Jones on DL; injury not as bad as feared
Atlanta third baseman Chipper Jones went on the 15-day disabled list Monday because of a sprained right knee and ankle, but the injury wasn’t as severe as the Braves feared.
Jones was injured Sunday when he charged in on Mike Matheny’s slow roller in the eighth inning of Atlanta’s 6-5 loss to the San Francisco Giants.
The Braves held their home opener against the Philadelphia Phillies without one of their most dangerous hitters, who has been plagued by injuries in recent years. This is the third straight season that Jones has gone on the DL.
Jones underwent an MRI on his knee and an X-ray of his ankle. They showed both were merely sprained.
Jones appeared to get his spikes caught in the soggy field and grabbed his right knee as soon as he hit the ground. He rolled around the field in pain, staying down for several minutes before he was helped off.
Initially, Jones thought he had torn his anterior cruciate ligament, flashing back to a similar injury to his left knee in 1994. But he left the stadium Sunday with an air cast on his ankle and nothing on his knee.
Ortiz signs extension
Red Sox slugger David Ortiz agreed to a four-year contract extension through 2010, just five months after finishing runner-up for the A.L. MVP award.
The designated hitter was in the last year of a $12.5 million, two-year extension he signed in May 2004. That deal called for a $6.5 million salary this year and gave Boston an option for 2007, currently valued at $8.4 million with a $1.4 million buyout. Ortiz’s new deal contains a team option for 2011.
•Red Sox center fielder Coco Crisp suffered a fracture on the base of his index finger on his left hand and will be sidelined for at least 10 days.
Cubs, Lee, agree to new deal
N.L. batting champion Derrek Lee and the Cubs agreed to a $65 million, five-year contract, a deal expected to be announced today.
The Cubs called a news conference for today but did not specify its subject, and Cubs general manager Jim Hendry declined comment.
Lee’s new contract calls for a $13 million annual salary from 2006-10 and contains a no-trade clause, one person familiar with the agreement said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Clearing the bases
Billy Hitchcock, a major league infielder during the 1940s and ‘50s who went on to manage three teams, died at age 89 in Opelika, Ala. … Nationals reliever Felix Rodriguez was suspended for three games and manager Frank Robinson for one for their roles in last week’s game against the Mets in which five batters were hit by pitches. … Actor Michael Keaton criticized Pittsburgh’s owners for not spending enough money to field a competitive team before he threw out the first pitch at the team’s home opener.