BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE MAJOR LEAGUES : Brewers’ Higuera Not Ready

Left-hander Teddy Higuera, counted on to be the No. 1 starter in the Milwaukee Brewers’ rotation, won’t be able to throw for five days because of a sore shoulder.

Higuera, 11-10 last year while battling a number of injuries, was to pitch batting practice Saturday but was held back after reporting discomfort in the shoulder.

Higuera, 32, signed a four-year, $13-million contract during the off-season. He has won only 20 games in the past two seasons while dealing with injuries and back surgery.

Pitcher Frank Viola has advised the New York Mets that he will visit Dr. Richard Caspari in Richmond, Va., on Monday for further opinion on the condition of his left elbow, in which four bone spurs were found. . . . Ryne Sandberg’s deadline for a contract extension passed Saturday without a new deal with the Chicago Cubs. “You will not hear about my contract again and I will work even harder toward bringing a World Series to Chicago,” said Sandberg, who is signed for 1991 at $2.2 million. The Cubs have a 1992 option at $2.1 million. He had sought a three-year, $15-million extension. The Cubs offered $1 million less . . . Matt Williams, who led the National League in runs batted in last season, agreed to a $2.6-million, two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants, the largest for a player not eligible for arbitration.