Aaron Boone John Raoux/Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. — The New York Yankees will carry 16 pitchers and three bench players on their roster for Opening Day on Thursday against the Boston Red Sox, according to Manager Aaron Boone.
Switch-hitting utilityman Marwin González will play a key role off the shortened bench.
“Marwin’s versatility gives up pretty good coverage everywhere,” Boone said before an exhibition Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers. “Just early on, got to make sure we protect and build up the arms properly. We’ll make it work, and if we have to change on the fly a little bit, we’ll do that.”
Right-handers Clarke Schmidt and Ron Marinaccio and lefty JP Sears also earned roster spots.
Teams are allowed to carry 28 players during April due to the shortened spring training.
Boone said the Yankees are planning to return to 13 pitchers and four position reserves when the expanded rosters end May 1.
• The Yankees signed first baseman Greg Bird to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Bird was with New York from 2015-19 but had his career derailed by injures. He opted out of his contract with the Toronto Blue Jays after hitting .261 with two homers and six RBI during spring training,
The 29-year-old played in Triple-A for Colorado last season, hitting .267 with 27 home runs and 91 RBI.
METS: Max Scherzer says his hamstring is feeling much better and that he’s ready to pitch Friday night against Washington in the second game of the season.
The Mets haven’t yet said who would start on Opening Day on Thursday at Nationals Park.
The news that Scherzer had come through OK in his bullpen session Tuesday morning certainly was a relief to the Mets. The team is still dealing with the recent diagnosis that fellow ace Jacob deGrom will be out for possibly two months because of inflammation around his right shoulder blade.
Mets Manager Buck Showalter wouldn’t commit to when Scherzer would pitch. But the three-time Cy Young Award winner is looking forward to facing Washington, which traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers late last season.
“Potentially (Friday),” Showalter said after Scherzer’s morning work. “It went good. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. There are parts to this whole thing – how he feels tomorrow, how he feels the next day.”
“I would not pitch him on Thursday. Never was going to,” he said.
BREWERS: Milwaukee catcher Pedro Severino was suspended for 80 games on Tuesday following a positive drug test, the fourth major leaguer penalized in two days.
Severino tested positive for the performance-enhancing substance Clomiphene, the commissioner’s office said. The women’s fertility drug has been used by some athletes to counter side effects of steroids use.
Severino will lose about half his $1.9 million salary. He apologized to the Brewers, teammates and fans.
“Since late 2020, my wife and I had been trying to start a family unsuccessfully,” Severino said in a statement issued by the players’ association. “When we returned to the Dominican Republic after the 2021 season, we sought medical assistance to determine why we had not succeeded. One of the doctors I consulted with prescribed me with a medication to treat infertility issues. Unfortunately, I now know that the medication contained Clomiphene. I accept responsibility for this mistake and have decided not to challenge my suspension.”
A seven-year major league veteran, the 28-year-old is in his first season with the Brewers after playing for Washington and Baltimore. He hit .248 with 11 homers and 46 RBI last season for the Orioles, leaving him with a .235 career average with 33 homers and 133 RBI.
“I have been tested more than 100 times in my career and I had never had an issue,” Severino said.
Severino batted .435 with two homers and nine RBI in eight spring training games. He was expected to serve as the main backup to 2021 All-Star Omar Narváez, filling a void that was created when the Atlanta Braves signed Manny Piña away from Milwaukee.
TIGERS: Newly acquired Detroit Tigers outfielder Austin Meadows is expected to be ready for Opening Day on Friday against the Chicago White Sox after recently being slowed by an oblique injury.
Meadows was set to play in a simulated game Wednesday.
The 26-year-old Meadows, who had a career-high 106 RBI last season, was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night for infielder Isaac Paredes and a competitive balance round B pick in the 2022 draft.
Meadows’ younger brother, Parker, was selected by Detroit in the second round of the 2018 draft. He played for Class A Lakeland and Class A West Michigan last year.
The Tigers open at Comerica Park, ready to show off a roster boosted by offseason trades and free-agent signings.
Meadows hit .234 with 27 homers last season.
MARLINS: Jesus Aguilar and the Miami Marlins reached agreement on a one-year contract that guarantees him $7.5 million.
The 31-year-old first baseman will get a $7.3 million salary this season. The deal includes a mutual option for 2023 with a $200,000 buyout.
Aguilar hit 22 home runs with 93 RBI and batted .261 for the Marlins last year.
ROYALS: Bobby Witt Jr., widely considered the best prospect in baseball, has made the Kansas City roster and will start at third base in the Royals’ season opener against the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday at Kauffman Stadium.
The move with the 21-year-old infielder was widely expected, especially after he hit well in spring training. Witt batted .290 with 33 homers and 29 steals across Double-A and Triple-A last season.
The Royals chose to go with Witt at third base, even though his natural position is shortstop, so they could keep Adalberto Mondesi there.
RAYS: Outfielder Manuel Margot has agreed to a $19 million, two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The deal includes salaries of $7 million in 2023, up from the $5.6 million the 27-year-old is due to earn this season, and $10 million in 2024. It also includes a $12 million mutual option in 2025 or a $2 million buyout.
Margot would have been eligible for free agency after this season.
Margot was obtained in a trade from the San Diego Padres in February 2020 and has played all three outfield positions over two seasons with the Rays.
He hit .254 with 10 home runs and 57 RBI last season.
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