Next Slide  —  At Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.  —  What happened: The Detroit Tigers beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 2-1, in their Grapefruit League finale. ...  Left-hander Matthew Boyd threw five solid innings. ...  Cam Gibson was credited with the game-winning hit, a two-out RBI double in the top of the seventh inning. ...

Yanks' Greg Bird has ankle surgery again, out 6-8 weeks  —  ATLANTA (AP) — Oft-injured New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird had surgery on his ailing right ankle and could be sidelined for nearly two months.  —  The Yankees said Tuesday's operation went as planned.

Mets pitching coach Dave Eiland says starters need to perform consistently  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. —Dave Eiland marveled at the Mets pitching staff during the World Series in 2015 while he instructed Kansas City's hurlers.  —  Now, as the Mets' pitching coach, Eiland is equally as impressed …

Yankees have lowest payroll ranking since 1992  —  NEW YORK — The New York Yankees are on track to open the season this week with baseball's seventh-highest payroll, their lowest ranking since 1992, according to projections by The Associated Press.  —  The Boston Red Sox will top …

Gabe Kapler pleased with his first camp as Phillies manager  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. - The easy part is over for Gabe Kapler and his young Phillies team.  The book on spring training closed Tuesday afternoon following a 5-5 exhibition tie with the Pittsburgh Pirates and, predictably …

Aaron Judge switches equipment to Adidas from Under Armour  —  PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — New York Yankees star Aaron Judge is switching his equipment supplier to Adidas from Under Armour.  —  Adidas said Tuesday it had agreed to a multiyear partnership with the AL Rookie of the Year, who set a rookie record with 52 home runs last season.

Top prospect Ronald Acuna rejects Braves' $30 million contract offer  —  Atlanta Braves top prospect Ronald Acuna recently rejected a $30 million contract extension offer from the team, a source told ESPN Deportes.  —  The deal would have been in the range of five to six years, the source told ESPN Deportes.

Nationals put 2B Daniel Murphy, RHP Joaquin Benoit on DL  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Nationals have put second baseman Daniel Murphy and right-handed reliever Joaquin Benoit on the 10-day disabled list.  —  The Nationals also put righty Koda Glover on the 60-day DL and selected …

Twins putting RHP Phil Hughes on DL to begin season  —  WASHINGTON — Minnesota Twins right-hander Phil Hughes is beginning the season on the disabled list with a strained left oblique.  —  Twins manager Paul Molitor said before an exhibition game against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday …

Cardinals decide Hicks is ready now, promote power pitcher for opening day  —  MONTREAL  • The conversation started Sunday after hotshot rookie Jordan Hicks blistered through the Washington Nationals lineup in a sudden appearance no one expected him to make as recently as last week.

2001 Arizona Diamondbacks: Where are they now? … Following the team's postseason run in 2007, the Diamondbacks made a handful of moves with the biggest being the seven-player blockbuster trade that brought them starting right-handed pitcher Dan Haren from Oakland in exchange for pitchers Brett Anderson …

Will this be the year the Cincinnati Reds finally take a step in the right direction?  —  From the front office to owner's box to clubhouse, the Reds seem to sense that this is year that the franchise has to take a step forward.  —  Call it Rebuilding Fatigue.

Transportation woes spoil Joe Maddon's otherwise sunny spring training  —  Chicago Tribune  —  On the field, spring training ran about as smoothly as possible for Cubs manager Joe Maddon.  —  But off the field, Maddon was harnessed by transportation issues.

Daily News Sports Talk Podcast: Host Daniel Popper and David Adler talk MLB Opening Day  —  MLB.com's David Adler (@_dadler) joins the Popcast this week to talk baseball with Opening Day just two days away.  Adler and host Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) bounce around the league and touch …

Latest On Giants' Pitching Injuries  —  The injury bug has continued to attack Giants pitching, as manager Bruce Bochy told reporters (including NBCSports.com's Alex Pavlovic and Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group) that right-hander Julian Fernandez has suffered a UCL sprain and is headed to the disabled list.

Phillies need pleasant surprises from these players to contend |  David Murphy  —  If you are looking for a basis for optimism about this Phillies season, 2015 is a pertinent year.  At the time, rebuilding projects in Houston and Chicago were at a juncture similar to the one the Phillies' is at now.

White Sox rehire groundskeeper after wrongful conviction, more than 20 years in prison  —  A member of the Chicago White Sox groundskeeping crew returned to work Monday after being wrongfully convicted and spending more than two decades in prison.  —  Nevest Coleman was convicted in 1997 …

Ohtani gets a hit, Angels beat Dodgers in Freeway exhibition  —  Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Enrique Hernandez, left, tags out Albert Pujols at second as Pujols tried to stretch a single into a double during the first inning of a preseason baseball game Monday, March 26, 2018, in Los Angeles.

Marlins turn down $200G check from Marlins Man for season tickets: report  —  Marlins Man is no more in Miami.  —  For the first time since 1993, the orange-clad diehard fan of the now floundering baseball team will not have season tickets to Marlins games, after the team rejected his $200,000 check …