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.

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. ...

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 …

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 …

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.

Weaver finishes spring with (ho hum) another handful of shutout innings  —  MONTREAL  • There hasn't been the fanfare of the new guy imported from Japan or the older guy reworking his stuff, or even the less young guy with his new curveball or the opening day starter and his odd spring.

2001 Arizona Diamondbacks: Where are they now? … “You've gotta believe!”  —  That was the Diamondbacks' rallying cry over and over throughout a mildly chilly evening on Nov. 4, 2001, at Bank One Ballpark.  It was Sunday, Game 7 of the World Series against the 26-time world champion New York Yankees …

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 …

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.

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 …

How Ketel Marte's contract extension with Arizona Diamondbacks came to be  —  You don't see many baseball players under the age of 25 signing lengthy contract extensions.  In the age of free agency, locking up talented, young players has become increasingly difficult for MLB teams.

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 …

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.

M's Scott Servais: Ichiro (calf) ‘not quite at 100 percent yet’  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Seattle Mariners are monitoring Ichiro Suzuki's strained right calf to determine whether he'll be on the opening day roster or the disabled list.  —  Suzuki, 44, went -for-3 with a walk …

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.

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.

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 …