Milwaukee Brewers left-handed reliever Will Smith tore a ligament in his right knee while taking his shoes off in the clubhouse after a minor league game on Thursday night.
Smith expected to share closer duties with Jeremy Jeffress. While the injury is not season ending, Smith is waiting to find out from test results if he will need surgery or not. He received the diagnosis of his injury Friday.
Smith said he was standing on one leg and taking the shoe off the other while getting ready to shower after the game. He lost his balance and twisted his right knee. Smith tore a ligament on the outside of the knee that connects the femur to the lower leg. Being left-handed, the right leg is his plant leg.
Manager Craig Counsell said the team will know in the next few days exactly how long Smith will be out. Heh went 7-2 with a 2.70 ERA in 76 appearances last year.
—Cleveland Indians outfielder Michael Brantley is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day after his surgically repaired right shoulder flared up earlier this week.
Brantley has played in just two games this spring and the Indians have held him out of action since shoulder soreness flared up after Monday’s game. He has long had a goal of being ready for Opening Day since undergoing surgery last November.
Brantley injured the shoulder attempting to make a diving catch against the Minnesota Twins on Sept. 22. He batted .310 with 15 homers and 84 RBIs last year.
—The World Series champion Kansas City Royals named right-hander Edinson Volquez as their Opening Day starter against the New York Mets.
Volquez will face Mets right-hander Matt Harvey on April 3 at Kauffman Stadium in a rematch of Game 5 in the World Series. He went 13-9 with a 3.55 ERA in 34 games last season.
—The Cincinnati Reds signed veteran right-handed pitcher Ross Ohlendorf to a one-year contract.
Ohlendorf was released by the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday after he opted out of his minor league deal Monday. He made eight spring training appearances, allowing six runs on nine hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts in nine innings.
Manager Bryan Price said the Reds will use Ohlendorf in the bullpen. He pitched for the Texas Rangers last season and was used in late-relief situations, going 3-1 with a 3.72 ERA in 21 games.
—The New York Yankees reassigned first baseman Chris Parmelee to minor league camp after Saturday’s 4-3 Grapefruit League win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Parmelee, who went 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter in the game, is batting .156 in 32 at-bats with no home runs and no RBIs this spring. Last season, he batted .216 with four homers and nine RBIs in 97 at-bats.