Miguel Montero first worked with Cubs top prospect Willson Contreras last summer during the veteran catcher’s rehab stint at Double-A Tennessee. This spring, Montero saw nothing but positives from the 23-year-old catcher.

Now that Yangervis Solarte us firmly established as the Padres’ third baseman, his work is more focused and compartmentalized.

Edwin Encarnacion doesn’t seem overly optimistic about being able to work out a long-term contract with the Blue Jays, and while president Mark Shapiro might not characterize negotiations the same way, he also doesn’t want to get into a public back-and-forth about the possibility of a deal.

Chone Figgins, a 12-year veteran and a member of the Angels’ 2002 World Series championship team, will sign a one-day contract with the club on Monday to announce his official retirement from baseball.

Jacoby Ellsbury is not expected to play until Thursday at the earliest after being hit on the right wrist with a pitch, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said on Sunday.

White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf issued a statement regarding Adam LaRoche.

Victor Martinez’s immediate and not-so-distant future is still uncertain.

Brett Oberholtzer can read between the lines. But he can read the Phillies’ pitching schedule, too. He will pitch back-to-back games as a reliever later this week, which is a good indication he will open the season in the bullpen.

The Marlins didn’t go with the obvious in selecting their Opening Day starter. Instead, the club threw a curveball to many by picking Wei-Yin Chen to face the Tigers on April 5 at Marlins Park.

Jose Fernandez and Giancarlo Stanton are both healthy. That matters more than any furor over whether Fernandez should be toeing the rubber in the opener or whether Stanton can outslug a 51-year-old Barry Bonds.

Ceremonial first pitches and a six-member umpiring crew for the Tampa Bay Rays’ historic trip to Cuba were jointly announced today by Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA). Ceremonial first pitch honors will be shared by two great Cuban right-handed pitchers: Pedro Luis Lazo, a longtime standout for the Cuban National Team and Pinar del Rio, and Luis Tiant, a three-time All-Star during his 19-year Major League career.

It was an ominous start Saturday for Mariners ace Felix Hernandez, who found himself in a bit of a pickle before breaking a sweat. One pitch into the game — a 4-2 loss to the D-backs — the D-backs had a runner on first base, after Socrates Brito singled on the first pitch he saw.

Albert Pujols, whose Opening Day status was believed to be in doubt at this time a month ago, seemed to be in midsesason form in Saturday’s 15-7 win over the Brewers — particularly in the third inning.

There was polite applause for Madison Bumgarner as he left Saturday’s Cactus League game against the Oakland A’s. It might have been the equivalent of a collective sigh of relief that the Giants ace was well enough to pitch in the first place.

You know young pitchers watch Zack Greinke. They’d be crazy not to pay attention when he’s around them. But can signing one of the game’s best pitchers make your hitters better, too? That seems like a big ask, but Chip Hale suggests it’s possible.

Clayton Kershaw went five solid innings in a 4-2 win, during which his four strikeouts and no walks were more indicative than the two runs charged to him.

For Giants starter Matt Cain, his long-awaited spring debut included pregame jitters, a couple of hits at the plate and most important of all, a lot of quality pitches.