Avila says Fulmer, V-Mart set to go
Michael Fulmer and Victor Martinez are expected to be at full strength at spring training for the Detroit Tigers.
General manager Al Avila gave an update on their status yesterday following a luncheon with Detroit Sports Media. Fulmer had elbow surgery in September, around the same time Martinez underwent a surgical procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat.
After winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2016, Fulmer went 10-12 with a 3.83 ERA last season. Martinez hit .255 with 10 home runs and 47 RBI in 2017. The 39-year-old DH is entering the last season of a fouryear contract . ...
The Kansas City Royals signed former Blue Jays infielder Ryan Goins to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to big league spring training.
The 29-year-old Goins was nontendered by the Blue Jays after hitting .237 with a .286 on-base percentage last season. He did set career highs with 21 doubles, nine homers and 62 RBI . ...
Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Glen Perkins, a former three-time All-Star, confirmed his expected retirement, ending a 12-year major league career with 120 saves.
U.S. Ski team named
Past Olympic medalists Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin, Ted Ligety and Andrew Weibrecht are among the 22 ski racers named to the U.S. Alpine team heading to the Pyeongchang Games.
Vonn won a downhill gold and super-G bronze at the 2010 Vancouver Games, then sat out the Sochi Olympics four years later because of a knee injury. Shiffrin won a slalom gold in 2014, while Ligety owns two golds and Weibrecht has one silver and one bronze.
The U.S. men’s team includes David Chodounsky, Tommy Ford, Tim Jitloff, Nolan Kasper and Steven Nyman. The women’s roster includes Stacey Cook, Megan McJames, Alice Mckennis, Laurenne Ross, Resi Stiegler and Jackie Wiles.
The Olympics open Feb. 9 in South Korea.
Serena names return
Serena Williams plans to return to tournament play after the birth of her first child at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., which runs March 5-18.
It will be the two-time champion’s first tournament after 14 months off. Her daughter was born in September . ...
Michael Stich and Helena Sukova were elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., with the ceremony on July 21.
Stich won the 1991 Wimbledon singles championship and paired with John McEnroe to win the doubles title at the All England Club the following year. The German reached No.2 in the rankings and was a two-time runner-up at major tournaments. Sukova won a career Grand Slam in women’s doubles, and also won six mixed major titles in doubles and helped the Czech Republic win four Fed Cup titles.
Becks’ team a reality
David Beckham’s plan to bring Major League Soccer back to South Florida is on the cusp of becoming reality.
Beckham and his partners are planning a Monday event to announce Miami’s new MLS team, as well as its name and logo, a source told The Associated Press.
His group has said it wants the new team to begin play in the 2020 season . . . .
Two fortuitous goals helped Arsenal beat Chelsea, 2-1, and seal a League Cup final meeting with Manchester City.
Chelsea raced into a seventhminute lead through Eden Hazard but Arsenal quickly fought back when Nacho Monreal’s header from a corner ricocheted off Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso and Antonio Ruediger into the net.
Arsenal took the lead on the hour when Alexandre Lacazette’s cross was inadvertently diverted by Ruediger to Granit Xhaka, who poked it past Willy Caballero . . . .
Host Real Madrid was eliminated from the Copa del Rey quarterfinals after a shocking 2-1 defeat to Leganes. Playing without Cristiano Ronaldo and other regular starters, Madrid was unable to defend its 1-0 win from the first leg, crashing out on the away goals rule after a 2-2 draw on aggregate, on goals by Javi Eraso and Gabriel Pires.