fouling it off. On the next pitch, Rodriguez homered off Ricky Romero.

-- Jayson Stark, ESPN.com

MOSTLY BOOS FOR A-ROD (1:26 p.m. ET)
Alex Rodriguez received boos from two-thirds of the crowd in Dunedin in his first at-bat as the Yankees faced the Blue Jays.

The Yankees slugger, playing his first game since admitting to using performance enhancing drugs from 2001 until 2003, never swung his bat and walked on five pitches.

-- Jayson Stark, ESPN.com

FEIERABEND MIGHT HAVE SURGERY (1:20 p.m. ET)
Left-hander Ryan Feierabend is seeing a doctor and may have surgery on his pitching elbow, thinning the candidates for the Mariners' staff.

Manager Don Wakamatsu said Wednesday that Feierabend reported to camp with a tender elbow that did not get better. Wakamatsu says an MRI showed damage that wasn't a complete ligament tear, but it will be awhile before the 23-year-old can pitch again.

Feierabend finished last season by going 1-4 with a 7.71 ERA in eight starts for Seattle. He has pitched in 25 games for the Mariners in the past three seasons. He had been a candidate for the long-relief role this season.

Wakamatsu also says non-roster outfielder Freddy Guzman will have surgery next week to fix a broken hamate bone in his right hand.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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MAINE MOVING ALONG (7:17 p.m. ET)
Mets starter John Maine cleared a hurdle Tuesday, pitching in a game for the first time since September surgery to shave a bone spur in his right shoulder.

Maine, whose 2008 season ended Aug. 23, started an intrasquad scrimmage and came out of it pain-free. He allowed one hit with two strikeouts and a walk in two scoreless innings, throwing 16 of 25 pitches for strikes.

"My arm feels great. My body feels great," Maine said. "I just feel like it's been such a long time. The mechanics are a little off and I was rusty a little bit, but other than that, and more importantly, my arm feels good."

Mets manager Jerry Manuel was glad to see Maine's progress. The right-hander is scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut Sunday.

"John Maine was throwing strikes," Manuel said. "He hadn't been out there in a while, and he let the ball go. He pitched, so it's definitely for him, and for us obviously, a big step in the right direction."

GOOD START FOR GONZALEZ (6:36 p.m. ET)
Edgar Gonzalez threw himself into the competition for a spot in the Oakland Athletics' rotation with a solid performance in an intrasquad game Tuesday.

Gonzalez, who spent the past six years with the Arizona Diamondbacks, tossed three innings against a group of hitters that included Jason Giambi, Matt Holliday, Travis Buck, Ryan Sweeney and Bobby Crosby.

"I just wanted to go pitch by pitch today," said Gonzalez, who pitched for Hermosillo in the Caribbean playoffs two weeks ago. "My curveball was a little flat and I made a couple of mistakes."

Buck had two of the three hits against Gonzalez.

"He looked sharp," Buck said. "He's around the zone and he knows how to pitch. Those are the kind of pitchers you like to face as a hitter."

Meanwhile, first baseman Daric Barton will be held out of the first weekend of Cactus League games as he continues a conditioning program. Barton underwent hip surgery during the offseason.

DICKEY TRYING TO MAKE CUT (5:56 p.m. ET)
R.A. Dickey is one of only a handful of knuckleballers in the game. Minnesota signed the bearded right-hander to a minor league contract, bringing him to spring training for an opportunity to earn a spot as a long reliever. Dickey still hasn't mastered this skill, but that isn't exactly a problem for the Twins because they haven't had a knuckleballer in decades.

"I'm trying to pick his brain, when it's right and when it's wrong," pitching coach Rick Anderson said. "You're kind of looking where his arm is when he's right, and I'm kind of learning the whole thing as we're going. When to use it, when not to use it."

Tim Wakefield has been a fixture in Boston's rotation for years, but he's the only knuckleballer currently on a major league roster. Dickey, like Charlie Zink with the Red Sox and Charlie Haeger with the Los Angeles Dodgers, is in camp without a guarantee of making the team.

But Dickey has a decent chance with Minnesota, which learned Tuesday that right-hander Boof Bonser will have exploratory surgery on his pitching shoulder. Thus, the Twins need someone to fill a long relief role.

"He knows how to pitch," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He's had some really good years, most of them in the minor leagues, but some really good years."

JONES FINDING HIS GROOVE (5:52 p.m. ET)
Andruw Jones homered and doubled in his only at-bats of the Texas Rangers' intrasquad game Tuesday afternoon, the team's final tuneup before Wednesday's Cactus League opener.

"We've been working on things to get the bad habits out of my swing and getting on a good pace," said Jones, who is trying to find a spot in an already crowded Texas outfield.

Jones, who hit .158 with three homers in an injury-riddled 2008 season, is with the Rangers on a $500,000 minor league contract that includes a chance to earn an additional $1 million in performance bonuses.

Meanwhile, the Rangers said Kris Benson, signed to a minor league contract on Saturday, will start against the Royals instead of left-hander Matt Harrison.

The 34-year-old Benson has not pitched in the major leagues since 2006 and was 1-4 in 11 starts for the Phillies' Triple-A team in Lehigh Valley last season before he was released in August.

ELLSBURY READY TO PLAY EVERY DAY (4:58 p.m. ET)
After two seasons of splitting time in center field, Jacoby Ellsbury came to camp knowing the starting job is his after Coco Crisp was traded to Kansas City in November for reliever Ramon Ramirez.

Ellsbury has already responded to his new role as an everyday starter by reporting to spring training in the best shape of his young career.

"He looks stronger and thicker through the chest," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "He's always been very fast and we've seen that on the bases but just by looking at him, he's added strength. It's pretty exciting to see."

The 25-year-old played in 145 games in 2008, appearing 66 times in center field, 58 times in left and 36 in right. Now, with Crisp in Kansas City, Ellsbury knows he'll be in center every time he takes the field.

"The biggest thing for me was just preparing to play every day," he said. "Playing my first full season last year, I just wanted to be ready this year to be out there every day, doing all this work to be out there."

LANNAN TO START FIRST SPRING GAME (3:37 p.m. ET)
John Lannan will start the Nationals' first spring training game when the team travels to Kissimmee to play the Astros on Wednesday.

Lannan, who was 9-15 with a 3.91 ERA last year in his first full season in the big leagues, is expected to go two innings.

"I'm not going to try to do too much," Lannan said Tuesday. "I'm still working on my breaking ball. I'm locating my pitches pretty well right now, which is good. I'm just trying to keep the ball down and throw as many strikes as I can."

Also slated to pitch for the Nationals are Shairon Martis, Garrett Mock, Gary Glover and Steven Shell.

BONSER TO HAVE SHOULDER SCOPED (3:22 p.m. ET)
Right-hander Boof Bonser will have exploratory arthroscopic surgery on his ailing pitching shoulder, which has kept him off the mound since the start of spring training.

Bonser was experiencing persistent soreness in the joint and sought a second opinion. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Tuesday the doctor's recommendation after the latest MRI exam was to "go in there and clean up."

There won't be a timetable for Bonser's recovery until the results of the surgery are assessed.

After getting bumped from the rotation last year, Bonser struggled in the bullpen for most of the summer before getting back on track in August. He finished 3-7 with a 5.93 ERA in 118 1/3 innings, but the hard-throwing Bonser was in line for a long relief role this season.

MORE STEALS FOR SORIANO? (2:51 p.m. ET)
After toying with the idea of dropping Alfonso Soriano down in the batting order, Cubs manager Lou Piniella plans to keep his left fielder in the leadoff spot. And now he's looking for Soriano to be more aggressive on the base paths.

Piniella told reporters Tuesday that he thinks "30-something" stolen bases is a "reasonable" goal for Soriano this season. After recording 41 steals with Washington in 2006, Soriano has been bothered by nagging leg injuries in his first two seasons as a Cub. He stole only 19 bases in both 2007 and 2008.

"He's really running well," Piniella said. "He's in great shape. I think this is the first time he's actually worked hard before coming to camp, and it shows. I told him that today."
-- Jerry Crasnick, ESPN.com

KAWAKAMI PREPARING FOR FRIDAY START (1:37 p.m. ET)
Right-hander Kenshin Kawakami showed the Atlanta Braves a little more of his arsenal on Monday, throwing cutters and curveballs as he faced hitters for the second time this spring. He is scheduled to start Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton.

"He signaled curveball, and I still had to re-trigger my swing," Matt Diaz said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "His cutter was moving nice and easy, and his four-seam [fastball] had surprising late life."

Kawakami, signed to a three-year contract in January, was considered one of the top free-agent pitchers from Japan available this offseason. "I can see why he was a star over there [in Japan]," manager Bobby Cox told the newspaper.

As for pitcher Charlie Morton, there's good news, and not-so-good news. The good: Morton had a sharp bullpen session on Monday. The flip side: Morton strained a side muscle throwing in batting practice.

The injury, diagnosed as a left oblique strain, will prevent Morton from throwing for a week. "If it's gonna happen, better to have it happen now, I guess," Morton said in the Journal-Constitution.

BREWERS' BENCH HEAVY ON LEFTIES (12:13 p.m. ET)
With the exception of first baseman Prince Fielder, Milwaukee's starting lineup is overwhelmingly right-handed. Fielder will be surrounded in the order this year by Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy, Ryan Braun, Corey Hart, Mike Cameron, Bill Hall and Jason Kendall -- righty hitters all.

It's a different story on the bench, where manager Ken Macha doesn't have a right-handed threat after Gabe Kapler departed for Tampa Bay through free agency.

At the moment, it appears that lefty hitters Craig Counsell and Mike Lamb will be the infield backups, while Trot Nixon, Tony Gwynn Jr. and Chris Duffy are competing for two outfield bench spots.

Gwynn is out of options; Duffy is coming off shoulder surgery and is in camp as a minor league invite. They're similar players -- speedy, defense-oriented singles hitters -- so chances are Macha will carry Nixon and have to choose between Gwynn and Duffy for the final outfield spot.
-- Jerry Crasnick, ESPN.com

MARMOL SACRIFICES WBC FOR CUBS (9:39 a.m. ET)
Relief pitcher Carlos Marmol announced he will not be playing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.

Marmol, in competition with Kevin Gregg for the closer's role with the Cubs, said he spent a restless night Sunday, trying to decide what to do. In the end, Marmol believed he should stay and work with pitching coach Larry Rothschild.

"I know what I have to do to keep my body ready for the season, and my arm and my mind, what I need to do," Marmol said. "It was a hard decision."

Manager Lou Piniella told the Chicago Tribune: "I told him it was his decision and we would support him either way. He's thought about it a long time. It really is a difficult decision. I told him it's an honor representing your country. ... My posture, basically, is to stay out of that situation as much as possible."

FOR BENGIE, DAD IS ALWAYS THERE (9:17 a.m. ET)
In his locker stall at Scottsdale Stadium, Giants catcher Bengie Molina hangs a black, long-sleeved shirt with a picture of his father's face on the front. He has the same picture in a large frame, with four smaller photos at each corner.

The message, "We always remember you," in Spanish, is on the shirt and photo. But in reality, Molina doesn't need these tokens; his father is never far from his thoughts.

Molina's father, Benjamin, died suddenly last October, suffering a stroke between games of a youth league doubleheader on the field he built from scratch near his home in Puerto Rico. It is the same field where baseball and life lessons were imparted to Bengie and his brothers, Jose of the New York Yankees and Yadier of the St. Louis Cardinals.

"I talk to him sometimes when I am a little stressed about the game or when I am worried about my girls," said Bengie Molina, who has two daughters. "Little things like that. I want to make sure he knows he is always missed. The worst thing is remembering when you were a kid and when he took your hand and said, 'Watch out for the cars' when he crossed the street with you, or when he hit you ground balls. Those are the little things that get in your head."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

CHURCH READY TO HELP METS WIN (9:17 p.m. ET)
A day after manager Jerry Manuel said he might play Fernando Tatis in right field against left-handed pitching, Ryan Church said he's up to the challenge and will do whatever it takes to help the Mets win.

"He's the boss," Church said. "He's our general and I'll go to war with him any day. I take it as a challenge. Even if he didn't say anything about it, I would be like, hey, I'm here to win a championship. I just want to play and do my part."

Manuel suggested Sunday that he might go with left-handed hitting Daniel Murphy as the everyday left fielder while floating the possibility that the right-handed hitting Tatis could share time in right with Church, who bats from the left side. Manuel also said Tatis would be a good right-handed option off the bench and could fill in on occasion for third baseman David Wright and first baseman Carlos Delgado.

Church thrived as an everyday player last season, his first with the Mets, before he was sidelined in May by his second concussion. He also sustained one during spring training. Church said Manuel approached him on the field Monday and told him not to read into his recent comments.

"He came up to me and said, 'You're preparing to be the everyday right fielder for the Mets,'" Church said. "I wasn't paying much attention to it anyway. Every year you have to go out and prove yourself."

YOUNG HAS NEW SPOT IN BATTING ORDER (8:42 p.m. ET)
In the Rangers' first intrasquad game Monday, Michael Young batted cleanup, behind slugger Josh Hamilton, in a lineup that consisted of the likely Opening Day starters. A career .300 hitter, Young has been primarily a No. 2 or No. 3 batter the past six years and has never hit fourth in his eight-plus major league seasons.

"I don't care where I hit. I just want to hit," Young said. "They haven't said anything to me about [batting fourth]. I don't think it's something that is going to happen over the course of the year until they decide to tell me something."

Rangers manager Ron Washington, who didn't make out the batting order for either side Monday, cautioned about trying to read too much into Young hitting fourth. Washington said new third base coach Dave Anderson made the lineup for the likely starters.

"I don't plan on doing that, but we'll see," Washington said. "That's the way [Anderson] made it. It's not like Michael is going to shy away from swinging the bat if he hits fourth."

Washington said he would discuss it with Young before making any plans to use him regularly in the cleanup spot.

"If Michael would hit fourth, I wouldn't want him to change his style of hitting, thinking 'cause he's hitting fourth he's got to start to go deep," Washington said. "He's good at the way he hits. If that happens, I wouldn't want him to change it at all."

NO PAIN FOR DODGERS' SCHMIDT (8:21 p.m. ET)
Admittedly nervous, Jason Schmidt had modest expectations for his twice-repaired right shoulder in his return to the mound Monday.

"My biggest goal was to get out there and walk off in one piece," the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher said. "I wanted to be able to come out knowing I don't have to ice. I think I accomplished that, as long as I don't trip on the way to the clubhouse."

Things couldn't have gone much better for the 36-year-old veteran, who threw nine of his 11 pitches for strikes and retired three of the four batters he faced to begin a five-inning intrasquad game.

Schmidt has pitched in only six games, all in 2007, during the first two seasons of his three-year, $47 million deal with the Dodgers.

He looked sharp in his brief stint against teammates. Schmidt used only two of his four pitches, fastballs and changeups, to retire Juan Pierre, Mark Loretta and Matt Kemp while allowing only an infield single to Casey Blake.

There were no speed guns used Monday, but pitching coach Rick Honeycutt was very happy with what he saw from Schmidt, a candidate for the back end of the rotation if the positive trend continues.

"The whole key is he just feels good. He's been one of the regular guys, he hasn't missed any throwing or drills," Honeycutt said. "He wants everything to be perfect, but this was a very positive step."

PADRES LIMITING KOUZMANOFF'S THROWS (7:35 p.m. ET)
With third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff just more than three months removed from shoulder surgery on Nov. 15, the Padres have been limiting his throws. Kouzmanoff, who hit .260 with 23 home runs and 84 RBIs last season, is making a maximum of 20 tosses across the diamond from third base and another 20 to second base per day. That's a much different regimen than the one Kouzmanoff has followed in his previous two camps with San Diego.

"I'd be taking slow rollers and making off-balance throws," Kouzmanoff said. "I'd be getting ready to be game ready for Wednesday. Instead, we have a long spring so I can back off a little, or ease into it."

Kouzmanoff originally jammed his shoulder at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 23 when he fielded a swinging bunt, threw to first base and landed on his right elbow. He began his throwing program in mid-January, about two weeks later than he normally would start. But with an additional week of spring training this year because of the World Baseball Classic, Kouzmanoff has no concerns about being ready for Opening Day against Los Angeles on April 6.

"I'm going to be ready," Kouzmanoff said. "That's definitely been my goal. Opening Day is a long time from now."

CARDS' RYAN SLOWED BY TENDINITIS (5:09 p.m. ET)
Brendan Ryan's pursuit of a starting job with the St. Louis Cardinals is being slowed by tendinitis in his right wrist.

The 26-year-old infielder is among several players seeking the regular role at second base, but he could also see playing time this season at shortstop and third base. He fielded grounders Monday but doesn't expect to swing a bat until Friday at the earliest.

Ryan said the soreness he is experiencing is similar to what he felt at the end of last season, when he hit .244 in 80 major league games. He batted .289 in 2007.

"It's not like I'm worried about a tear or something," Ryan said. "I think it's just swollen, so I'm going to take it easy for a few days."

If the swelling doesn't subside in a week, Ryan said he will consider a cortisone shot.

THREE VIE FOR REDS ROTATION SPOT (4:19 p.m. ET)
Homer Bailey is one of three pitchers vying for the final spot in the Cincinnati Reds' rotation as they prepare to begin spring training games.

Fellow right-handers Micah Owings and Nick Masset also are among the leading candidates for the fifth starter's job that was a work in progress all last season. The Reds hoped that Bailey, a former first-round draft pick, would win the job in spring training a year ago, but he struggled and the spot was never settled.

"Let it play out," manager Dusty Baker said. "Certain people probably have a better chance than other people.

"A case like Micah Owings -- he's been a starter in the big leagues and a pretty good one. Masset was, and then went to long relief. He's trying to get a shot at what he's always wanted to do. Homer Bailey is trying to get over the hump to be a big league pitcher."

The first four rotation slots are set with Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto. The final spot and the left field job are the two main openings the Reds are looking to fill when they open their exhibition season Wednesday against Tampa Bay.

HOFFMAN SAYS THANKS TO PADRES FANS (4:19 p.m. ET)
Padres fans came to love Trevor Hoffman during his run in San Diego, and baseball's career save leader returned the favor Sunday, taking out a full-page ad in the San Diego Union-Tribune to say goodbye.

"As I sat down and put pen to paper thinking about the best way to express my gratitude to the many people who have had a profound effect on my time here in San Diego, a recurring theme kept coming up. Just say THANKS!!'' Hoffman wrote.

Hoffman didn't miss anybody. He thanked his family and friends, teammates, managers, coaches, trainers, the Padres' clubhouse personnel, medical staff and front office, members of the media, Qualcomm Stadium and Petco Park employees, and fans "young and old'' for their support during his 16 seasons with the franchise.

-- Jerry Crasnick, ESPN.com

FILLING SEATS WOULD FILL JUNIOR'S POCKETS EVEN MORE (3:39 p.m. ET)
According to a major league source, Ken Griffey Jr. will be paid $100,000 for each of these Mariners attendance figures:

2.65 million; 2.7 million; 2.75 million; 2.8 million; 2.85 million; 2.9 million; 2.95 million; and 3 million.

Griffey has to be on Seattle's major league roster for the entire season for those clauses to kick in. If he spends time on the disabled list, he'll have those bonuses prorated to reflect the percentage of the season when he was on the active roster, according to the source.

-- Jayson Stark, ESPN.com

REDS KEEP OUTFIELDER'S DREAM ALIVE (2:55 p.m. ET)
Four years ago Adam Greenberg, then a Cubs rookie, was hit in the head on the first pitch of his only at bat in the major leagues. Greenberg suffered a concussion and persistent vertigo after being hit by Marlins southpaw Valerio de los Santos and has since struggled to restore his career.

Dusty Baker was Chicago's manager back then. Now the Reds, Baker's current employer, have invited Greenberg to their minor league camp, a source told ESPN. The outfielder, who turned 28 on Saturday, has played for the Dodgers, Royals and Angels organizations the last three years since his release by the Cubs in June 2006. He has not made it beyond Double-A ball since the '05 accident.

Greenberg and Fred Van Dusen of the 1955 Phillies are the only two players in major league history to have been hit by a pitch without ever having another at bat or appearance in the field.

-- William Weinbaum, ESPN Enterprise Unit

PENNY OK AFTER THROWING BATTING PRACTICE (2:39 p.m. ET)
Red Sox right-hander Brad Penny is feeling fine after throwing batting practice for the first time in spring training.

Penny said Monday's session in which he threw 30 pitches answered a lot of questions for him, both mentally and physically. His 2008 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers was cut short by shoulder problems, and Boston signed him as a free agent.

Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell said Penny would have two days off between batting practice sessions instead of the one day off for most pitchers. But he said that barring a setback, Penny will be ready for the start of the regular season.

He's scheduled for his first spring training start on March 5.

YANKEES GET DAY OFF TO PLAY POOL (1:09 p.m. ET)
The New York Yankees skipped baseball to play some eight-ball.

New York manager Joe Girardi decided to give his players a break Monday, and put together a team trip for a pool-shooting tournament.

"If I was a young man that's going on this trip, I think it's something you don't see often," Yankees catcher Jorge Posada said. "You can hang out with the veterans. Being away from the field and being together. Hopefully we start some relationships here. Nothing bad can come out of this."

Girardi previously discussed the idea with several veteran players, including Posada and team captain Derek Jeter. The rest of the squad was informed at a team meeting the manager called Monday.

Jeter (minor right hamstring soreness) took grounders and batting practice in a cage before the team trip. "Everything is good," Jeter said.

MARINERS TO GO SLOW WITH GRIFFEY (8:55 a.m. ET)
Ken Griffey Jr., baseball's active home run leader, had his first practice on Sunday since signing a one-year contract with Seattle worth $2 million, plus incentives. He joked about his new Seattle teammates, his former teammates -- just about anyone near him.

"I feel like I'm on a darn high school recruiting trip," Griffey joked while a trainer, a doctor, Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln, other team personnel and a half-dozen photographers followed him from a popup drill on one field to batting practice on another.

Seattle has intrasquad games on Monday and Tuesday and opens exhibition play Wednesday against San Diego. Manager Don Wakamatsu said Griffey likely will not play in any of those games, and he's not sure how soon Griffey will be in the lineup.

When he does start playing, Griffey will initially be the designated hitter -- though he took part in outfielder drills Sunday and hopes to be Seattle's left fielder when the season begins April 6 at Minnesota.

"We're going to take it pretty slow," Wakamatsu said, adding he wants to see how Griffey reacts to "moving around" in these first weeks. "We're more concerned about him being ready for Opening Day."

HAMILTON QUITS CHEWING TOBACCO (8:44 a.m. ET)
After winning his personal war against drug addiction, Josh Hamilton has successfully kicked another habit -- chewing tobacco.

"I started doing it when I started doing everything else," Hamilton said, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Hamilton said his 7-year-old daughter, Julia, and 3-year-old daughter, Sierra, were big motivations for him to quit.

"You know it's bad when your 3-year-old holds up a water bottle, and asks if Daddy spit in this before she drinks out of it," Hamilton said. "That's when you know it's a problem."

SAMARDZIJA TO BEGIN AUDITION FOR ROTATION SPOT (8:38 a.m. ET)
Jeff Samardzija and Mitch Atkins are slated to throw two innings each Wednesday in the Cubs' exhibition opener against the Dodgers at HoHoKam Park in Mesa, Ariz.

Samardzija is competing for the fifth spot in the Cubs' rotation.

"All I ever ask for is an opportunity to make it happen on the field," Samardzija said, according to the Chicago Tribune. "You can talk about what you want to do or what your plans are as much as you want. But until you go out and physically prove your point, it's all just talk."

Sean Marshall will start Thursday's game against the Brewers and Ted Lilly will go on Friday against Texas. Lilly is scheduled to pitch for the United States in the World Baseball Classic next month.

VERLANDER TO START TIGERS' SPRING OPENER (8:34 a.m. ET)
Right-hander Justin Verlander will start Detroit's spring opener Wednesday against Atlanta.

Manager Jim Leyland said Verlander will throw two innings regardless of how many pitches he tosses.

Verlander struggled to an 11-17 record and 4.84 ERA last season but is "delivering the ball extremely well" right now, Leyland said.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

SIZEMORE, CHOO GET BANGED UP (10:15 p.m. ET)
The Indians had a scare when outfielders Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo collided while chasing a ball in right-center during a drill.

Choo was escorted from the field by a trainer and had his right knee examined before returning for batting practice about 30 minutes later. He suffered only a bruise and felt lucky not to be more seriously hurt.

"We hit knees. I was really scared," said Choo, Cleveland's starting right fielder who will leave camp Tuesday to play for South Korea in the World Baseball Classic.

Sizemore, a high school football star who was recruited to play at Washington, was barely fazed.

"I guess Choo forgot I was a linebacker," he joked.

Indians manager Eric Wedge was relieved Choo was OK.

"He was probably more upset when he saw Grady standing over him like Jack Tatum," he said.

GRANDERSON LOOKS TO GO THE DISTANCE (8:25 p.m. ET)
Curtis Granderson broke his right hand during spring training last year and was sidelined for the first two weeks of the season. When he returned, he still didn't feel right for months.

The Tigers center fielder isn't interested in going through that again.

Granderson hit .302 with 38 doubles, 23 triples, 23 homers, 74 RBIs and was successful on 26 of 27 stolen-base attempts in 2007. He was hoping to build on that last year, but was hit by a fastball from Philadelphia left-hander Travis Blackley late in spring training. He started the year on the 15-day disabled list and didn't play in his first regular-season game until April 23. With Granderson out, the Tigers started 8-13 on their way to finishing 74-88, worst in the AL Central.

Granderson said Sunday he feels 100 percent, and he's backed it up with his play early in spring training.

"He looks very good," manager Jim Leyland said. "With a [hand injury], it seems like you're not totally right the rest of the year. You probably don't heal until the offseason."

GONZALEZ LOOKS TO EARN SPOT (7:45 p.m. ET)
Carlos Gonzalez is trying to make Colorado's 25-man roster this spring after the Rockies acquired him from the Athletics in November in the Matt Holliday trade. Colorado also received reliever Huston Street and left-hander Greg Smith.

Street is competing with Manny Corpas for the closing role, and Smith is in contention for the fifth starting spot.

Gonzalez, in competition for the starting job in left field and playing time at the other two outfield spots, is being watched closely in every batting session, bunting drill and outfield station, especially his control at the plate. Composure at the plate has been the sticking point early in his career. Gonzalez struck out 81 times and had 13 walks in 85 games with Oakland last year.

Gonzalez is battling Seth Smith, Ian Stewart and others for the job in left. None of the candidates has a noteworthy edge in experience, leaving the door open for anybody with a productive spring.

"We want to watch him run some balls down, throw the ball, run the bases and swing the bat, and then we will have the opportunity to evaluate that and make any changes we deem are necessary," Colorado manager Clint Hurdle said of Gonzalez. "He has got some legitimate power, has a very dynamic swing to generate bat speed and squares the balls up. There are a lot of things you like."

STOMACH ILLNESS HITS D-BACKS (7:32 p.m. ET)
Ten Diamondbacks players and one coach missed spring training drills Sunday with unspecified stomach illnesses.

The team isn't sure if the illness stems from something the players ate, a virus going around the clubhouse or some other factor.

"I'm not an authority on gastrointestinal conditions," manager Bob Melvin said, but after talking with the team physician he expects all to return to practice Monday.

Some players fell sick Saturday night, others arrived at the clubhouse Sunday morning feeling sick and were sent home.

The 10 players who missed Sunday's workouts were Justin Upton, Chris Young, Daniel Schlereth, Miguel Montero, Scott Schoenweis, Doug Slaten, Brooks Brown, Jon Coutlangus, Clay Zavada and John Hester.

Bullpen coach Glenn Sherlock was also sick.

REDS NOT RUSHING GONZALEZ (6:51 p.m. ET)
Reds shortstop Alex Gonzalez got a day off from manager Dusty Baker, who doesn't want to push him too hard coming off a severe knee injury.

The 32-year-old infielder missed all of last season because of a fracture in his left knee. He went through a workout before spring training began and was cleared to participate fully.

"I've got to pay attention to him, pay attention to his gait, watch his actions," said Baker, who allowed Gonzalez to skip workouts on Sunday and plans to use him carefully in spring games. "He was starting to slow down a little bit. He was cleared 100 percent, but not 100 percent on consecutive days."

Gonzalez is entering the final season of a $14 million, three-year deal. The Reds used a variety of players at shortstop last season, and are hoping Gonzalez can play there full time, settling down the infield. He batted .272 with 16 homers and 55 RBIs in 2007.

"I told him, 'Follow me,'" Baker said. "I was in a cast for eight weeks in 1977 [with the Dodgers]. I had to ease my way through spring training. That's the year I hit 30 home runs and we went to the World Series.

"He's way ahead of where I was at that time."

LUGO, LOWRIE BATTLE FOR POSITION (6:47 p.m. ET)
Jed Lowrie wants the job the Red Sox gave Julio Lugo $36 million to handle.

Their shortstop competition is the only one for a starting position in Boston's camp.

"We're not supposed to have seven openings going into this camp or something didn't go right during the winter," manager Terry Francona said.

If Lugo prevails, the Red Sox hope he can live up to their expectations when he signed a four-year deal before the 2007 season. If Lowrie wins, three-fourths of their infield will be stocked with homegrown players -- Lowrie, Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia -- and Lugo may ask for a trade.

"At the end of spring training," he said, "we're going to have to see. We're going to have to wait and see what happens."

HAFNER 'CLOSE TO NORMAL' IN BP (6:01 p.m. ET)
Working his way back after a disastrous 2008 ended with offseason shoulder surgery, Travis Hafner took part in batting practice with his teammates for the first time this spring Sunday. With general manager Mark Shapiro and assistant GM Chris Antonetti watching from behind the backstop, Hafner completed three rounds of BP.

"It feels good to get back on the field and hang out with your teammates," Hafner said. "It was fun. Everything feels good. There will be a little soreness in there for a little while, but everything feels close to normal."

Cleveland's powerful designated hitter was reduced to the club's highest-paid designated sitter last season. Hafner's weak shoulder limited him to 57 games, and he batted just .197 with five homers and 24 RBIs. Months of rehab failed to strengthen his shoulder and the 31-year-old remembers dinner being a painful chore.

"You'd go out to have a meal and your shoulder would burn just from eating," he said. "If you'd do it a few times, it would wear your shoulder out. Some days it would feel better than others."

But Hafner made the most of his offseason. Along with lifting weights and conditioning, he worked on improving his diet. He stayed away from fatty foods, cut down on the occasional cold beers and hired a personal chef. Hafner had his meals delivered to his home, and ended up dropping 10 pounds -- he's listed at 240 -- before coming to camp looking trim.

The Indians are being extra cautious with Hafner. He's on his own program and probably won't begin playing in Cactus League games for several more weeks.

CREDE JOINS TWINS (5:32 p.m. ET)
Joining fellow All-Star Justin Morneau in a batting practice group after going through the usual fielding fundamentals, Joe Crede got some hacks in against hard-throwing closer Joe Nathan and began to get comfortable with his former heated division rivals, the Minnesota Twins.

After spending his entire career with the Chicago White Sox and serving as their regular third baseman since the summer of 2002, Crede officially switched sides Sunday when he signed a one-year contract worth between $2.5 and $7 million depending on how much he's on the field.

"This is definitely a team that I wanted be a part of," Crede said, adding: "I really admired the way they play. I knew my style was going to fit in."

Crede's contract is unique. It includes a base salary of $2.5 million and escalators based on playing time that push the value up in $500,000 increments. The incentives kick in at 250 plate appearances. If he gets 540 plate appearances or more, he'll make $7 million.

The reason for that, and for his availability so late in the winter, is his historically bad back. He's had two major surgeries in the past two years, the last in October, and played in only 144 games with 502 at-bats over 2007 and 2008.

"There is concern," general manager Bill Smith acknowledged. "This is a good deal for both sides. It provides us with the protection we need, and it provides him with the upside he was looking for."

Crede, a native of Missouri, worked out in Arizona during the offseason. He flew to Minnesota for a "full-blown" physical with three different doctors, Smith said, and checked out all right. There are currently no restrictions on Crede's workload.

SANCHEZ WILL START MARLINS' SPRING OPENER (5:08 p.m. ET)
Anibal Sanchez will be on the mound for the Florida Marlins' Grapefruit League opener on Wednesday, and catcher John Baker is excited to see what the right-hander can do.

"He was kind of throwing a little bit at the end of the year and thinking it might hurt," Baker said. "That's a tough mental obstacle to overcome, coming off of surgery. He has had time to prepare himself better. He feels better and he'll believe in himself more. It'll be fun to see him Wednesday."

Sanchez, who threw a no-hitter as a rookie in 2006, made his 2008 debut on July 31 after recovering from right shoulder surgery. He finished 2-5 with a 5.57 ERA.

Manager Fredi Gonzalez announced Sunday that Sanchez would start the first spring game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

"I don't care if it's the first, second or third game. I just want to be ready for the season," said Sanchez, who missed spring training last year.

Either Ricky Nolasco or Josh Johnson is expected to start when the Marlins host Washington on Opening Day on April 6. Both right-handers will throw at least one inning Tuesday in an intrasquad game.

CUBS' CLOSER JOB A TWO-MAN COMPETITION (3:49 p.m. ET)
Kevin Gregg and Carlos Marmol are competing this spring to replace Kerry Wood, whose decade-long run with the Cubs is over after a final season as a top closer.

"We'll do what is best for the team to win games, no matter what," pitching coach Larry Rothschild said Sunday. "I think Kevin is capable of pitching more than one inning at a time, also. I think both of them can do it."

Marmol carved out a role as a top setup man in 2007 when he made 59 appearances after being called up in May, going 5-1 with a 1.43 ERA. Last year he was 2-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 82 appearances and became one of the NL's best setup relievers.

Gregg came to Chicago from the Florida Marlins in a November trade that signaled the end of Wood's time with the Cubs.

"I don't see it really as a competition," Gregg said. "I think we both can pitch in either role. I know he's been very successful as a setup guy and I've been successful as a closer. So where it leads to this year, we'll see what [manager] Lou [Piniella] is going to do and what he feels comfortable with."

HALL OPTS FOR SURGERY (2:05 p.m. ET)
The Astros have voided the minor league contract of Toby Hall after the catcher opted to have shoulder surgery Sunday.

An MRI taken Saturday showed that Hall had a torn labrum.

"It gives me a little peace of mind to go get [the surgery]," Hall said, according to the Houston Chronicle. "Seeing the MRI and seeing what I've been dealing with the last couple of years, it kind of puts me at ease to go get it fixed. That way I can get back out there [as] the player that I used to be and be healthy [and] go out there with two labrums."

Hall will miss at least four months because of the surgery. His injury leaves three catchers vying for two spots on the roster. Humberto Quintero is the favorite to win the starter's job, while J.R. Towles and Rule 5 draft pick Lou Palmisano will likely compete for the backup spot.

CECIL, NOT HALLADAY, TO START JAYS' SPRING OPENER (1:58 p.m. ET)
Roy Halladay normally starts the Blue Jays' spring training opener, but not this year. Rookie Brett Cecil will face the Yankees on Wednesday, while Halladay won't start until Saturday against the Braves.

But Halladay said Sunday it had nothing to do with dodging the Yankees.

"I think [the coaches] just went from Opening Day backwards," the ace said. "And I think they tried to avoid as many trips as possible."

So Halladay's longest road trip of the spring will be an hour down the highway, to face the Pirates in Bradenton. But for now, the Blue Jays have no intention to have him dodge a scheduled start against the Red Sox on March 16.

"Why not?" he laughed. "I'm not going to fool anybody."

-- Jayson Stark, ESPN.com

MURPHY TO SEE BULK OF ACTION IN LEFT FIELD (1:43 p.m. ET)
There apparently won't be a Daniel Murphy-Fernando Tatis platoon in left field for the Mets this season, after all. Manager Jerry Manuel said Sunday that Murphy will get most of the starts in left.

"I don't want him to get into a strictly platoon situation," Manuel said, according to the New York Post. "I think he's a little better player than that. And with [Ryan] Church being a left-handed hitter, I kind of see Murphy being a better hitter right now at this time. So Tatis could [play in right field]. It all depends on how they're doing. If they're not getting hits, then they're not going to play -- development or whatever. They've got to perform."

Manuel said he will find ways to get Tatis at-bats -- even if it means platooning Tatis in right field with Church, who is coming off a 2008 season that was plagued by concussions. Tatis also has been getting a lot of infield work in camp so far for the Mets.

"[Church] is the right fielder that I hope not to pinch-hit for," Manuel said, according to the Post. "But if you're not performing, then I have to make some adjustments. I can't just give you 162 games and say, 'You're my right fielder.'

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.