FORT MYERS, Fla. — Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford will be shut down this week to let his left wrist heal and it’s unlikely he’ll be ready to play by opening day, April 5 at Detroit.
Manager Bobby Valentine said Monday that Crawford would held out for five to seven days because of inflammation. Crawford had surgery on his wrist in January.
“He was examined and determined that he should curtail his swinging and his throwing,” Valentine said.
“The opening day thing is probably not realistic,” Valentine said. “It’s not the calendar. He’ll be ready when he’s ready.”
Pujols delivers in debut
PHOENIX — Slugger Albert Pujols went 2-for-3 with an RBI double, ending his Angels debut by popping up with the bases loaded in the third inning of Los Angeles’ 9-1 victory over an Athletics split-squad.
“That was fun,” Pujols said of batting in each of the first three innings. “Hopefully we get to do that a lot this season.”
Left-hander C.J. Wilson, the Angels’ other big free-agent acquisition, tossed two scoreless innings in his debut.
Verlander sharp over two
LAKELAND, Fla. — AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander pitched two scoreless innings in his spring debut, leading the Tigers to a 4-2 victory over the Blue Jays.
Verlander gave up one hit and struck out one.
Johnson falters for Marlins
JUPITER, Fla. — Josh Johnson retired the first five batters but failed to make it through the second inning in his first game since May for the Marlins, who beat the Cardinals 4-3.
With two out in the second inning, Johnson gave up a single, a double and a walk to load the bases. At that point he had thrown 41 pitches, and manager Ozzie Guillen took him out.
“Great outing,” Guillen said. “He threw the ball very well and pain-free. That’s a very, very good beginning. Hopefully we keep it on track. Obviously we have to monitor it very carefully, but I’m very excited to see this kid back on the mound.”
Footnotes. Jair Jurrjens gave up two runs and three hits in his first game since his season was cut short by a balky right knee in Atlanta’s 10-5 victory over the Astros.
• Washington’s Rick Ankiel, sporting a new batting stance, homered against Dillon Gee in the second inning, and top prospect Bryce Harper went 2-for-2 with a walk as the Nationals beat the Mets 3-1.
• The Pirates and outfielder Andrew McCutchen are closing in on a new contract through the 2017 season, with a club option for 2018.
• Don Mincher, who spent 13 years in the major leagues and was a two-time AL all-star, died in Huntsville, Ala., after a long illness. He was 73.
