JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — The Grapefruit League debut of St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina has been pushed back another day in order to give him more time to hone his swing, manager Oliver Marmol said on Saturday. Molina had been scheduled to play in Sunday’s game against the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie. Molina is now scheduled to make his debut on Monday against Houston.
In other baseball news:
— New York Yankees star slugger Aaron Judge will soon get a proposal for a long-term contract extension. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman says the offer will be made before opening day, with further negotiations possible. Cashman added that contract talks will not continue into the season. Judge said Saturday he was “pretty sure” he doesn’t want to negotiate a new contract during the season. The outfielder turns 30 next month and is eligible to become a free agent after the World Series.
— Jed Lowrie is staying with the Athletics through a one-year pact, extending the infielder’s third stint with the club. Lowrie batted .245 with 14 homers and 69 RBIs in 139 games for the A’s after signing a minor league deal with Oakland before last season.
— Guardians reliever James Karinchak could miss the start of the regular season with a shoulder strain suffered earlier this week. The team said he won’t throw for at least one week before being re-evaluated. The hard-throwing Karinchak went 7-4 with a 4.07 ERA and 11 saves last season.
— Major League Baseball is asking umpires to make more random checks this season for pitchers using sticky substances. MLB says its crackdown on grip-enhancing materials became less effective late last season. MLB instituted regular checks last June 21 for grip aids, and Seattle’s Héctor Santiago and Arizona’s Caleb Smith received 10-game suspensions.
