LDN - Sports

Major League Baseball roundup

[April 03, 2017] April 2 (The Sports Xchange) - The St. Louis Cardinals and catcher Yadier Molina agreed to a three-year contract extension on Sunday.

The deal is reportedly worth around $60 million, and will keep the 34-year-old Molina in St. Louis through at least 2020.

Molina, who has spent his entire 13-year career with the Cardinals, was entering the final season of a five-year, $75 million contract he signed prior to 2013. That deal included a $15 million option for 2018 with a $2 million buyout.

Molina hit .307 with eight home runs and 58 RBIs in 147 games in 2016, with a .360 on-base percentage and a .427 slugging percentage. He owns a career .285 average with 108 homers and 703 RBIs in 1,611 games.

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The Toronto Blue Jays released outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. and placed closer Roberto Osuna on the 10-day disabled list with a back injury.

Upton, 32, was acquired by the Blue Jays last July from the San Diego Padres. He hit .194 with three home runs and seven RBIs during spring training. He has 164 home runs and 586 RBIs in 12 major league seasons with a career batting average of .243.

Osuna's DL stint was made retroactive to March 30 with his injury listed as a cervical spasm. Osuna, 22, had 36 saves for the Jays last season with an ERA of 2.68 in 72 appearances.

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Minnesota Twins left-hander Glen Perkins was placed on the 60-day disabled list as he continues to recover from last season's shoulder surgery.

The three-time All-Star closer had a torn labrum repaired on June 23.

Twins manager Paul Molitor named right-hander Brandon Kintzler as the closer to open the season.

Perkins, 34, saved 102 games in a three-season span prior to last season's injury woes.

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The Kansas City Royals placed outfielder Jorge Soler on the 10-day disabled list with a strained oblique.

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Soler, who was acquired from the Chicago Cubs in December for closer Wade Davis, was injured last Sunday in a minor league spring training game. An MRI exam revealed a Grade 1 strain of his oblique.

Soler hit .238 with 12 home runs and 31 RBIs in 86 games for the Cubs in 2016.

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The Cleveland Indians signed catcher Roberto Perez to a four-year contract with club options for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Perez, 28, owns a career major league batting average of .220, with 11 home runs and 42 RBIs in 160 games since debuting with the Indians in July 2014.

He batted .183 with three homers and 17 RBIs in 61 games during an injury-riddled 2016 season. He underwent surgery last May to repair a broken thumb.

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Christian Bethancourt, a catcher by trade, made the San Diego Padres' Opening Day 25-man roster as the club's eighth and final relief pitcher.

Bethancourt, 25, will be one of the most unusual players in the majors this season. He will catch, play outfield, and pinch hit in addition to his main role as a relief pitcher.

Last season, Bethancourt caught 41 games (35 starts), played in 12 (seven starts) as an outfielder and appeared in one game as a second baseman. He batted .228 with six homers and 25 RBIs. (Editing by Gene Cherry)

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