ICHIRO IS BACK HOME WITH THE MARINERS

Milwaukee’s Braun giving 1st base a try

Veteran player says he always has come back to Seattle, and at age 44, insists he wants to play until he is “at least 50.”

Now that Ichiro Suzuki, 44, is back with the Seattle Mariners, he hopes to stick around awhile.

“I think everybody hears that I want to play until I’m 50,” he said through a translator. “But I want to make sure everybody understands that I always say at least 50.”

The outfielder rejoined his former team Wednesday with a $750,000, one-year contract.

Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto said discussions about Suzuki’s return intensified about a week ago, when the club’s outfield injury situation became a greater concern.

RAYS: Tampa Bay said righthander Jose De Leon has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

The team said Wednesday on Twitter that he will be examined by Dr. James Andrews.

De Leon, 25, is the second top Rays prospect to incur a major elbow injury this spring training. Right-hander Brent Honeywell, the MVP of last year’s AllStar Futures Game, was hurt pitching batting practice Feb. 22. Honeywell tweeted on Feb. 28 that he had undergone Tommy John surgery with Andrews.

BREWERS: Ryan Braun is a work in progress at first base, three Cactus League starts into a transition to try a new position.

The veteran outfielder hasn’t spoken much about his time at first. He made two strong plays in the opening innings of his first game. He had an error and a few other struggles in his third infield outing.

Manager Craig Counsell has taken a wait-and-see approach.

“We’re evaluating 14 innings of baseball,” Counsell said. “Let’s let him play first base.”

Normally a left fielder, Braun has been open to giving first a try. The move, if it works out, allows Milwaukee to help relieve an outfield logjam created by the offseason signing of Lorenzo Cain and trade for Christian Yelich. Incumbent right fielder Domingo Santana had career highs of .278 with 30 homers and 85 RBIs last year.

CARDINALS: Adam Wainwright worked 3⅔ innings in his second start of the spring for St. Louis in a 4-3 win over Washington. Cardinals closer Luke Gregerson is expected to be sidelined for at least a couple of days with tightness in his oblique.

TIGERS: Victor Martinez hit his third homer of the spring for Detroit in a 6-5 loss to Toronto.

DODGERS: Clayton Kershaw pitched three shutout innings and Logan Forsythe homered and doubled for Los Angeles in a 4-2 win over the LA Angels.

ROCKIES: New Colorado closer Wade Davis gave up a two-run homer to Drew Robinson in a 5-4 win over Texas. Also, the Rockies’ Charlie Blackmon hit his second homer of the spring.