Joey Benjamin, the former Warwickshire, Surrey and England seam bowler, has died at the age of 60 after suffering a heart attack.

Benjamin, whose solitary Test appearance at The Oval in 1994 would prove to be one of England's most memorable victories of the decade, claimed 387 first-class wickets in an 11-year career that began at Warwickshire in 1988.

Born in St Kitts in 1961, Benjamin moved to England with his family at the age of 15, and settled initially in the Midlands, where he played Birmingham League cricket, and earned initial recognition with occasional fixtures for Staffordshire.

It wasn't until the age of 27 that he earned his first county contract, but with Warwickshire's attack led by Gladstone Small, Tim Munton and Allan Donald, opportunities were limited and he played 25 first-class matches in four years before relocating to Surrey in 1992.

With a bustling action and a distinctive whirl of arms in his delivery stride, Benjamin bowled accurate, lively away-swing from a high action, and immediately thrived in his new surroundings. In 1993, his second season, he was named Surrey's Player of the Year, with a haul of 64 wickets at 27.85 including a career-best 6 for 19 against Nottinghamshire.

The following year, his form was even better - 80 wickets all told at 20.72 - but Benjamin still seemed a long, long way from international recognition when, in the final weeks of the international season, he was handed his maiden England call-up at the age of 33.

The venue was at least familiar. With England 1-0 down against South Africa after a bruising defeat in the first Test at Lord's, Benjamin was picked on home soil for the series finale at The Oval, where he was preferred to Angus Fraser in England's final XI, and completed a four-man pace attack alongside Phil DeFreitas, Darren Gough and Devon Malcolm.

He impressed from the outset, claiming 4 for 42 in 17 overs as South Africa were bowled out for 332, but the second innings was all about one man. Malcolm, famously struck on the helmet by Fanie De Villiers during England's own first innings of 302, responded with the bowling spell of his life, scattering South Africa with a career-best 9 for 57 to set up an extraordinary eight-wicket win.

And as was often the case at the time in English cricket, Benjamin's success in the final Test of the summer was enough to secure him a winter tour berth, with Fraser omitted from England's initial Ashes squad, and Kent's Martin McCague also earning a recall.

It would not prove to be an auspicious winter. Both Malcolm and Benjamin succumbed to a bout of chicken pox in the lead-up to the first Test at Brisbane, and despite having featured heavily in England's warm-up fixtures at the start of the tour, he was not considered thereafter as England turned instead to a raft of seam-bowling replacements, Fraser and Chris Lewis among them.

Benjamin did play in two matches of England's B&H World Series one-day campaign, against Australia at Sydney and Zimbabwe at Brisbane, where he bowled Mark Dekker for his solitary ODI scalp. However, it had been clear long before the end of the tour that Benjamin was destined to remain a member of England's one-Test wonder club.

He didn't dwell on what might have been, however, as he returned to Surrey in 1995 and claimed 53 wickets at a very respectable 25.01. But as the end of the decade approached, his opportunities began to wane, and he would be released by the club in 1999, just as Adam Hollioake's team was embarking on its run of three County Championship titles in four years. He finished his Surrey career with 313 first-class wickets at 29.22, and a further 146 at 31.36 in List A cricket.

His batting was very much of the hit-and-miss variety, as shown by a highest first-class score of 49 and an average of 11.38. His finest hour, however, was the one that got away - a thrilling NatWest Trophy semi-final in 1994, when his long-levered assault on Worcestershire's then-towering target of 358 in 60 overs so nearly came good. With eight runs needed from two balls, and Benjamin on 25, he launched Stuart Lampitt towards the long-off boundary, but the lanky figure of Tom Moody was waiting on the rope to crush Surrey's dreams.

After retirement, Benjamin remained close to Surrey, and turned his focus to coaching at club and school level in his home town of Reigate.

Martin Bicknell, Benjamin's long-term Surrey team-mate, led the tributes to his fellow seamer on Twitter. "Just heard some shocking news about the loss of Joey Benjamin," he wrote. "Joey was one of a kind, incredibly popular in the Surrey dressing room back in the day, so sad. RIP Benjy."

"It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that we must report the passing away of Joey Benjamin, long-time and much admired cricket coach at Reigate Priory Cricket Club and previously long-serving coach at Reigate Grammar School," wrote the club chairman, John Bramhall, in an email to members.

"Joey was a good friend to many of us at the club and at the school, and was much loved by those who he taught over the years. We all have good memories of Joey, who was a very special person."

A group of MPs including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has launched a scathing attack on the ECB's record on racial equality, claiming that institutional racism "is present at all levels of the game".

By tabling an early day motion (EDM) in parliament, the MPs have called on their colleagues to "express their alarm" over the underrepresentation of non-white individuals in English cricket and condemned the ECB's failure to address the problem.

Sponsors of the EDM - a proposal for a debate in the House of Commons - include former shadow chancellor John McDonnell and former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott. The full statement draws attention to "the bullying, racial harassment and victimisation" of non-white players, officials and coaches, and calls upon the ECB "to support and fully fund African, Caribbean and Asian Cricket Associations to remedy the historical injustice of race discrimination".

While EDMs are rarely debated, they are used to draw attention to certain topics. In this case, the fact that the motion has been tabled is likely to prove embarrassing to the ECB as it grapples to come to terms with the enormity of the issue. Claudia Webbe, the MP for Leicester East, is the primary sponsor of the motion, with fellow Labour MPs Apsana Begum, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Kim Johnson and Ian Lavery among the signatories.

The intervention follows a series of revelations from players, coaches and officials about their experiences in the English game. This has ranged from former England opener Michael Carberry saying "cricket is rife with racism" to erstwhile England assistant coach Donovan Miller recounting the time he was repeatedly asked by a former first-class cricketer if he had any bananas during a Minor Counties match.

Azeem Rafiq, the former England Under-19 captain, has launched discrimination proceedings against Yorkshire after alleging the racial abuse he suffered while at the club left him on the brink of suicide, while former umpires Ismail Dawood and John Holder have instigated similar proceedings against the ECB.

At the same time, research has shown that, while 30% of recreational cricketers in England and Wales are classified as British Asian, that figure slips to around 5% in professional cricket. No non-white umpire has been appointed to the first-class list since 1992; no British-born non-white person has ever been appointed to the list. A recent survey by the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) revealed that 58% of respondents reported experiencing or witnessing racism, with 45% of those instances said to have come from another player.

The EDM references the Racial Equality in Cricket report, which was compiled by the ECB (then known as the TCCB) in 1997. But the lack of progress since then has left the MPs expressing their "serious concern at the underrepresentation of African, Caribbean and Asian coaches, umpires and match officials at all levels of Cricket in England and Wales" and expressing "alarm at the subsequent failure to address the institutional racism that is present at all levels of the game".

As well as condemning the governing body's failure to appoint a single African, Caribbean or Asian umpire in the last 29 years, the motion also urges Oliver Dowden, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, "to make anti-racism and equality and diversity targets within cricket a ministerial priority, and to report annually on the progress being made".

The ECB declined to comment on the motion. It has, however, recently launched a Commission for Equity in Cricket, designed to assess evidence of inequality and discrimination; an anti-discrimination code, which will be introduced ahead of the 2021 season; and a Forum for Race in Cricket, which will enable people to come forward to share their experiences in confidence. It has also announced plans to increase the ethnic diversity of umpiring appointments.

The PCA, meanwhile, has unveiled plans for all players, coaches, officials and administrators to receive education on race issues.

The Seattle Seahawks informed running back Chris Carson that they will not place their franchise tag on him, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Carson, 26, is coming off a season in which he totaled 968 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns, but an early career trend continued as he missed four games with a foot injury.

Carson has been one of the league's most productive running backs when healthy, but he's missed 19 of a possible 64 regular-season games since entering the league as a seventh-round pick out of Oklahoma State in 2017.

He rushed for 1,151 yards in 2018 and then a career-best 1,230 in 2019, becoming the first Seahawks player since Marshawn Lynch in 2013 and '14 to top the 1,000-yard rushing mark in consecutive seasons. Carson played in all but three regular-season games in that two-year stretch, and his 2,381 combined rushing yards in those two seasons was fifth-best among NFL running backs while his 16 rushing touchdowns were tied for 10th.

Since 2017, Carson's 4.57 yards-per-carry average ranks 15th among running backs with at least 300 carries. He averaged a career-best 4.83 YPC in 2020, rushing for 681 yards and five touchdowns on 141 carries, while adding a career-high 4 receiving TDs.

As a rookie in 2017, Carson beat out Eddie Lacy and incumbent starter Thomas Rawls for the starting job heading into the season, but he missed the final 12 games due to leg and ankle injuries. He missed two games in 2018 with a hip injury then finished the 2019 season on IR after fracturing his hip in Week 16.

ESPN's Brady Henderson contributed to this report.

CHICAGO -- The Bears placed the franchise tag on veteran wide receiver Allen Robinson, the team announced Tuesday.

The Bears and Robinson's agent failed to reach an agreement on a long-term deal during last season, forcing Chicago to apply the tag or risk losing Robinson -- the club's top receiver the past three years -- in free agency.

Brandon Parker, Robinson's agent, told Schefter in September that Robinson was unhappy that the Bears had refused to offer him top-market money for a wide receiver, but that neither Robinson nor Parker requested a trade in advance of last year's NFL trade deadline.

"We have a history of extending our players," Bears general manager Ryan Pace said last week. "We usually find a way to make that work. The proof is kind of in the pudding with that. And every one of them is different. Every one of them is personal, and that's why I'm sensitive, and I hope you guys understand, about talking about that in the media.

"But it's a process. It takes both sides to work through that, and every one of them is unique. I do like to lean on our history. I think [director of football administration] Joey Laine does a great job of working through that and building relationships with those agents. Allen has a really good agent that we've worked with in the past, and it's a process. We're kind of going through that."

Robinson, 27, caught a career-high 102 passes for 1,250 yards in 2020 even as the Bears' offense struggled to find its groove until a late-season three-game winning streak allowed Chicago to sneak into the playoffs at 8-8.

In 2019, Robinson also led the Bears with 98 receptions for 1,147 yards and seven touchdowns. Robinson spent four years in Jacksonville (2014 to 2017), where he earned an invitation to the Pro Bowl after catching 80 passes for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2015.

Robinson suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 1 of 2017, his final year in Jacksonville, and was not fully healthy for the Bears in 2018. Even so, he recorded 55 receptions for 754 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games played.

"I know Allen wants to be a Chicago Bear [long term] and we want him to be a Chicago Bear, and it's a sensitive process that we're kind of in the middle of," Pace said. "And we gotta work through it."

The 2021 NFL offseason is beginning in earnest as teams start applying the franchise or transition tag to players entering NFL free agency. The tag can be applied from now until 4 p.m. ET Tuesday.

The franchise tag binds the player to the team for one season. Franchise tag figures are based on the top five salaries at each position. The NFL and NFL Players Association agreed to raise the salary-cap floor from $175 million to $180 million. The salary cap could settle between $180 million and $185 million, a sizable drop from the 2020 cap of $198.2 million, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano.

The 2021 league year begins March 17.

Here's a look at those players who have been tagged, the reasons why and the tag figure:

Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Franchise tag salary: Expected to be $16.5 million (salary cap pending)

Season: Fifth

Career highlights: Godwin was hampered by injuries in 2020 -- a hamstring strain, a concussion and he played with 10 pins in his broken index finger -- yet he still had 840 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 12 regular-season games, and led all Bucs wide receivers with 16 catches in the postseason, including a 27-yard touchdown catch in the wild-card win at Washington. Godwin's best season came in 2019 though, when he finished with 1,333 receiving yards and nine touchdowns -- third and fourth-most in the NFL respectively -- despite missing the final two games of the season with a hamstring injury.

Why he was tagged: A long-term deal is still the goal for both sides. Godwin loves Tampa Bay and they love him. Most importantly, quarterback Tom Brady loves him, and this ensured Brady would have not one, but two No. 1 wide receivers in Godwin and Mike Evans, as Brady shifts his focus to winning his eighth Super Bowl.

What he brings: Godwin's ability to concentrate on difficult catches and consistency are his strong suits. His 74.0% receiving percentage in the past two years is third in the NFL behind Michael Thomas and Tyler Lockett. Godwin is a strong run-blocker, and he's very versatile, lining up inside and outside. -- Jenna Laine

Cam Robinson, LT, Jacksonville Jaguars

Franchise tag salary: Expected to be $14.507 million (salary cap pending)

Season: Fifth

Career highlights: Robinson started 15 games as a rookie in 2017 and helped running back Leonard Fournette rush for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns, making Fournette the third rookie in franchise history to surpass 1,000 yards (Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew were the others). The Jaguars led the NFL in rushing that season for the first time in franchise history as well as giving up a franchise-low 24 sacks. Robinson posted a career-best pass block win rate of 82% in 2019, one year after missing most of 2018 with a torn left ACL.

Why he was tagged: The Jaguars are drafting a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick (likely Clemson's Trevor Lawrence) and they need a blindside protector for the rookie. Robinson is the only experienced left tackle on the roster (fourth-year player Will Richardson Jr. started one game there in 2019 and played a handful of snaps there last season). Tagging Robinson is more economical than pursuing veteran Trent Williams in free agency since he is likely to command an annual salary of $20 million or more.

What he brings: Unfortunately for the Jaguars, Robinson has not developed as much as hoped since his rookie season. Especially as a pass-blocker. He has a tendency to reach and has struggled at times with his footwork. Last season, per ESPN Stats & Information, Robinson ranked 59th out of 62 qualifiers at tackle in pass block win rate. He has been a good run-blocker, but he needs to be more consistent in pass protection. -- Michael DiRocco

Taylor Moton, RT, Carolina Panthers

Franchise tag salary: Expected to be $13.6 million (salary cap pending)

Season: Fifth

Career highlights: The 2017 second-round pick out of Western Michigan hasn't missed a game since becoming the starter in 2018. He gave up only three sacks and had only two penalties in 2020, earning an 81.2 grade from Pro Football Focus. He has earned at least a 76.0 grade from PFF the past three seasons and has scored among the top 20 in run blocking and pass protection the past two seasons.

Why he was tagged: Simple. A long-term deal couldn't be reached before the tag period ended. This also was the simplest way to lock down Moton, who likely would have been in high demand in free agency. The move also leaves enough money for the Panthers to rebuild the rest of the offensive line in addition to other needs. Only center Matt Paradis was under contract among the starters from 2020 before this move.

What he brings: Moton, 26, has the work ethic and attitude coach Matt Rhule demands and wants to build around. "He's an excellent player," Rhule said late last season. "He's an excellent professional. He's an even better person. When we talk about the brand, he's all of that." Moton also is durable, having started the past 48 regular-season games. -- David Newton

Brandon Scherff, G, Washington Football Team

Franchise tag salary: Expected to be $18.03 million (salary cap pending)

Season: Seventh

Career highlights: Four-time Pro Bowler; first-team All-Pro in 2020

Why he was tagged: It has long been a tricky negotiation with Scherff, whose play warrants being paid at the top of the market for a guard. Previous years ended in deals turned down. But he also has known Washington would keep him under the tag, increasing his ability to make more money -- as long as he was willing to play on one-year deals. The team's desire remains to sign him to a long-term deal, and Scherff was effusive in saying he wants to stick around. Placing the tag on him gives Washington the ability to keep working toward a long-term contract.

What he brings: Scherff provides Washington with elite guard play, which is why he became the team's first All-Pro since 1996. He is a quiet force on the offensive line, pairing with right tackle Morgan Moses and center Chase Roullier to give Washington a solid trio up front. But Scherff also has shown he can be a dominant run-blocker, both at the line and in space. And he has proved himself as a pass-protector, as well. He fits the mold of a player whom coach Ron Rivera wants -- an excellent worker with a tough mindset. -- John Keim

Marcus Maye, S, New York Jets

Franchise tag salary: Expected to be $10.5 million (salary cap pending)

Season: Fifth

Career highlights: After three seasons of playing in the shadow of Jamal Adams, the former second-round pick flourished last season as the leader on defense. Maye played every defensive snap, intercepted two passes and recorded two sacks and two forced fumbles. He was credited with 11 passes defensed, which tied for third among league safeties, according to NFL Next Gen Stats; and he allowed a 66.9 passer rating as the closest defender, which ranked second for safeties (minimum: 500 coverage snaps). He is a four-year starter who played every game in all but one season.

Why he was tagged: The two sides aren't close to a long-term agreement. Negotiations took a bad turn last week, when Maye's agent criticized the Jets on Twitter. Truth is, the Jets have a poor track record for retaining their own players. They say the goal is to lock up Maye, a captain and team-voted MVP, but that's a familiar song (see: Adams) that doesn't play well. At $10.5 million, nearly a $1 million decrease from last year, it made all the sense in the world to use the franchise tag for the first time since 2016 (defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson).

What he brings: Maye is a good free safety but not an elite one, and he also is capable of playing in the box as a strong safety. The previous coaching staff, desperate to replace Adams, used Maye at strong safety for a few games last season. The results were mixed. Make no mistake, Maye is a natural free safety. It's an important position in coach Robert Saleh's defense, which employs a lot of single-high looks. The knock on Maye is he doesn't intercept many passes -- only six in four years. That's what separates him from the top players at his position. His age (28 on Tuesday) is worth noting; he is two years older than most of the first-time free agents. -- Rich Cimini

Justin Simmons, S, Denver Broncos

Franchise tag salary: Expected to be about $13.729 million (salary cap pending)

Season: Sixth

Career highlights: Over the past two seasons Simmons has been selected as a second-team All-Pro (2019) and to the Pro Bowl (2020). He has 12 interceptions over the past three seasons combined and topped 90 tackles in each. Simmons has also played every defensive snap in each of the past three seasons and has not played fewer than 74% of the defensive snaps since his rookie year in 2016. Broncos coach Vic Fangio has simply said: "Justin is a great player ... we love him.''

Why he was tagged: Simmons played on the franchise player tag last season, which he called "betting on myself." His representatives have been trying to hammer out a long-term deal with the Broncos. While Simmons has made it clear he would not be all that thrilled playing on the tag for a second consecutive year, Broncos general manager George Paton said as recently as Thursday he is trying to work out that long-term deal. The tag gives the Broncos the ability to negotiate with Simmons without the worry of him leaving to another team without at least the chance to match any offer. The Broncos have tagged, and then signed, players to long-term deals in the weeks that followed the tag in the past, including Demaryius Thomas and Von Miller.

What he brings: In short, everything. Simmons has the athleticism, anticipation and awareness to play the deep safety and he is also a physical player along the line of scrimmage. Simmons even lined up at cornerback when needed earlier in his career when the defense was hit by injuries. Off the field he is one of the team's most consistent and most active players in the community. -- Jeff Legwold

LOS ANGELES -- A federal judge in California has ruled that Kobe Bryant's widow, Vanessa Bryant, can obtain the names of four Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies who allegedly shared graphic photos from the site of the helicopter crash that killed her husband, their daughter Gianna and seven others.

An effort by Los Angeles County lawyers to keep the deputies' names under seal was rejected Monday by U.S. District Judge John F. Walter, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The ruling means the names and details from an internal affairs investigation of the deputies could be added to Vanessa Bryant's lawsuit against the county and the Sheriff's Department. The county, however, can appeal the decision.

Kobe Bryant and the others were killed Jan. 26, 2020, when the helicopter they were aboard crashed west of Los Angeles in the hills of Calabasas.

The Times later reported that an investigation found deputies shared photos of victims' remains. Vanessa Bryant sued, seeking damages for negligence and invasion of privacy.

County lawyers argued that the deputies' names should remain under seal because releasing them would make it easy for hackers to locate their personal information and addresses.

The judge wrote that Sheriff Alex Villanueva's "promise to publicly release the [internal affairs bureau] report after the conclusion of the investigation undermines Defendants' purported concern in the disclosure of the limited excerpts at issue here."

The judge also wrote that the public has a vested interest in assessing the truthfulness of allegations of police misconduct.

TAMPA, Fla. -- New York Yankees left-hander Zack Britton is not throwing because of a sore pitching elbow, was to be examined by a doctor on Tuesday and could miss the start of the season.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Britton's ulnar collateral ligament was not suspected of being hurt, which could require Tommy John surgery. Boone said Britton felt soreness Sunday night following a bullpen session and had an MRI of his elbow Monday.

"I would say it's always concerning any time any of your players are going through tests because they're not quite where we want them to be," Boone said. "But that said, let's find out where we're at and what it says and what the days ahead mean now. So Zack overall feels pretty good. He's in good spirits about it. But let's get the answers first."

Britton, 33, disclosed last weekend that he was recovering from COVID-19, which he contracted in January. He has not pitched in any exhibitions.

"I think [that] set him back a little bit in his buildup," Boone said. "Just trying to kind of get his weight up. He's actually been throwing pretty well early in spring."

Britton, a two-time All-Star, was 1-2 with a 1.89 ERA and eight saves in 20 appearances during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He filled in as closer when Aroldis Chapman was recovering from COVID-19.

Britton is entering his fourth full season with the Yankees and is starting the third season of a contract now worth $52 million over four years.

HOUSTON -- - Jake Odorizzi decided to fashion his game like Zack Greinke's when he was still in high school.

Now entering his 10th season in the majors, the right-hander has become teammates with the man he's looked up to for so long after Odorizzi signed with the Houston Astros.

"I'm looking forward to getting to know him on a personal level and talking pitching with him because he's got a great mind for pitching," Odorizzi said Tuesday. "He's the guy that mechanically I tried to emulate, repertoire, everything like that. So, if I can keep doing it, as long as he's done it, I'd be pretty darn happy with myself."

Odorizzi and the Astros finalized a contract Monday that guarantees $20.25 million over two years or $23.5 million over three seasons if a player option is exercised for 2023. The deal contains additional performance bonuses that could make it worth at least $33.25 million over three years and possibly more depending on appearances in 2021 and '22.

Odorizzi enhances a Houston rotation that lost Framber Valdéz indefinitely to a broken finger this spring training. Astros ace Justin Verlander also is sidelined while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Odorizzi adds another veteran presence to a rotation with the 37-year-old Greinke, Lance McCullers Jr., Cristian Javier and José Urquidy.

An All-Star with Minnesota in 2019, Odorizzi was limited to four starts last season because of injuries. He was 0-1 with a 6.59 ERA for the Twins during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

Houston general manager James Click has known Odorizzi since the pitcher played for the Tampa Bay Rays when Click worked in their front office.

"Jake was the top free agent remaining on the board in our eyes," Click said. "And certainly, the prior relationship always gives you some comfort about the player as well as the person... so it was a combination of we know how talented he is and bringing that in was something that we felt was valuable to the team."

Odorizzi, who turns 31 this month, gets a $6 million signing bonus payable in equal installments each July 15 from 2021-23, a $6 million salary this season and a $5 million salary in 2022.

The deal includes a $6.5 million player option for 2023 with a $3.25 million buyout, and the 2023 option price would escalate by $2 million each and the buyout by $1 million apiece for 20, 25 and 30 points. He would get one point for each start as a pitcher or pitching appearance of 12 or more outs during 2021 and 2022.

He said there's a chance he could be ready for Opening Day but hasn't been cleared to work out with the team yet and isn't sure whether that timetable is possible. He believes his transition to the Astros will be helped by the fact that he's played with catchers Jason Castro and Martín Maldonado in the past.

"It's very important that some guys know him enough to help him feel at home as soon as soon as possible," manager Dusty Baker said. "And this has been in the works long before Framber got injured ... so I'm just glad that we got it done. And it was in the nick of time."

Odorizzi was selected to his first All-Star team in 2019 when he made 30 starts and went a career-best 15-7 with a 3.51 ERA. He had 178 strikeouts and allowed 139 hits that season for the Twins.

He spent the last three seasons with Minnesota and has also pitched for Tampa Bay and Kansas City during his nine-year major league career. He is 62-56 with a 3.92 ERA in 195 appearances (192 starts). He's won at least 10 games four times and has four seasons with at least 30 starts.

He expects to be on the field much more this season than he was last year when he dealt with a rib injury after being hit by a line drive before being sidelined by a blister on his right middle finger.

"I want to bring some consistency, some durability, some innings," he said. "That's what I've built my career around, being consistent, taking the ball every day and giving the team a chance to win and that's what I want to do here."

The Astros placed reliever Pedro Báez on the injured list on Monday when they announced Odorizzi's signing, and Click said Tuesday that he tested positive for COVID-19. He's one of eight Houston pitchers that have been kept away from camp since last week because of COVID-19 protocols.

Bryan Abreu, Ronel Blanco and Luis Garcia were sent home on Thursday and Báez, Javier, Francis Martes, Enoli Paredes and Hector Velazquez and joined them on Friday. Click said he expects the majority of that group to be cleared to return Wednesday or Thursday.

The Texas Rangers will be without one of their top relievers to start the season after hard-throwing Jonathan Hernandez was shut down from pitching for at least four weeks because of a ligament sprain in his right elbow.

Rangers general manager Chris Young said Tuesday that an MRI revealed a low-grade ulnar collateral ligament sprain after the right-hander felt something when throwing his last batting practice session.

Hernandez had a breakout season last year, when he was 5-1 with a 2.90 ERA in 27 appearances in the pandemic-shortened 60-game season. He had 31 strikeouts and eight walks in 31 innings, relying heavily on a sinker that averaged nearly 98 mph.

"The good news on him is that this (injury) is one that normally recovers and responds well with some rest," Young said from the team's spring training camp in Surprise, Arizona.

Young also said that outfielder/designated hitter Willie Calhoun is dealing with some mild groin tightness after playing Monday. The team planned to be cautious with Calhoun for a few days but didn't initially plan an MRI. That game came exactly one year after Calhoun was hit in the face by a fastball that broke his jaw during a spring training game.

Young said the Rangers would re-evaluate Hernandez after four weeks, and determine then if the 24-year-old's ulnar collateral ligament has healed enough to start a throwing program. He hadn't yet pitched in a spring training game and will need significant time to build back up once he can throw again.

"Jonathan is obviously one we were counting on," said Young, who expects the reliever to be out at least a couple of months. "This one hurts a little bit. But there's still a chance he pitches this year."

While Hernandez didn't have any save opportunities last season, he pitched in some high-leverage situations. The Rangers were expected to use him in similar role this year, with maybe some opportunities as the closer.

Jose Leclerc is coming back from a shoulder injury the closer sustained a week into last season, when pitched in only two games.

Left-handed Joely Rodriguez, who had a 2.13 ERA and struck out 17 in his 12 2/3 innings last season, is still behind in spring training because of a sprained ankle before getting to camp. He is expected to throw his first bullpen session Friday.

"Joely is behind, but he's made great progress," Young said. "We're encouraged by the progress he's made."

Fellow lefty reliever Brett Martin was scratched from his last scheduled appearance over the weekend because of lower back stiffness. Right-hander Joe Palumbo is also having back issues, but Young said both pitchers are expected to resume pitching next week.

Young said catcher Sam Huff, a top prospect who made his big league debut last season, is doing light baseball activity and light running while recovering from a strained left hamstring. Huff will get another MRI next week.

By ALAN THATCHER – Squash Mad Editor

England Squash will need to find a new CEO following today’s surprise announcement that Keir Worth is to step down from the role he has held for seven years.

Worth is leaving squash to take up a senior leadership role at British Canoeing. His departure comes as squash attempts to relaunch when lockdown restrictions are relaxed.

In total, Worth was employed by England Squash for 15 years in two spells, separated by a brief departure during which he was employed as head of British Shooting.

He joined England Squash in 2006 as a High Performance Coach before becoming Head of Coaching and Performance, and was applauded for being instrumental in Team England’s success on the world stage including the Commonwealth Games and World Championships.

During his tenure as CEO, Worth led the organisation through a period of significant change which included a restructure and rebrand, and the delivery of a strategic plan which has seen the organisation increase participation and champion initiatives focused on equality and inclusion.

Worth will join British Canoeing in late Spring as Director of Paddlesport where he will provide strategic leadership for the Olympic, Paralympic and non-Olympic disciplines, alongside leading the major events strategy, international affairs and competition disciplines.

“After 15 years with England Squash, and with the imminent launch of an ambitious strategic plan and the foundations in place to drive the sport forward, the time is right for me to begin a new chapter.

“It has been a wonderful experience and I have enjoyed working with so many talented and dedicated people committed to enhancing the game.”

Commenting on behalf of the Board, England Squash Chair Joy Carter said: “Keir is an exceptional leader; his tenure as CEO has involved a major transformation of the organisation, and the delivery of a clear vision and strategy which has seen the game grow at every level. He leaves the organisation in a significantly stronger position than when he joined.

“On behalf of the Board, I would like to express our sincere thanks to Keir for his outstanding contribution to England Squash over the last 15 years.

“We will begin the recruitment for a successor immediately to allow for consistency and a smooth transition.”

Pictures courtesy of England Squash and PSA