Cubs' Lester Playing With Bone Chip, MLB Scores

Jon Lester has been playing with a bone chip in his pitching elbow, and the Chicago Cubs knew about it when they signed him to a $155 million contract.

The bone chip was discovered during a 2014 MRI before the left-hander signed his six-year deal with the Cubs, according to Yahoo! Sports, which is including the information in an upcoming book.

Lester calls the chip a "nonissue," according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Lester pitched 205 innings in the 2015 regular season, plus another 14 in the postseason. If the chip moves, however, Lester acknowledges that he might have to have surgery.

"It's just a matter of hopefully it stays put and we don't have any worry about it," Lester said, according to the newspaper. "And then if it does become a concern, if I start having inflammation or missing starts because of it, then that's when we'll probably sit down and talk to somebody about getting it removed. As of now, knock on wood, I haven't had any concern with it."

The Cubs did their homework before signing Lester.

"We did a very thorough exam, including imaging of the shoulder and elbow," team president Theo Epstein said Friday, according to the Sun-Times. "We were really quite pleased with the results, as Jon compared very favorably with most of the free-agent pitchers we have examined and MRI'd over many years.

"Virtually all pitchers have some wear and tear on their shoulders and elbows, and Jon's imperfections were very manageable. He remains very consistent, as we hoped, throwing 200-plus quality innings yet again last season."

Lester didn't advertise that he had a bone chip when he was being courted as a free agent in 2014, but the Cubs were willing to take the risk. As long as it isn't bothering him, Lester has no plan to address it.

White Sox, LaRoche Reach Agreement

Chicago White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf says he has met with Adam LaRoche and the team and is declaring the saga over.

LaRoche abruptly retired Tuesday after he was told by executive vice president Kenny Williams that his 14-year-old son wasn't allowed to be in the clubhouse.

In a statement Friday, LaRoche said that before he signed his two-year, $25 million contract with the White Sox last year, "my first question to the club concerned my [son Drake's] ability to be a part of the team. After some due diligence on the club's part, we reached an agreement" and there were no problems with his son's presence in the clubhouse in 2015.

"I have taken the past few days to personally meet with everyone involved, including Adam LaRoche, members of our front office, uniformed staff and some of our active players," Reinsdorf said in a statement released Sunday. "I continue to have nothing but the greatest regard for Adam -- in fact, my respect for him has grown during this process -- and I applaud his desire to spend more time with his family."

LaRoche's situation came to a head when White Sox ace Chris Sale said Friday that he and his teammates were lied to by Williams.

Sale said Williams has told three different stories on why the decision was made to limit Drake LaRoche's access to the clubhouse, prompting his father to leave the team and a contract that would have paid him $13 million this season.

"Somebody walked out of those doors the other day, and it was the wrong guy," Sale said.

Sale contends that Williams has contradicted himself, first saying that players complained about LaRoche's son being in the clubhouse, then saying it was coaches who spoke against it and then saying the decision came down from ownership.

"We got bald-faced lied to by someone that we trust," Sale said.

Sunday, March 20 Scoreboard

Tampa Bay 8, Baltimore 8

Detriot 7, Washington 6

New York Yankees 6, Minnesota 4

Detroit 8, Atlanta 2

Philadephia 5, Houston 4

Miami 5,  St.Louis 2

Toronto 3, Pittsburgh 2

Boston 9, New York Mets 4

Milwaukee 3, Los Angeles Dodgers 1

Chicago White Sox 6, Oakland 2

Los Angeles Angels 5, Texas 1

Chicago Cubs 5, Kansas  city 2

Arizona 9, Cincinnati 3

San Diego 12, Los Angeles Dodgers 5

Cleveland 3, Seattle 1

San Francisco 10, Colorado 4

Monday, March 21 Schedule (All Times Central)

Boston at St. Louis, 11 a.m.

Philadelphia at Detroit, 11:05 a.m.

Pittsburgh at Minnesota, 11:05 a.m.

Houston at Washington, 11:05 a.m.

Atlanta at Pittsburgh, 11:05 a.m.

Miami at New York, 11:10 a.m.

Chicago at Cleveland, 2:05 p.m.

Los Angeles at Milwaukee, 2:05 p.m.

Colorado at Texas, 2:05 p.m.

Seattle at Los Angeles, 2:05 p.m.

Oakland at San Francisco, 2:05 p.m.

Milwaukee at Arizona, 7:40 p.m.

Cincinnati at San Diego, 8:10 p.m.