TORONTO — Outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. was already in Toronto with the San Diego Padres when they traded him across the diamond to the Blue Jays on Tuesday.
But joining his new team was a lot more complicated than walking down the hall.
The Blue Jays acquired Upton and cash from the Padres for minor league right-hander Hansel Rodriguez.
Upton couldn’t join Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins for an early afternoon press conference because he was at the nearest border crossing, in Buffalo, New York, being cleared to re-enter Canada.
When he arrived with the Padres on Sunday night, Upton was treated as a visitor. As a member of the Blue Jays, he needs a work visa to enter Canada.
WHITE SOX: Manager Robin Ventura insists he can work with pitcher Chris Sale despite Sale’s critical comments about him.
Sale is serving a five-day, unpaid ban after destroying throwback uniforms the team was supposed to wear for his start Saturday. Sale told MLB.com in a story published Monday that he doesn’t regret standing up for what he believed and said Ventura should have stood up for his players.
Ventura shook off the comments and supported General Manager Rick Hahn’s decision to send Sale home after the incident.
CUBS: Closer Aroldis Chapman joined the team, arriving to a mixed reaction in Chicago and saying he couldn’t remember what management told him about off-field expectations and behavior.
After Chapman’s awkward introductory news conference, the Cubs’ president of baseball operations, Theo Epstein, insisted Chapman understands what the Cubs expect of him after an offseason domestic violence incident.
When the Cubs announced the trade Monday with the New York Yankees, the team released a statement from its chairman, Tom Ricketts, saying they were aware of Chapman’s 29-game suspension to begin the season under Major League Baseball’s new domestic violence policy and had spoken with Chapman.
NATIONALS: Washington reinstated first baseman Ryan Zimmerman from the disabled list after he missed 13 games because of a strained left rib cage.
Zimmerman recently completed a rehab assignment at Class A Potomac, where he batted .417 (5 for 12) with a homer and five RBI. Zimmerman was batting only .221 with 12 homers and 38 RBI for Washington when he got hurt.
MARLINS: Second baseman Dee Gordon will be eligible for reinstatement from his 80-game suspension Thursday.
Gordon, last year’s National League batting champion, was suspended for violating the league’s performance enhancing drug policy.
CARDINALS: St. Louis put reliever Trevor Rosenthal on the 15-day disabled list because of inflammation in his right shoulder.
Manager Mike Matheny said Rosenthal recently mentioned he wanted to get checked for a possible problem. The former closer is undergoing tests that might show why he suddenly became so ineffective.
A 75-YEAR-OLD WOMAN was taken to a Cleveland hospital after being hit in the face with a foul ball by Daniel Murphy of Washington.
Muir West was sitting down the right-field line – and may have been blinded by the sun – when she was struck by the hard shot from Murphy in the first inning of the Indians’ game at Progressive Field. Fans sitting in her section immediately called for security and medical personnel.
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