Jurickson Profar to have surgery  —  Jurickson Profar had been throwing out to 105 feet with no major discomfort.  He has been having MRIs every 3 weeks to monitor his situation.  The MRI taken on Tuesday in Arlington showed increased strain on the subscapularis muscle in his right shoulder from the previous MRI.

Yankees give Cuban phenom Moncada secret 2nd workout  —  TAMPA — The Yankees took a second look at Yoan Moncada early Wednesday evening during a George M. Steinbrenner Field workout, The Post has learned.  —  Two people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the 19-year-old free agent …

Cole Hamels on Phillies: Winning ‘not going to happen here’  —  TAMPA - The words flow out of Cole Hamels' mouth without hesitation, equivocation, or the slightest tinge of remorse.  —  He wants to be traded from the Philadelphia Phillies.  —  This is not a threat.  —  He is not demanding a trade.

The K Zone  —  The key to the composition of the Royals bullpen is both a familiar face and an unknown commodity.  They retained Luke Hochevar because they trusted his potential for dominance as a reliever, but his readiness on Opening Day as he returns from Tommy John surgery is still a mystery.

To be up front about it, top hitter in 2-hole a smart play  —  3/24/13: Joe Mauer blasts a towering three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning to give the Twins a 3-0 lead  —  It's far from a full-blown trend, but an interesting little blip has appeared in some Major League lineups in the first week of the season.

Diamondbacks' new TV deal believed to be worth more than $1 billion  —  The Diamondbacks became the latest team to cash in on baseball's exploding local television market, agreeing to remain with Fox Sports Arizona under a contract that's believed to be worth in excess of $1 billion.

Member of 2003 World Series title team holds MLB record for pinch-hits  —  Lenny Harris was a .269 hitter over the course of his 18-year Major League career.  —  MIAMI — Another part of the Marlins' 2003 World Series championship squad is joining Miami's big league coaching staff.

Position battles, compelling storylines at Braves spring training  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  Braves pitchers and catchers report to spring training on Friday.  —  Platoons figure to be utilized far more extensively by the Braves than in recent years.  —  The Braves traded away three …

Red Sox begin preliminary extension talks with Farrell  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Traditionally, the Red Sox have used spring training as a time to begin contract extension talks with some of their players.  It happened last year with David Ortiz; the year before, the groundwork began …

Lackey aiming for World Series trifecta  —  JUPITER, Fla.  • Cardinals veteran John Lackey posted a double-figure win total last year for the 12th consecutive season in which he has been healthy at the big-league level.  —  Excluding the 2012 season, which he missed for Boston …

Danny Almonte Defends Jackie Robinson West: Everybody Does the ‘Same Thing’  —  CHICAGO — The player at the center of the last Little League scandal 14 years ago said Jackie Robinson West shouldn't have been stripped of its Little League U.S. title and suspects race might have been a factor in the outcome.