Tearful Prince Fielder ends his career

Texas Rangers slugger Prince Fielder wept Wednesday while announcing the end of his 12-season career because of health issues.

Fielder, 32, wore a neck brace 12 days after his second cervical fusion in two years. His two young sons sat at the podium, mostly with their heads down and shedding tears, and all of the Rangers players, coaches and staff filled the room at the Texas ballpark.

The first baseman-designated hit .283 with 319 home runs and 1,028 runs batted in over 1,611 games that included stints with Milwaukee and Detroit.

Etc.

Outfielder Jose Bautista was put on the disabled list by the Toronto Blue Jays because of a sprained left knee. He is batting .222 with 15 home runs and 48 runs batted in. ...

Outfielder Carlos Gomez was designated for assignment by the Houston Astros. He was batting .210 with 100 strikeouts in 295 at-bats. ...

Hector Olivera was put on unconditional release waivers by the San Diego Padres, who will release the outfielder when he clears waivers this week. The Padres, who acquired Olivera from the Atlanta Braves in the Matt Kemp trade, will be responsible for the remainder of the $62.5-million, six-year contract the Cuban defector signed with the Dodgers in 2015.