Extended absence for Piscotty would test Cardinals' outfield depth  —  St. Louis Cardinals' Stephen Piscotty is assisted by trainer Adam Olsen after being hit by a thrown ball while scoring in the fifth inning during a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, April 4, 2017, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Brewers Claim Nick Franklin, Designate Michael Blazek Fror Assignment  —  The Brewers have claimed infielder/outfielder Nick Franklin off waivers from the Rays, reports Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link).  The Rays had designated the 26-year-old Franklin for assignment over the winter.

Jeter, Jeb Bush Among Billion-Dollar Bidders for Battered Marlins  —  It's opening week for Major League Baseball and a multibillion-dollar bidding war could soon start over one of the worst franchises in the sport.  —  At least three possible bidders have emerged to purchase …

Harper's 2 RBIs, Zimmerman's HR lead Nats over Marlins 6-4 (Yahoo Sports)  —  Bryce Harper had two RBIs and a nice ninth-inning catch, Ryan Zimmerman homered and Tanner Roark recovered from a shaky start to go six innings, leading the Washington Nationals past the Miami Marlins 6-4 Wednesday night.

A Season of Reckoning For a 'White Man's Sport'  —  Paint the Corners is a new monthly column about baseball.  —  Baseball is infamous for making fools out of prognosticators, but there's one thing we can say with near-certainty about the 2017 MLB season: it's going to be a let-down.

Leon homers to end Boston's 3-0, 12-inning win over Pirates (Yahoo Sports)  —  Sandy Leon hit a three-run homer in the 12th inning - his third hit of the game - and Chris Sale pitched seven dominant innings in his Red Sox debut to lead Boston to a 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night.

A Good Man Behind the Plate Is Hard to Find  —  Beyond Buster Posey and a handful of others, MLB is suffering from a dearth of top-line talent at the catcher position.  Is it just a blip?  Or a sign of things to come?  —  We don't appreciate Buster Posey enough.

White Sox agree to deal with Mike Pelfrey  —  The Chicago White Sox have agreed to a minor league deal with starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey, sources tell FanRag Sports.  After recently being released by the rival Detroit Tigers, Pelfrey will stay in the AL Central with the White Sox.

Yankees Prospect Clint Frazier Reportedly Asked If He Could Wear Mickey Mantle's Number  —  On WFAN today, Yankees radio broadcaster Suzyn Waldman told Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts that highly touted Yankees prospect Clint Frazier asked the Yankees “if they ever un-retire numbers.”

Wife: Ex-Dodgers star Pedro Guerrero fighting for life after stroke  —  Former Los Angeles Dodgers star Pedro Guerrero is fighting for his life in a New York hospital after suffering a stroke, his wife told ESPN's Enrique Rojas.  —  Guerrero's wife, Roxanna Jimenez, said Tuesday that …

Athletics Place John Axford On 10-Day DL  —  6:24pm: Axford first experienced discomfort while warming last night, Joe Stiglich of NBC Bay Area reports (Twitter links).  He'll undergo an MRI, but the hope is that he'll be back in the minimum time — only a week, since the DL placement can be backdated.

Minor League Transactions: March 25-31 |  BaseballAmerica.com  —  A summary of minor league maneuvering for all 30 clubs last week

Elbow Tear of Mets' Seth Lugo Will Cost Him at Least Two Weeks  —  Before the season began, the Mets were proud of the starting-rotation depth they had amassed.  Noah Syndergaard was positioned to be the ace, followed by Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and Steven Matz — all three expected …