Brad Boxberger’s second year with the Rays brought big results in 2015.

Pirates ace Gerrit Cole threw 20 pitches off the mound Monday morning and reported no lingering discomfort after being held back by right rib inflammation at the start of Spring Training.

A minor leg injury has the Mets proceeding cautiously with one of their top starting pitchers. Jacob deGrom skipped a scheduled bullpen session Monday due to a bout of soreness in his inner left thigh, but neither he nor the team expressed any concern over the issue.

Few players in Astros camp turned as many heads when they reported as slugger Jon Singleton, who added some weight — apparently all muscle — this winter. Singleton now weighs 250 pounds and stands 6-feet-2, and is built like a tank.

Are you more Field of Dreams or Fever Pitch?

The Yankees have found some insurance to fill out their depth chart at first base, agreeing to a Minor League contract with left-handed hitting veteran Chris Parmelee late on Sunday.

MP & Silva, a leading international media rights agency, has been granted the global media distribution rights for all games of the 2017 World Baseball Classic and Qualifiers, the premier international baseball tournament featuring many of the world’s greatest players.

Spring Training will be especially important for 8 players trying to put last season in the rear-view mirror.

Who leads baseball in Statcast’s home-to-first speed rankings? You might think it’d be Dee Gordon or Billy Hamilton. It’s neither one; instead, it’s an Oakland outfielder who was once a 32nd-round pick. Now you know something about Billy Burns.

Pitchers and catchers are already there. Position players are all due this week. Spring Training is in full glory in Arizona and Florida, and already storylines are percolating as players show up to greet the new realities of all 30 Major League teams.

Pirates closer Mark Melancon and reliever Jared Hughes tested out a new Major League Baseball-approved protective cap during Sunday’s Spring Training workout. Both pitchers came away impressed, albeit with a split decision about whether they’ll keep wearing it.

In the vein of “We Follow Lucas Duda.”

The American League West turned into the battle of Texas in 2015, as the Rangers and Astros reigned supreme over their divisional foes. Before these rivals settle their competition on the field in ’16, we can get a head start on assessing them by comparing the fantasy value of their key players for the upcoming campaign.

The beard is not entirely gone, it just is not as pronounced as it was during Joba Chamberlain’s past two seasons in Detroit. After coming up through the Yankees’ clean-shaven system, the reliever jumped at the chance to embrace his facial freedom.

Dream big, Sonny. Dream big.

After becoming a big league regular in 2014 and an All-Star and Silver Slugger last year, J.D. Martinez sees the mental side of the game as his next step at Tigers camp.

The first time Padres manager Andy Green sat across from Alexei Ramirez was during the General Managers Meetings in November in Boca Raton, Fla. The Padres were desperately looking for a shortstop to stop or at least slow what had been a carousel at the position, and they had their eyes on Ramirez, a free agent coming off eight seasons with the White Sox.