LITTLE ROCK — TIGERS Cabrera to play
LAKELAND, Fla. - Injured Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera said he is certain he’ll be in the lineup on opening day.
Cabrera rejoined his teammates Monday, a week after a bad-hop grounder in an exhibition game broke a bone below his right eye.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” said Cabrera, still showing discoloring beneath his eye. “There’s no pain and my vision is fine.”
The Tigers open the season on April 5 at home against Boston.
Cabrera led the majors with a .344 average last season, along with 30 home runs and 105 RBI for the American League Central champions.
A sharp drive by Philadelphia’s Hunter Pence left Cabrera with a gash that took eight stitches to close. Cabrera said he has looked at the replay of the Pence ball quite often since the injury a week ago Monday.
“It taught me about my positioning,” he said.
BRAVES Jones has knee surgery
ATLANTA - Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones has undergone arthroscopic surgery to repair a tear in his left knee and is expected to be out about three weeks.
The procedure was performed Monday in Atlanta by Dr. Marvin Royster, who said the torn meniscus was just as it appeared on the magnetic resonance imaging.
Jones, 39, will start the season on the disabled list. The Braves hope he can return in time for their home opener, April 13 against Milwaukee.
Jones announced last week he will retire after the season.
CARDINALS Carpenter returns
JUPITER, Fla. - St. Louis General Manager John Mozeliak said he is optimistic Chris Carpenter will pitch for the Cardinals this season. He just doesn’t know when.
Carpenter, who has yet to appear in a spring training game, returned to Cardinals’ camp after four days of tests last week in St. Louis to determine the cause of a nerve ailment that has weakened his throwing shoulder.
“Right now, the whole goal is to get his shoulder strengthened,” Mozeliak said Monday. “We are not going to put any timetable on it yet. We are just going to take it day by day.”
Carpenter, 37, has not faced hitters since batting practice on March 3. A bulging disk in his neck originally was thought to be the cause of the problem. The 2005 National League Cy Young Award winner was 11-9 last season, then went 4-0 in the postseason as the Cardinals won the World Series. He pitched 273 1/3 innings last year.
METS
Wright to make debut
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - David Wright is set to make his spring training debut for the New York Mets.
The All-Star third baseman has been slowed the past few weeks by a strained left abdominal muscle. He was in the starting lineup for Monday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals in Jupiter.
Wright, a five-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner, missed two months last season because of a stress fracture in his back. He hit a career-low .254 with 14 home runs and 61 RBI in 102 games.
BLUE JAYS McGowan reaches deal
DUNEDIN, Fla. - Right-hander Dustin McGowan and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a $4.1 million, three-year contract that adds an additional two seasons and $3.5 million to the deal he reached in December.
Under the deal announced Monday, McGowan keeps the $600,000 salary for this year from his previous contract, and salaries of $1.5 million annually are added for 2013 and 2014. Toronto has a $4 million option for 2015 with a $500,000 buyout.
McGowan returned late last season after two shoulder operations and finished 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA in five games. He had not appeared in a game since 2008.
Sports, Pages 20 on 03/27/2012