Times wires
Saturday, February 26, 2011
LAKELAND — Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera may play his first spring game Monday against the Yankees after his Feb. 16 arrest on a charge of drunken driving.
"He will not play" today, manager Jim Leyland said. "Monday's more a possibility, but I'm not sure about Monday, either."
Leyland said Cabrera had an "excellent" workout Saturday under first-base coach Tom Brookens' guidance at the Tigers' spring camp in Lakeland, but, "truth be told, I don't want to get second-guessed (about playing Cabrera too soon). …
"I'm not going to put him out there for one day and do something crazy."
Leyland said he will meet with Cabrera, head trainer Kevin Rand and strength and conditioning coordinator Javair Gillett before making a final decision on when to put Cabrera in the lineup. Cabrera came in second in AL MVP voting last season.
He was arrested in Fort Pierce, about 110 miles from Lakeland. Police said they approached Cabrera's car, broken down on the side of the road, and smelled alcohol on his breath and that he took a gulp from a bottle of scotch in front of an officer.
NEW GIG FOR TORRE: Commissioner Bud Selig hired former player and manager Joe Torre as MLB's executive vice president for baseball operations.
In what Selig called "a very critical appointment," Torre, 70, will oversee major-league operations, onfield discipline, umpiring and other areas. He also said Torre would be one of baseball's representatives to general managers and field managers.
Torre won four World Series titles with the Yankees during a 29-year career as a manager. He retired after last season after three years with the Dodgers.
"I retired from managing, and when I did, I made mention that I still have the energy to work. Really, baseball has been a huge part of my life. I just would like to do something significant," Torre said. "This fills the bill, no question about it."
GUILLEN RIPS EX-CLOSER: White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen responded to comments by former closer Bobby Jenks, saying he feels bad for the new Red Sox reliever.
In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Jenks was critical of the White Sox front office.
Initially attempting to hold back, Guillen ended up talking about the situation for more than seven minutes.
"First of all, he can't make any comments about last year because he was never in the clubhouse. He spent more time in his house than he was in the clubhouse," Guillen jabbed. "The only thing I can say is I feel bad for him because I think the way we treated this kid, just the White Sox, myself, our front office people … we helped him a lot, on the field and off the field."
INDIANS: Free agent reliever Chad Durbin is close to agreeing to a one-year contract. Durbin, 33, spent the past three seasons with the Phillies.
NATIONALS: Right-hander Chien-Ming Wang, 30, who missed last season while recovering from shoulder surgery, will make his spring training debut Friday.
ORIOLES: Second baseman Brian Roberts returned to practice after missing three straight days with a stiff neck. … Right-hander Justin Duchscherer was held out of workouts because of hip soreness.
RANGERS: Right-hander Brandon Webb is scheduled to pitch off a mound today for the first time in 10 days. Webb, 31, hasn't pitched in the majors since the 2009 season opener for Arizona because of shoulder surgery.
REDS: Right-hander Edinson Volquez will miss today's spring opener because of problems with his work visa.
ROYALS: Rookie right-hander Henry Barrera received good news after an MRI exam of his aching right elbow detected no structural damage. Barrera, 25, threw three pitches in an intrasquad game Friday before walking off the mound in pain.