Times wires
Monday, March 21, 2011
CLEARWATER — The Phillies gave themselves a backup plan at second base, signing three-time All-Star Luis Castillo to a minor-league contract Monday.
Castillo will report to camp as a nonroster player and compete for playing time while five-time All-Star Chase Utley recovers from a right knee injury, with concern growing that Utley might not be ready for opening day.
Philadelphia general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said bringing in Castillo amounts to a 10-day tryout before the seasons begins April 1.
"We're going to see if he can play second base," Amaro said Monday. "We'll assess it, see if he's going to be able to help us. If he can, great. If he can't, we'll probably go with what we've got in camp."
HALLADAY SHARP: Ace RHP Roy Halladay pitched into the eighth inning in a 4-1 win over the Red Sox. "I felt good, both arm and body. I felt strong," Halladay said.
DUST YOURSELF OFF: CF Shane Victorino and LF Raul Ibanez appeared to be okay after colliding in the outfield during Monday's game. Victorino had a cut above his right eye after being hit by an Ibanez elbow.
Jays: No panic
DUNEDIN — Rookie C J.P. Arencibia has nothing left to prove in the minor leagues.
And despite his poor spring, the Blue Jays insist he's not going back.
Arencibia, 25, batted .301 with 32 home runs and 85 RBIs for Triple-A Las Vegas last season and was named MVP of the Pacific Coast League. This spring, he's batting .140 with one extra-base hit and one RBI in 43 at-bats.
General manager Alex Anthopoulos called those numbers "irrelevant."
"J.P. is going to get a lot of opportunities, and he's going to get a lot of rope," Anthopoulos told mlb.com. "That's just part of our commitment to him, and (part of that is) him not having to look over his shoulder and worry about having a bad day defensively (or) having a bad day offensively. We're going to stick with him, and we're going to give him an extended look."
Yanks: Pen on mend
TAMPA — Yankees LH reliever Pedro Feliciano threw his second bullpen session since being sidelined by upper left arm soreness.
Feliciano made 25 pitches Monday, two days after he had a 15-pitch session. He said everything went fine and he could pitch in a game this weekend.
RH reliever Joba Chamberlain was on the travel roster for today's road game against Baltimore. He has been out because of left-side upper-body muscle soreness.
