In high school, Manny Machado seemed to want to be Alex Rodriguez. Now Machado is a 20-year-old star, and the best thing is, he's not A-Rod. ...more

Jose Reyes is working his way back from a badly sprained left ankle. But dreams of returning to Citi Field for the All-Star Game are out. ...more

In the three weeks that John Lackey has missed with a biceps injury, the Boston Red Sox have gone 12-5 and have shown signs of being a serious contender to win the American League East. But while Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz have been brilliant, the rest of the rotation hasn't. 3 to Watch says Lackey's return on Sunday could make a difference. ...more

Derek Jeter says he has 'no doubt' he'll be back playing with the New York Yankees, and 'no doubt' he'll be able to play as well as ever. He'll have to defy age and injury to do it, but just remember that defiance may be the role that Derek Jeter plays best. ...more

The New York Yankees hoped to survive the first few weeks of the season with a makeshift lineup and then watch their stars get healthy. But there was always a flaw in the plan, as Derek Jeter's setback on Thursday reminds us. ...more

Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera turned 30 on Thursday. Where do his before-30 numbers stand compared to other stars? Not bad, as it turns out. Cabrera is ahead of Pete Rose's pace for hits and ahead of Derek Jeter's, too. ...more

Mark Teixeira's injury means the Yankees will begin the season without at least eight of their 10 players who hit double-digit home runs in 2012. The Yanks have built their offense on home runs ('We're not the Bronx Bunters'), but where will the homers come from? ...more

CC Sabathia spent the second half of last season denying that his elbow was an issue, right up to the time the Yankees announced he would have surgery to clean it out. Sabathia admitted Tuesday that the elbow 'was always there,' and said he feels 'a relief' now. The Yankees, with so many other questions, hope that's true. ...more

The Giants are trying to keep their World Series-winning team together. They've already re-signed center fielder Angel Pagan, and are hoping to retain second baseman Marco Scutaro. But they face competition for Scutaro from the Cardinals and Yankees. ...more

The Marlins are trying to trade shortstop Yunel Escobar, with the A's, Yankees and Rays emerging as the three most interested teams. Escobar became a Marlin in the big trade with the Blue Jays, but the Marlins intend to use Adeiny Hechavarria at shortstop. ...more