Reid Brignac has opted out of his contract with the Miami Marlins after learning that he wouldn't make the Opening Day roster.

Brignac, 29, is now a free agent.

He has not cracked 100 plate appearances in a big league season since back in 2011.

The Kansas City Royals have released Rafael Furcal.

They had only recently brought Furcal into camp on a Minor League deal. He had been working through a hamstring injury.

The Toronto Blue Jays have named Drew Hutchinson their Opening Day starter.

The right-hander is slated to face the Yankees and Masahiro Tanaka on April 6 in New York, his first season opening appearance.

Hutchison will be the youngest Opening Day starter in franchise history. He is 1-2 with a 4.80 ERA in three career starts at Yankee Stadium.

Anthony Rendon was scheduled to meet with Dr. Steven Singleton in Vail, Colorado, for a third opinion on his injured left knee.

Dr. James Andrews on Monday confirmed the Washington Nationals' initial diagnosis of a sprained medial collateral ligament.

"We're just trying to make sure we cover all bases and everybody gets a chance to take a look at it and develop a course of action from today on," Matt Williams said.

Rendon was hurt making a diving stop in a game against Atlanta on March 9.

The average salary when Opening-Day rosters are finalized Sunday will break the $4 million barrier for the first time, according to a study obtained by The Associated Press.

Clayton Kershaw tops players at $31 million and the Los Angeles Dodgers project to open the season with a payroll at about $270 million, also a record.

Fueled by the largest two-year growth in more than a decade, the average salary projects to be about $4.25 million.

The Major League Baseball Player's Association has released a strongly worded statement regarding the Chicago Cubs' decision to option Kris Bryant to begin the season.

"Today is a bad day for baseball. We all know that if @KrisBryant_23 were a combination of the greatest Players to play our great game, and perhaps he will be before it's all said and done, the @Cubs still would have made the decision they made today. This decision, and other similar decisions made by clubs will be addressed in litigation, bargaining or both," the statement read.

Sending Bryant to the Minor Leagues for a few weeks to begin the 2015 season will allow the Cubs to control him for an additional year, delaying his free agency.

The New York Mets have been discussing a potential long-term deal with Lucas Duda, but the talks will end on Opening Day if no agreement is reached.

Duda is due to make $4.2 million this season, but the Mets are interested in a long-term deal.

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman has decided not to ask the City Council to vote on a revised proposal to allow the Rays to search for new ballpark sites on both sides of Tampa Bay.

Council members voted down an initial agreement in December. The mayor feared the adjusted plan would fail, too.

Kriseman's proposal would allow the Rays to evaluate sites on the east side of the bay in Hillsborough County, where Tampa is located.

It also would establish how much the Rays would have to pay the city if they leave their current home before their lease expires in 2027.

Commissioner Rob Manfred said Monday that Montreal needs a new stadium to have any chance of bringing baseball back to the city.

"The key thing in Montreal would be to have a plan for an adequate facility that could support baseball over the long haul," Manfred told The Canadian Press.

Montreal will host two exhibition games between the Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds at Olympic Stadium this week.

The league would need a strong commitment from Montreal for a new stadium before the league could seriously consider relocating a team or expanding there, according to the commissioner.

"I don't expect people to go into the ground and build a facility without some sort of commitment that they are going to get a team," he said. "But I do think that you need a plan and a commitment to how that plan is going to be executed."

The Expos joined the National League for the 1969 season and remained in the big leagues through 2004 before moving to Washington and becoming the Nationals.

Justin Verlander will miss his scheduled spring training start Thursday because of soreness in his right triceps.

Verlander still hopes to start for the Detroit Tigers on April 8, his first turn during the regular season.

The right-hander left Friday's exhibition outing with a cramp in his right triceps. He threw Sunday but still had soreness Monday.