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Baltimore Orioles: Left fielder Jay Payton will probably start the season on the disabled list because of a strained left hamstring. Payton injured himself trying to advance from second to third base in an exhibition game Monday.

"I think they'll probably take the cautious route and go ahead and DL me, more than likely. But I don't think they've made a final decision yet," Payton said before Friday's game against the Nationals.

Jay Gibbons started in left against Washington. If Payton is out to start the regular season, Kevin Millar would replace Gibbons as the designated hitter.

"I would rather miss seven or eight games now than miss 30 or 40 games later by doing something stupid," Payton said. "Be aggressive, but be smart, and try and get back as soon as I can."

Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo conceded he doesn't believe Payton will be ready for Monday's regular-season opener at Minnesota.

"He's getting a little better," Perlozzo said. "I don't know if he's going to be ready. We have to talk to [trainer] Richie Bancells and find out from Jay where he thought he was. If it looks like he's still a week away, then I would think the best thing we do is DL him."

Elsewhere in the Grapefruit League:

Pittsburgh Pirates: Dan Kolb, a former All-Star closer with the Milwaukee Brewers, was reassigned to the Pirates' minor league camp on Friday and is looking for another major league job.

The Pirates had until Friday to notify Kolb whether he would make their 25-man roster. He is expected to report to Pittsburgh's minor league camp if he is not offered a spot on an Opening Day roster of another team.

In a surprise move, the Pirates released non-roster infielder Jose Hernandez, who has played for manager Jim Tracy with the Dodgers and Pirates. Hernandez hit .300 with four doubles in spring training, the third time in his career he has been with Pittsburgh.

Also released was non-roster outfielder Luis Matos, who hit .271 with two home runs in 23 games this spring. He spent last season with the Orioles and Nationals.

With Kolb gone at least temporarily, the Pirates bullpen is set with right-handers Shawn Chacon, Matt Capps, Jonah Bayliss, Salomon Torres and John Wasdin, and left-handers Juan Perez and Damaso Marte. Torres will be the closer.

Cincinnati Reds: Ken Griffey Jr. drove in his second run of spring training, hitting an RBI single in the Reds' 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Griffey, who scored from first on a double by Juan Castro, is 5-for-17 (.294). The 37-year-old outfielder broke his left hand in December, an injury he said was sustained while playing with his children, and didn't play in his first exhibition game until last weekend.

He has been on the disabled list eight times since joining the Reds for the 2000 season. Manager Jerry Narron hopes Griffey will be ready for Monday's opener against the Chicago Cubs.

New York Mets: Chan Ho Park is committed to the Mets.

Park struck out five in three shutout innings in the Mets' 8-2 victory over the Florida Marlins after the team optioned him to Triple-A New Orleans. Park could have declined the demotion but decided he wanted to stay with the organization.

"That's the reason I signed with them in the offseason, to get here and try out," Park said.

The 33-year-old Park finished spring training with a 5.89 ERA in 18 1/3 innings. He was a candidate for the rotation before Saturday and the Mets have been eager to see if Park could be effective out of the bullpen. But general manager Omar Minaya said it was unfair to ask Park to make the turnaround so quickly.

"We like him and we want him to be with us," Minaya said. "He wants to be with us also."

The Mets also outrighted Jon Adkins to Triple-A after Adkins cleared waivers. The team's final two roster spots went to 21-year-old outfielder Lastings Milledge and reliever Ambiorix Burgos.

Detroit Tigers: Backup catcher Vance Wilson was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sore right elbow on Friday, three days before the defending AL champions open the regular season.

Detroit recalled catcher Mike Rabelo from Triple-A Toledo to take Wilson's spot on the 25-man roster.

Wilson, 34, agreed to terms last August on a two-year contract that will keep him with the team through the 2008 season. He gets $950,000 annually and would earn $25,000 each for 350 and 400 plate appearances and $50,000 for 450 plate appearances.

Wilson hit .283 in 56 games last season.

Cleveland Indians: Jake Westbrook's contract negotiations will extend into the season.

"I definitely wouldn't want it to linger on too long. I'm going to want to be focused on getting guys out," the Cleveland pitcher said Friday after he allowed only an unearned run over seven innings in the Indians' 6-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

The 29-year-old Westbrook will make $6.1 million this year and is eligible to become a free agent after the World Series.

General manager Mark Shapiro also said the club suspended negotiations on a possible extension for left-hander C.C. Sabathia until after the season but will continue talks with designated hitter Travis Hafner. Sabathia is signed through 2008, and Hafner's contract contains a 2008 club option.

Meanwhile, Cleveland shortstop Jhonny Peralta was hit on the back of the batting helmet in the second inning. Peralta was removed from the game and replaced by Asdrubal Cabrera, but said he felt fine.

Los Angeles Dodgers: First baseman Nomar Garciaparra returned to the Dodgers' lineup for the first time since his wife, soccer player Mia Hamm, delivered twin girls five weeks prematurely on Tuesday night. He singled all three times up and drove in a run.

The Garciaparras named their daughters Grace and Ava.

Minnesota Twins: Twins announcer Herb Carneal won't be in the radio booth for Monday's opener against Baltimore.

Carneal, 83, said he'll miss the game due to health reasons.

This will be Carneal's 52nd season of calling major league games, and his 46th season with the Twins.

Carneal has battled health issues this offseason. Twins President Dave St. Peter says Carneal isn't feeling strong enough to attend Monday's game, but he's hoping to return to the booth as soon as possible.

Carneal was scheduled to join John Gordon and Dan Gladden for 36 home games this season, including the home opener.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays: The Devil Rays optioned relief pitchers Seth McClung and Chad Orvella to Triple-A Durham and reassigned first baseman Carlos Pena to minor league camp on Friday.

McClung opened last season in the starting rotation, but was demoted to Durham in June after losing 10 of his first 12 decisions. He returned to Tampa Bay in August and was the Devil Rays' primary closer the remainder of the season.

The 26-year-old right-hander was surprised by Friday's decision, even though he compiled an 11.57 ERA while allowing 12 earned runs in 9 1-3 innings this spring.

"To the layman, you look at my spring and you see numbers that are ugly. For me, what I see is an individual who took an intelligent approach to a spring training situation where I knew I had to work on some things. ... I came into camp just trying to be ready for April 2," said McClung.

Pena, who signed as a minor league free agent in January, was caught off guard, too. He plans to weight several options, including reporting to Durham in hopes of eventually rejoining the Devil Rays.

The departure of McClung and Orvella left the Devil Rays with a bullpen of Shawn Camp, Jae Kuk Ryu, Juan Salas, Al Reyes, Ruddy Lugo, Brian Stokes and Gary Glover.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.