Baseball-Major League Baseball roundup

April 18 (The Sports Xchange) - After trying throughout the winter and spring training to add a left-handed hitting first baseman, the Pittsburgh Pirates got their man on Friday as they acquired Ike Davis from the New York Mets. The Pirates traded minor-league reliever Zack Thornton and a player to be named for Davis. The 27-year-old was hitting .208 with one home run and five RBIs in 12 games. The Pirates are hoping Davis can regain his form of two years ago when he hit 32 home runs and had 90 RBIs. Last year, he batted just .204 with nine homers in 103 games before his season ended Aug. 31 with a right oblique strain. - - - Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said he is concerned about right fielder Yasiel Puig over reports that he has receiving death threats since joining the team last year. Los Angeles Magazine and ESPN The Magazine published feature stories on Puig this week detailing his escape from Cuba. According to the reports, the threats were a result of friction between rival groups that helped Puig leave the island and whether they should share in the $42 million contract he signed with the Dodgers. Mattingly said, "If you care about Yasiel, you worry about it. There's some serious stuff that he has to deal with." - - - New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira is set to come off the 15-day disabled list on Sunday, according to MLB.com. Teixeira has been on the DL with a strained right hamstring. He last played April 4. - - - The Texas Rangers placed struggling pitcher Tanner Scheppers on the 15-day disabled list Friday with inflammation in his right elbow. An MRI found no structural damage, but Scheppers will rest his arm for 10 days, MLB.com reported. - - - The Oakland Athletics signed left-handed reliever Sean Doolittle to a five-year contract on Friday that includes club options for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the deal begins with the 2014 season and extends through 2018. - - - - Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman has been cleared to pitch batting practice for the first time since he was hit in the face by a line drive during an exhibition game on March 10. Reds manager Bryan Price said he was not sure exactly when Chapman will pitch for the first time, but added that it probably will come during the Reds' 10-game trip that ends April 27. (Editing by Gene Cherry)