Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto has fracture in right thumb

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Philadelphia Phillies two-time All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto has a small fracture in his right thumb and will be evaluated again in two weeks. Realmuto was injured while blocking a pitch six days ago. He practiced on the first day of spring training Wednesday but an MRI later revealed the break. His hand will be immobilized but it’s possible he’ll still catch pitchers during bullpen sessions. Realmuto said he’s confident he’ll be ready for the season opener on April 1, but wants to make sure hs thumb has healed.

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MLB cuts spring training travel, drops college opponents

MLB cuts spring training travel, drops college opponents

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Major League Baseball revamped its spring training exhibition schedule because of the pandemic, cutting travel for Florida-based teams in an effort to minimize virus risks. College baseball teams were dropped from the revised schedules because they are not subject to major league testing protocols. Also eliminated were split-squad games, which are traditionally used in the first half of the exhibition season to allow evaluation of more players. Pitchers and catchers start reporting for spring training on Wednesday, and the exhibition season starts Feb. 28, two days later than initially announced in September.

Phillies finalize 2-year deal with Didi Gregorius

Phillies finalize 2-year deal with Didi Gregorius

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The Philadelphia Phillies and shortstop Didi Gregorius have finalized a two-year, $28 million contract. Gregorius, who turns 31 next week, batted .284 with 10 homers, 40 RBIs and an .827 OPS in 60 games in his first season with the Phillies.  He hit .274 and averaged 20 homers and 75 RBIs over four seasons with the Yankees between 2015-18. The left-handed hitting Gregorius had 16 homers and 61 RBIs in 82 games in 2019 after Tommy John surgery on Oct. 17, 2018, to repair a torn elbow ligament.

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NL Cy Young winner Bauer joins World Series champion Dodgers

NL Cy Young winner Bauer joins World Series champion Dodgers

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Trevor Bauer is coming home to pitch for the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner announced his decision in a two-minute video posted to his Twitter account that ended with him saying, “And I can’t wait Dodger fans.” Bauer will get a reported $102 million for three years. Bauer turned 30 last month. He was born in North Hollywood and played baseball at UCLA. He joins a Dodgers rotation that had baseball's best ERA of 3.02 last year, when the franchise won its first championship since 1988.