TIGERS
Pair has surgery
CLEVELAND -- Detroit Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez underwent a successful surgical procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat, and starter Michael Fulmer had season-ending surgery on his elbow Tuesday.
Martinez had a heart ablation on Monday in Detroit, and Manager Brad Ausmus said Tuesday that the five-time All-Star was recovering at home.
"Rest is the first order of business for him right now," Ausmus said before the Tigers' game against the Indians.
Martinez has been on the disabled list since Aug. 27 following the second occurrence of an irregular heartbeat this season. He previously was on the DL from June 16-28.
Martinez, 38, had experienced a racing heart during a game last month and was briefly hospitalized. Martinez, who batted .255 with 10 home runs and 47 RBI in 107 games, is signed through next season.
Fulmer underwent an ulnar nerve transposition surgery in Pensacola, Fla. Dr. James Andrews performed the operation on last season's AL Rookie of the Year, who is expected to be medically cleared in time for the start of spring training.
Fulmer tweeted after returning to his hotel: "Thank you to everybody for the well wishes. Surgery went well and I'm looking forward to spring training coming back better than ever. 100 percent."
The right-hander had been experiencing numbness in his fingers. Fulmer made his last start on Aug. 29.
He went 10-12 with a 3.83 ERA in 25 starts but lost his last six decisions and didn't win after July 15.
METS
Catcher Nido recalled
CHICAGO -- The New York Mets have recalled catcher Tomas Nido from Class AA Binghamton.
Nido, 23, hit .232 with 8 home runs and 60 RBI in 102 games with Binghamton. He was selected by New York in the eighth round of the 2012 draft.
The Mets also announced Tuesday that they had acquired minor league right-hander Eric Hanhold from Milwaukee as the player to be named in the Neil Walker deal. Walker was traded to the Brewers on Aug. 12.
Hanhold, 23, went 8-3 with 2 saves and a 3.94 ERA in 30 games for Class A Carolina this year. He was selected by Milwaukee in the sixth round of the 2015 draft out of the University of Florida.
MLB
Same-day starts in '18
All 30 teams will begin play on the same day in 2018, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday. It is the first time that has happened since 1968.
Those games will be played on March 29, the earliest start for domestic games in history. Games have been played on March 30 several times, most recently in 2014.
The early date was motivated by new collective bargaining rules that mandate more rest time for teams. The 2018 schedule will have three or four extra days off per team.
Whether intentional or not, there are few games in outdoor stadiums in colder climes the first few days, with only Baltimore, Detroit, Cincinnati and the New York Mets hosting games.
In another departure, the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals will play a game at Wrigley Field on July 19, two days after the All-Star Game. In recent years, that date had been kept clear. The game will be played during the day and will be the only game on the schedule.
The Cubs-Cardinals game replaces the Sunday night nationally televised game that is usually played before the All-Star Game, which has been barred by the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The All-Star Game itself will be played in Washington for the first time since 1969, when the old Senators played games at RFK Stadium.
The Minnesota Twins will play the Cleveland Indians in a two-game series in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in April. They will be the first regular-season games on the island since 2010.
The Mets will host the Cardinals on Opening Day, and the New York Yankees will play the Blue Jays in Toronto.
Sports on 09/13/2017