The Rockies enter their Cactus League schedule looking to devise the most productive lineup and starting rotation, all while trying to stay healthy for the start of the regular season.

After more than 20 years across Japan and Major League Baseball, Ichiro Suzuki for the first time finds himself without a position or a starting berth on a Yankees team chocked with high-priced outfielders and Japanese stars.

Michael Choice is only getting started in the desert. He is expected to get as much playing time as possible during the Cactus League so the Rangers can assess exactly what they received in a four-player trade with the Athletics on Dec. 3.

Before Brad Ausmus embarked upon his Grapefruit League debut as Tigers manager on Wednesday, he was asked how he wanted people to view his team. Aggressiveness, and finding different ways to bring in a run, is at the top of the list.

Ryan Braun said it was just another spring at-bat, a brick in the wall. Nothing more. If you’re inclined to see something larger, to make it some symbolic turning of the page, you’ll have to go it alone.

Reports once indicated that Mike Trout’s representatives and the Angels were discussing a six-year, $150 million deal. That could still happen after his $1 million 2014 contract. In fact, getting this piece of the puzzle in place probably increases the odds of a lucrative extension.

It’s not very often that knuckleballers talk about the velocity of their pitches, but then again, R.A. Dickey has never been the prototypical knuckleball pitcher.

Adam Dunn will be in attendance at Sunday’s Oscars presentation in Hollywood. The White Sox slugger is an investor and had a cameo role in Best Picture nominee Dallas Buyers Club.

Ryan Braun hit the second pitch he saw for a two-run homer in his first at-bat for the Brewers since completing a 65-game drug suspension, and teammate Juan Francisco homered twice in a 11-3 victory over the host A’s on Thursday.

An 8-2 Grapefruit League loss to the Pirates marked the unofficial start of Derek Jeter’s farewell tour, and all you really need to know is he felt great both when the day began and when it ended.

The Pirates programmed Tony Sanchez for a third year of Triple-A seasoning by swinging an early December trade with the Yankees for Chris Stewart. Two veterans in camp in an era teams do not carry three catchers sealed Sanchez’s short-term fate.

Jeff Samardzija, who has spent plenty of time as the subject of trade rumors since last season, opened with a four-pitch walk but gathered himself to turn in two solid scoreless innings in his Cactus League debut.

“All we need now,” manager Terry Collins said Thursday following an intrasquad game, “are hitters wearing different colors.” Come Friday afternoon, the Nationals will fill that need, and the Mets’ Spring Training season will begin.

Joba Chamberlain wasn’t looking to light up scouts’ radar guns in his first outing as a Tiger. He wasn’t looking to strike out the side, either.

Derek Jeter said that he has not felt this good on the field for over a year, and with his Spring Training debut now in the books, the Yankees’ captain is excited to be able to count on seeing his name in the lineup more and more.

Yu Darvish reeled off two scoreless innings and Prince Fielder smashed a home run as the Rangers dealt last year’s Cactus League champions, the Royals, a 11-4 loss in the opener for both clubs on Thursday at Surprise Stadium.

Despite his name popping up every few months, Cliff Lee still finds himself in a Phillies uniform, still hoping the team can make the postseason and win a World Series. He took his first step toward that goal Thursday afternoon at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium, where he made his Grapefruit League debut in a 7-5 loss to the Blue Jays.