Amid the flurry of last-minute touches, the Atlanta Braves held their initial workout at SunTrust Park, tuning up for an exhibition game Friday night against the New York Yankees. The exhibition game is limited to season-ticket holders, meaning the 41,500-seat facility will only be about half full. The first regular-season home game, April 14 against the San Diego Padres, is a sellout.
Cam Newton is at home recovering from surgery to repair a partially torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder on Thursday. Dr. Pat Connor performed the surgery on the Panthers quarterback's throwing shoulder at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. ''Dr. Connor was pleased with the results of the surgery and Cam is at home resting,'' Panthers head athletic trainer Ryan Vermillion said.
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) -- Zack Wheeler has earned a spot in the New York Mets' rotation after missing two years while recovering from Tommy John surgery, and Robert Gsellman will begin the season as the team's No. 5 starter in place of the injured Steven Matz.
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (AP) -- The Minnesota Twins have made slugger ByungHo Park one of their final roster cuts despite a strong performance at the plate throughout spring training.
NFL owners got plenty done in their meetings, including approving the Raiders' relocation from Oakland to Las Vegas, and addressing a variety of rules changes. The Raiders' move to America's gambling capital was a slam dunk once Bank of America came aboard with a $650 million loan that followed Nevada putting up $750 million in public funding for a $1.7 billion stadium. Oakland never really had a plan that enticed Raiders owner Mark Davis nor other NFL team bosses.
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- Blake Treinen will start the season as the closer for the Washington Nationals.
Carlos Gomez would play any position for the Texas Rangers. ''It's no question, I'm on the right team,'' Gomez said. After a resurgent six weeks late last season, filling a need for the Rangers and regaining his confidence at the plate, Gomez returned with an $11.5 million contract early in the offseason.
Aaron Judge has won the New York Yankees' right field job and Luis Severino has earned the fourth spot in the starting rotation. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Thursday that Aaron Hicks will be the fourth outfielder. ''That was a very tough call,'' Girardi said.
Former running back LaDainian Tomlinson has rejoined the Chargers as a special assistant to the owner. The Los Angeles Chargers announced the move Thursday, reuniting the San Diego sports hero with the franchise that employed him for his first nine NFL seasons. The 37-year-old Tomlinson will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August.
The fiancee of ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez has testified in his double-murder trial that she learned to keep her mouth shut and ''not to ask any questions'' in certain situations. Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez testified against Hernandez on Thursday under a grant of immunity from prosecutors. Hernandez is accused of fatally shooting two men in Boston in July 2012 after an encounter at a nightclub.
Big Papi was a big hitter, and that was really his only duty for most of his 20 major league seasons. Going into the 45th season since the designated hitter was approved for the American League, more managers now appear willing to spread around the DH starts instead of putting the same player in that slot just about every day. There were 135 players who got DH starts for the 15 AL teams last season.
The Texas Rangers are unsure whether third baseman Adrian Beltre will be in their lineup or on the disabled list Monday when they open the season against Cleveland. Beltre has been dealing with a left calf strain and has not played since Sunday. The Rangers are delaying their final roster moves until the Sunday deadline, depending on Beltre's health.
New York Yankees prospect Aaron Judge could begin the season in the minors so he can play more. Judge and Aaron Hicks are competing for the starting job in right field in New York. ''He needs to play, that's the bottom line,'' Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Wednesday about Judge.
Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco will not travel with the team when it heads north on Thursday for two exhibition games in Montreal. Polanco, projected to be the Pirates' starting left fielder, has played in just one spring training game since returning from his run with the Dominican Republic team in the World Baseball Classic, where he hit .579 in five games. General manager Neal Huntington also said the team has not yet received Polanco's visa to travel to Canada, which made it an easy decision to keep him behind.
The Indians starting right fielder was hitting 268 with two home runs and six RBIs in 15 games before he was hurt. The American League champions will also be without Jason Kipnis to start the season. Manager Terry Francona said outfielder Abraham Almonte, who was suspended for use of a banned substance last spring, would open the season with the big league team.
Atlanta's a href(equals)'http://ift.tt/2nMCWbB'-SunTrust-Park'new SunTrust Park/a is part of a 60-acre complex that will include restaurants, retail shops, residential areas, a four-star hotel and a concert hall. The $622 million ballpark is the main attraction, but it is only part of what the Braves are promoting as ''the South's preeminent lifestyle destination'' - The Battery Atlanta. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred believes it's the model for future ballparks.
NEW YORK (AP) -- New York Mets reliever Jeurys Familia has accepted a 15-game suspension without pay under Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- Police in Florida are investigating sexual battery allegations made by a woman against former NFL star Michael Irvin.
While the New Orleans Saints remain interested in Patriots cornerback and 2015 Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler, an offer sheet for him probably isn't coming. Saints coach Sean Payton says his team won't give up its first-round selection in next month's draft to secure Butler, a restricted free agent. ''We had a chance to visit with him,'' Payton said.
Sean Payton looked around at the crowd of reporters and chuckled, knowing why they'd come to his table at the NFC coaches breakfast Wednesday morning. Payton had breakfast with Manziel during Super Bowl week, but it was only a get-acquainted meeting. Payton noted he was suspended in 2012 for his role in the Saints' bounty scandal and got to ''watch from afar'' Manziel's Heisman Trophy season at Texas A&M.
On Monday, the Dodgers will play their first opening day since 1950 without Vin Scully calling their games. Not that Scully has any regrets since retiring after last season. ''During the World Series back around '77 or '78, there was a game at Dodger Stadium with the Yankees, and I went to the game as a spectator.
HOUSTON (AP) -- They have the AL batting champion, a big-hitting shortstop and a few newcomers to boost a potent lineup.
One day after approving the Oakland Raiders' move to Las Vegas, NFL owners got busy passing several rules changes and adopting resolutions they believe will speed up the game and enhance player safety. Most notable Tuesday was the change in handling officiating of video replays. Meanwhile, league officiating chief Dean Blandino and his staff in New York will make the final decisions on those calls, with input from the referee, who in the past was the ultimate arbiter.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Washington Nationals say President Donald Trump has declined an invitation to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before their game on opening day.
Jason Kipnis let his heart heal a little before heading home last November. Crushed after losing an unforgettable Game 7 of the World Series, Cleveland's second baseman thought he was mentally prepared to visit Chicago, his hometown, which was still partying like it was 1908 a week after the Cubs won their first title in 108 years. Kipnis had barely gotten off the plane at O'Hare Airport when he was reminded that the Indians finished second.
Dallas tight end Jason Witten has signed a four-year contract extension that virtually guarantees the 14-year veteran will spend his entire career with the Cowboys. The deal Witten signed Tuesday runs through 2021 and leaves the final year of the two-time All Pro's current contract intact. The extension has a maximum value of $29 million with no new guaranteed money and gives the Cowboys the flexibility to restructure and create about $4 million in salary cap space.
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- The Tampa Bay Rays have bolstered their outfield depth, acquiring speedy Peter Bourjos from the Chicago White Sox for cash or a player to be named,
When David Ortiz took one final, hat-tipping trot around Fenway in October, with him went the franchise's biggest personality and one of the last links to its most recent run of Word Series titles. Boston is about to get its first full bite of life without Big Papi's on-field heroics and clubhouse leadership. David's going to be missed - we know that,'' manager John Farrell said.
The Detroit Tigers enter the 2017 season at a crossroads. Martinez, Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera and the rest of the Tigers will have another chance to make a run at the postseason this year. Detroit fell just short of a wild card in 2016, and although there's been some talk of cutting costs , the Tigers haven't started any major rebuilding process.
The Kansas City Royals and Alex Gordon were both flying high a year ago, the team coming off its first World Series title in three decades and the star outfielder having signed a new long-term contract. The Royals stumbled through a dismal July that left them in no man's land, too far out of contention to make a serious run at the division title yet not far enough out that they began selling off. Gordon was already struggling in late May when he broke his wrist in a collision with third baseman Mike Moustakas, who wound up missing the rest of the year with a torn ACL.
Jerry Dipoto was thrilled by the results from his first year in charge of the Seattle Mariners, when they won 86 games and were in contention for a playoff berth until the final weekend of the season. The Mariners didn't play the way Dipoto expected or wanted.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with defensive end Chris Long, who won a Super Bowl last season with New England.
Responding to a question about the Patriots at the NFL owners meetings Tuesday, the new Buffalo coach at first said he's so focused on his new job he hasn't had much time to think about anything else. McDermott, the defensive coordinator at Carolina before taking the Bills job, laughed when he heard that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady wants to play six or seven more years and that Belichick could coach until he's 80.
The Los Angeles Angels got plenty of good breaks in 2014, when they won a big league-best 98 games and led the majors in runs scored. The Angels got almost no breaks - injury or otherwise - last season while they finished 74-88, the worst record of manager Mike Scioscia's first 17 years in charge. The upcoming season seems likely to land somewhere in the middle for this team of extremes.
The Baltimore Orioles have found a formula for success, and they're sticking with it. For three of the past five years - including last season - that's gotten the Orioles into the playoffs. With defending major league home run champ Mark Trumbo, slugger Chris Davis and hard-hitting Manny Machado leading the way, Baltimore hopes to have enough power to compensate for a starting rotation that lacks depth and experience.
Sometime in the not distant future, they will become the Las Vegas Raiders. Until then, likely in 2020, Mark Davis' team belongs to Oakland. NFL owners approved the Raiders' move to Las Vegas 31-1 at the league meetings Monday.
Browns coach Hue Jackson has little use for pro days, especially when looking at quarterbacks. Cleveland is still searching for its franchise QB after nearly two decades back in the NFL. The Browns have the top overall draft pick following a 1-15 season, and also the 12th pick.
Injuries hit the New York Mets where it hurt last season, and they're becoming a pain again. Part-time center fielder Juan Lagares strained an oblique and, more unsettling, pitcher Steven Matz was scratched from a scheduled start because of tenderness in his left elbow. Matz, who underwent Tommy John surgery early in his professional career, had bone spurs removed from the elbow last fall.
The St. Louis Cardinals have been the gold standard of the NL Central for the better part of this century, having won nine division titles and reached the postseason 12 times. While the Chicago Cubs have been all the talk across baseball this spring following their first World Series championship in 108 years, the Cardinals have quietly been preparing for a return to the playoffs after missing last season for the first time since 2010. Motivation to make it back ''is at an all-time high from a team standpoint,'' starter Adam Wainwright said.
Somewhere along the line, at some point on the way to a historic World Series title, Kris Bryant and the Chicago Cubs figured out how much they enjoyed winning together at the big league level. ''Getting a lot of questions about how do you not be complacent,'' Bryant said, ''and that's why, because it was so much fun that you want to go through it again, and that's the only answer I'll ever be able to give, because both individually and as a team, that success is something that you strive for and you want every year you play this game. No major league team has won consecutive World Series since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998-2000, but the Cubs begin the year in an enviable position after winning it all in November for the first time since 1908.
Last season took a little longer for Bruce Bochy to get over. Same goes for many of his San Francisco players. An even year ended with the Giants short-handed this time, unable to get past the eventual champion Chicago Cubs in the NL Division Series.
Considering the way the last six months have gone for the Pittsburgh Pirates, simply playing meaningful games should provide a measure of relief. Let longtime franchise cornerstone Andrew McCutchen field balls in right field instead of talking - and talking, and talking - about the way the team very publicly put him on the trading block in the offseason, then told him the 2013 NL MVP he needed to slide over to right from center to make way for Gold Glover Starling Marte. ''This was more like, 'This is something you have to do.' It wasn't an ask,'' McCutchen said.
The Baltimore Orioles will have a new starter for their April 3 opener for the first time in the last four years. Manager Buck Showalter said Monday that right-hander Kevin Gausman to start against Toronto. The move to start the 26-year-old Gausman wasn't unexpected.
NFL owners approved the Oakland Raiders' move to Las Vegas at the league meetings on Monday. The vote was a foregone conclusion after the league and Raiders were not satisfied with Oakland's proposals for a new stadium, and Las Vegas stepped up with $750 million in public money. Bank of America also is giving Raiders owner Mark Davis a $650 million loan, further helping convince the owners to allow the third team relocation in just over a year.
Just the way spring training has gone for the Colorado Rockies. - Desmond had surgery on his broken left hand suffered when he was hit by a pitch. Should Colorado weather the early onslaught of injuries, the team could be a factor in the NL West.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Veteran reliever Joe Nathan has been released by the Washington Nationals, ending his bid to make the team a week before opening day.
Seattle Seahawks backup quarterback Trevone Boykin has been arrested in Dallas after police say he was in a vehicle that hit seven people on a sidewalk near a bar. Jail records show Boykin, a former TCU quarterback, was booked early Monday on misdemeanor charges of public intoxication and possession of marijuana. Dallas police say a vehicle backed onto a sidewalk and struck seven pedestrians, plus the bar, slightly injuring a bartender.
Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg will forever be linked as consecutive No. 1 overall draft picks who were supposed to become the superstars that would lead the Washington Nationals to a World Series championship. Well, the club in the nation's capital is still waiting to win one postseason series with that pair. If Washington is going to avoid its recent pattern of missing the playoffs a year after making them, the defending NL East champs could use big contributions from Harper and Strasburg in 2017.
The Miami Marlins begin their 25th season without their late ace, his legacy tarnished by recently disclosed details of his death, which somehow makes the shadow over the franchise even heavier. With the Marlins, it never seems to be just about baseball. A recent state report determined that had the Marlins pitcher survived, he could have been charged with multiple crimes, including boating under the influence manslaughter.
Oakland's mayor asked NFL owners to delay voting on a proposed move by the Raiders to Las Vegas, wanting to give her city a chance to negotiate with a small group of owners to complete a stadium deal at the Coliseum site. The league was set to vote Monday on the relocation, with the Raiders needing 24 of 32 owners to approve the move to a $1.7 billion stadium in Las Vegas that will be ready for play in 2020. ''Never that we know of has the NFL voted to displace a team from its established market when there is a fully financed option before them with all the issues addressed,'' Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement.
