Howard joins Braves

After learning Ryan Howard had agreed to a contract with Atlanta, Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman texted the slugger an emoji of clapping hands.

“When he walks up to the plate, he can still change the game with one swing of the bat,” Freeman said Thursday when Howard’s minor league deal was announced.

If added to the 40-man roster, Howard would get a contract paying a $750,000 salary in the major leagues this year and $120,000 in the minors. He would have the chance to earn $750,000 in performance bonuses based on plate appearances: $150,000 each for 100, 175, 250, 325 and 400.

Howard, 37, the 2006 National League MVP and a three-time All-Star first baseman, will report to extended spring training next week and join Class AAA Gwinnett when he’s ready.

Howard hit .196 with 25 home runs and 59 RBIs in 112 games in 2016 and became a free agent after Philadelphia declined a $23 million option and paid him a $10 million buyout, completing a $125 million, five-year deal.

Yankees

Top pitching prospect James Kaprielian was placed on the minor league disabled list because of pain in his right elbow and will be sent for scans. The team said Kaprielian, 23, a righthander taken with the 16th overall pick in the 2015 amateur draft, will have an MRI and a dye contrast MRI.

White Sox

Chicago placed reliever Jake Petricka on the 10-day disabled list because of a strained muscle on the right side of his back.

Elsewhere

Jackie Robinson Day is getting sweeter still. Major League Baseball and USA Baseball announced the inaugural Trailblazer Series, a girls baseball tournament to be conducted in conjunction with the day honoring the former Dodgers star, major league baseball’s signature trailblazer. Approximately 100 girls, ages 16 and under, representing 20 states, District of Columbia and Canada, will participate in the three-day tournament in the greater Los Angeles area beginning April 13. It concludes April 15, 70 years to the day that Robinson became the first African-American to play in the majors. Teams are named for notable alumnae from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which lasted from 1943-54.