White Sox catcher Alex Avila back from DL, ready ‘to join the party’  —  White Sox catcher Alex Avila said his main focus the last two weeks has been rehabbing a strained right hamstring that pushed him to the 15-day disabled list, but he was around the team enough to soak up some of the excitement of its 22-10 start.

Veteran slugger is hitting .333, but has hit only two homers  —  The Denver Post  —  Manager Walt Weiss admits he wasn't sure what to expect when the Rockies signed veteran Mark Reynolds to a one-year, $2.6 million contract.  —  “I just thought he was a guy who hit a lot of homers …

Angels' Andrelton Simmons needs surgery to repair UCL in left thumb  —  Los Angeles Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons will require surgery for what the team described Monday as a full thickness tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb.  —  The Angels said they would have an update on Simmons following the surgery.

Marte's 3-Run HR, 4 Hits Lead Mariners Over Rays  —  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSMAY 10, 2016, 1:33 A.M. E.D.T.  —  SEATTLE — Ketel Marte hit a tiebreaking three-run homer off Steve Geltz and had a career-high four hits to lead the Seattle Mariners to a 5-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night.

Cubs say walking Bryce Harper simply a product of his success  —  CHICAGO — Cubs manager Joe Maddon has heard some of the buzz regarding his decision to walk Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper six times Sunday, including three times intentionally.  —  Maddon said he doesn't think he did anything wrong.

Altuve Has 3 RBIs to Help Astros Beat Indians 7-1  —  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSMAY 9, 2016, 11:15 P.M. E.D.T.  —  HOUSTON — Jose Altuve had three RBIs and Colby Rasmus added two as the Houston Astros jumped on Corey Kluber for five runs in the third and cruised to a 7-1 win over the Cleveland Indians on Monday night.

New York Yankees bullpen to get boost from Aroldis Chapman return  —  NEW YORK — The back end of the bullpen has been the best attribute of the first month for the New York Yankees.  —  On Monday, the belief is it will get better because Aroldis Chapman will be on the active roster …

Nationals Extend Stephen Strasburg  —  In a move that has drastically altered next winter's free-agent market, the Nationals have officially agreed to a seven-year extension with righty Stephen Strasburg.  He'll reportedly earn a guaranteed $175MM over that term, though the deal does come with some wrinkles.

Drake's ‘Views’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart, Sets Streaming Record  —  EMAIL ME  —  As expected, Drake's Views album debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with an explosive first week.  The set earned 1.04 million equivalent album units in the week ending May 5 in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music.

Braves infielder Beckham coming off DL  —  The Braves plan to activate eteran infielder Gordon Beckham before Tuesday's series opener against the Phillies.  He's been on the 15-day disabled list recovering from a strained hamstring.  (Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com)

Granderson's HR Helps Mets Beat Dodgers 4-2  —  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSMAY 10, 2016, 1:39 A.M. E.D.T.  —  LOS ANGELES — Steven Matz won his fifth straight start, Curtis Granderson homered on the first pitch of the game, and Kevin Plawecki also went deep to lead the New York Mets over the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 Monday night.