Cardinals' dandy defensive plays steal outs, keep Wainwright tidy vs. Tigers  —  LAKELAND, Fla.  • Had Cardinals left fielder Jose Martinez's reach been an inch shorter or his 6-foot-6 frame been only 6-foot-4, the third inning might well have been over for Adam Wainwright and not the Tigers.

Dodgers ace Kershaw could miss opening day start  —  Clayton Kershaw might not be on the mound when the two-time NL champion Los Angeles Dodgers start the season.  —  The lefty ace is working his way back from shoulder soreness that caused him to shut down his spring training.

Twins tap All-Star Berrios to start on opening day  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Jose Berrios will be Minnesota's Opening Day starter, the first such assignment for the 24-year-old right-hander.  —  Twins manager Rocco Baldelli announced the decision to reporters on Monday, a natural honor for the team's only All-Star last season.

Snapshots from the first half of new-look Blue Jays spring training  —  DUNEDIN - Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo, always glad to chat about his two kids, shared a conversation he had with his 11-year-old son Alex the other day.  —  The update from his off-season home centred around …

Amed Rosario hit by pitch on hand, but X-ray brings good news  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The Mets seemingly have avoided a major concern as X-rays taken on Amed Rosario's left hand came back negative.  —  Rosario left Monday's 9-3 loss to the Red Sox after being hit by a pitch.

Al Leiter realizes another Mets dream  —  PORT ST. LUCIE — Al Leiter is ditching the Yankees TV booth for a seat within Brodie Van Wagenen's cabinet.  —  Leiter, who suited up for both New York teams during his near two decades in the big leagues, will serve as a baseball operations advisor for the Mets, the team announced on Monday.

Sources: Cubs restructure Brad Brach's contract, but 'everything's fine' after long free-agency process  —  MESA, Ariz. - In the end, Brad Brach is happy to be here.  —  This is a chance to close games, return to the playoffs and maybe earn a World Series ring.

Kaleb Cowart's grand slam helps Angels tie White Sox  —  THE GAME: The Angels (7-3-1) played to a 6-6 tie with the Chicago White Sox (3-6-1) on Monday afternoon in a nine-inning game played before 3,796 at Camelback Ranch.  —  HITTING REPORT: Jarrett Parker, who is battling for the fourth outfielder's job …

How Mike Trout could wind up with Bryce Harper in Philly  —  The ink is barely dry on Bryce Harper's contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, and Mike Trout is under contract with the Los Angeles Angels for the next two seasons, but everyone already is talking about what might happen after the 2020 season.

Diamondbacks' Rubby De La Rosa dominates in latest spring outing, but could open season in minors  —  Right-hander Rubby De La Rosa's two outings thus far this spring rank among the more electric of any Diamondbacks pitcher so far in camp.  Still, the odds might not be in De La Rosa's favor …

Bubba thump: Rangers prospect makes most of time in big-league spring game with homer  —  Bubba Thompson won't be in the major leagues this season, and there's a pretty good chance he won't be making his big-league debut in 2020 in the first season of Globe Life Field.

Hanley Ramirez 0-for-3 in Indians' spring training debut  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — Hanley Ramirez had a low-key start to spring training with the Cleveland Indians.  —  The 35-year-old flied out twice and grounded into a double play during Monday's 8-0 loss to San Diego.  —  “Slowly getting my timing back,” he said.

Volquez ‘great’ after two spring starts, but why does he think stadium radar gun is ailing?  —  The lineup the Colorado Rockies hauled out to Surprise Stadium on Monday won't be confused with the Blake Street Bombers from the mid-1990s and early 2000s.  —  The Rockies, in fact …

'It's a good day for him,' Craig Counsell says, as Jimmy Nelson throws his first live BP of spring  —  PHOENIX - Monday was an off day on the Brewers' Cactus League schedule but not for Jimmy Nelson.  —  Far from it.  —  As most of the team enjoyed its first day off of the spring …

Giants CEO stepping away as MLB investigates  —  San Francisco Giants president and CEO Larry Baer will step away from the team as Major League Baseball investigates an altercation between Baer and his wife in which he knocked her to the ground.  —  The Giants' board of directors announced Monday …

Red Sox don't have a closer, and they appear to have a plan to keep it that way  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — When it became apparent in early December that the Red Sox had no intention of re-signing Craig Kimbrel, the natural question became: Who will replace a potential Hall of Famer as the team's closer?

What's Really the Matter With the Celtics?  —  Boston was a preseason Finals contender, combining veteran All-Stars with an explosive group of youngsters.  But nothing has gone according to plan this season, and Kyrie Irving's long-term future with the team is in question.  Where did it all go wrong?

Rangers acquire outfielder Granite from Twins  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — The Texas Rangers acquired outfielder Zack Granite from Minnesota for right-hander Xavier Moore and $50,000, and the Twins dealt Moore to the Baltimore Orioles for $750,000 in 2019-20 international signing bonus pool allocation.