East
Blue Jays
Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, Melky Cabrera and Jose Reyes wore pink armbands last week to mark Mother’s Day in the Dominican Republic. … Encarnacion tied the team record for homers (12) in May set by Jose Bautista in 2010. “You’ve got to make sure you’re watching,” C Erik Kratz said of Encarnacion’s at bats. “He makes the game look a little bit easier. It’s definitely exciting to watch.”
Orioles
C Nick Hundley, 30, has been in the major leagues for parts of seven seasons. In his first game since being traded by the Padres to the Orioles, Hundley admitted in the first inning he had a flash of that rookie angst when he crouched and began receiving pitches from RHP Chris Tillman. “My first at-bat and first inning catching felt like it was the first game I ever played,” Hundley told the Baltimore Sun. “It felt like my debut. It was awesome to feel that. And then get rid of it.”
Rays
RHP Jeremy Hellickson (arthroscopic right elbow surgery) threw batting practice for the second and is set to pitch in a simulated game. He expects to return before the All-Star break. … 3B coach Tom Foley plans to keep wearing Rays senior adviser Don Zimmer’s uniform No. 66. Zimmer is recovering from heart and lung surgery last month. “Just to let him know we’re thinking about him every day,” Foley said “I’ll wear it until somebody tells me not to.” … The Rays selected C Ali Solis from Triple-A Durham and transferred RHP Matt Moore (elbow) to the 60-day DL.
Red Sox
David Ortiz made his first start of the season at 1B last week. The team placed 1B Mike Napoli (sprained finger) on the 15-day DL. Ortiz helped snap a 10-game losing streak with a three-run homer to defeat the Braves. Manager John Farrell: “It’s been too long since we last shook hands following a win.” Farrell called it “a total team win,” then pointed to the two powerful bats in the middle of the lineup — Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia.
Yankees
1B Mark Teixeira reported soreness in his surgically repaired right wrist, raising concerns about the stability of his wrist. “It’s definitely barking at me,” Teixeira told the New York Times. Since returning from a hamstring injury in April, Teixeira has played virtually every day, which may have caused the irritation. Teixeira played in only 15 games last year after he tore a tendon sheath in the wrist during the 2013 World Baseball Classic. He later had surgery. … Derek Jeter, who plans to retire after the season, passed former White Sox great Luis Aparicio for second in games played at SS with 2,584.
Compiled by Rick Crotts from wire reports.
