In a perfect world, Astros manager Bo Porter would like to avoid platoons. That could be hard to do in right field and at first base, where there are no clear-cut candidates in camp to be the starter at those spots. But he has four more weeks to work that out.

Royals reliever Guillermo Mota retired Sunday after 14 seasons in the big leagues. He was 39-45 with a 3.94 ERA in 743 career appearances.

The first weekend of Spring Training games wraps up this afternoon with a full slate of action in both the Cactus League and the Grapefruit League, including some intriguing pitching matchups, debuts and comebacks.

The Braves are finalizing a Minor League deal with Cuban catching prospect Yenier Bello, according to an industry source. The agreement includes a signing bonus and an invitation to Spring Training. The team has not confirmed the deal.

To say Bobby Parnell had saved the Mets’ season is to overstate the situation, but his throwing session Saturday and his “everything’s fine” reaction to it made his team’s day.

The Phillies didn’t seem to mind that Saturday’s game turned into a command performance for the Yankees’ starting rotation, including Masahiro Tanaka. The little boy in all of them was happy to be a part of Major League Baseball’s marquee event of the day.

Saturday’s rainout of the exhibition game against the Chicago Cubs didn’t change pitching plans for the Giants’ top starters who could have been affected.

CC Sabathia has grown tired of discussing the diminished velocity of his fastball, so the Yankees left-hander shrugged when he was informed that it had topped out at 88 mph in his first start of the spring.

Masahiro Tanaka was greeted by a warm ovation as he made his first trip to the mound as a Yankee on Saturday afternoon. Two scoreless innings later, the touted right-hander exited to an even more enthusiastic reception.

Veteran right-hander Scott Baker threw a pair of scoreless innings in his first start of the spring, and new second baseman Robinson Cano had two hits and drove in a run as the Mariners topped the Angels, 5-3, on Saturday.

Playing his first game with the Red Sox, A.J. Pierzynski heard a sound that has become very familiar in his career. The crowd at Hammond Stadium, the home of the Minnesota Twins, gave him a round of boos.

If it was any other player, there would have been no talk of when the center fielder lost his footing a little and banged slightly into the wall trying to track down a double by Brian Dozier in the first inning on Saturday. But it wasn’t any other player. It was Grady Sizemore, who is trying to make a comeback with the Red Sox after not playing in the Majors since 2011.

Top third-base prospect Miguel Sano will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, the Twins confirmed Saturday.

With Justin Verlander poised to rejoin the rotation next week, Lobstein stepped into the open rotation spot this first turn through Grapefruit League play on Saturday against the Astros. He not only shut down Houston, he became the first Tigers pitcher this spring to toss three innings, walking one and striking out four without allowing a hit.

At morning workouts at the player-development complex outside of JetBlue Park, fans rushed around to try to get a glimpse of Johnny Manziel, the quarterback simply known in gridiron circles as “Johnny Football.”

Henry Urrutia will be shut down for the next two days with a sore right shoulder, according to manager Buck Showalter.

Mariners right fielder Corey Hart took his first step toward returning from a pair of microfracture knee surgeries with a successful debut in Friday’s 12-1 victory against the Padres and said all checked out great Saturday morning when he reported back to work.