PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Robinson Cano is ready to take another swing at first base.
A second baseman throughout his career, Cano played first in spring training Thursday as the New York Mets experiment with options that could keep his bat in the lineup on occasion.
The 39-year-old Cano has played 2,158 games at second base during his 16-year major league career. His only experience at first was 14 games with the Seattle Mariners in 2018.
“They’re going to do some things with him tomorrow morning so it’s not cold turkey,” Mets Manager Buck Showalter said Wednesday night.
Jeff McNeil is penciled in as New York’s primary second baseman this season. Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith top the depth chart at first, and Cano figures to fit often as the designated hitter – which gets adopted in the National League this year.
But the Mets are looking for defensive insurance and other ways to get at-bats for Cano, a .303 career hitter with 334 home runs and 2,624 hits.
He sat out the entire 2021 season while serving his second suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.
PADRES: Yu Darvish will make his second straight Opening-Day start for the San Diego Padres when they open their season on the road against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 7.
New manager Bob Melvin made the decision to go with the right-hander, who was 8-11 last season with a 4.22 ERA. His late-season fade in 2021 mirrored the rest of the Padres, who spent a lot of money during the offseason, started the season with high hopes but ended with a disappointing 79-83 record, far behind the Giants and Dodgers.
The 35-year-old Darvish hopes to return to his 2020 form, when he was 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA and finished second in the NL Cy Young Award voting. He’s had a good start to the spring, striking out 10 batters over seven innings, giving up just one earned run in the Cactus League.
RULES: MLB finalized a rules change to bring back automatic runners in extra innings for a third straight season.
Despite an easing of pandemic restrictions, MLB and the players’ association agreed to keep the controversial rule that starts each team with a runner on second base during extra innings for the 2022 regular season.
The agreement regarding on-field rules modifications also includes expanding active rosters from 26 players to 28 from Opening Day on April 7 through May 1 this year, due to the delayed start of spring training.
Another new rule benefits Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani. With the designated hitter adopted in both leagues, pitchers who start games in the batting order can remain in the game as a DH after leaving the mound. A DH can also enter the game to pitch. That change will apply to multiple seasons.
ROYALS: The Kansas City Royals exercised their club option on Mike Matheny for the 2023 season, eliminating any uncertainty over whether their manager will remain with the club after the coming season.
Matheny is entering his third season with the Royals, which includes the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season and his first 162-game run as the manager last season. He is 100-122 with Kansas City and 691-596 overall, including seven seasons as the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals.
BREWERS: Ten-year veteran Brock Holt ended his bid to win a bench spot with the Atlanta Braves when he requested and was granted his release.
Holt, 33, signed with Atlanta on a minor league deal and was invited to the major league camp. He was competing with versatile veteran Phil Gosselin and Pat Valaika for a utility position.
Holt hit .209 with two homers and 23 RBI in 76 games with Texas in 2021. He made his major league debut with Pittsburgh in 2012 before playing seven seasons with the Boston Red Sox.
Holt played every infield and outfield position with the Red Sox but was primarily a third baseman with the Rangers. He has a .262 career batting average in 10 seasons.
GUARDIANS: Shane Bieber will throw the first pitch for the Cleveland Guardians.
As expected, Bieber will start the season opener on April 7 at the Kansas City Royals. Manager Terry Francona made the formal announcement after speaking to the right-hander, who missed three months last season with a shoulder strain.
Bieber will be the 12th pitcher in franchise history to make three consecutive Opening-Day starts.
The 26-year-old went 7-4 with a 3.17 ERA last season, but made only 16 starts because of the shoulder injury.
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