Yankees Set the Date for Irabu

The New York Yankees said Thursday that Hideki Irabu will make his major league debut July 10 against Detroit.

Irabu’s first two starts will be at home. After pitching against the Tigers, the Yankees said he will start against Cleveland on July 15.

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Eric Davis says he is delaying a decision on whether to receive chemotherapy as follow-up treatment to colon cancer because “I want to play baseball in 1997.”

Said Davis: “I’m going to do everything I can to get back this year.”

Davis, 35, underwent surgery on June 13. Although Dr. Keith Lillemoe believes he removed the entire cancerous mass, he has recommended chemotherapy to keep the disease in check.

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The Kansas City Royals acquired right-hander Ricky Bones, 28, from the Milwaukee Brewers in a straight cash deal. Bones was placed on Kansas City’s 25-man roster and the Royals put reliever Jose Santiago on the 15-day disabled list because of chickenpox.

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The Boston Red Sox say they are investigating newly learned allegations involving Wil Cordero that raise “new serious issues” about the outfielder charged with assaulting his second wife. Cordero was in uniform before Thursday’s game, but the allegations caused the team to remove him from the starting lineup, the club said. A Boston Globe report disclosed past abuse charges against Cordero by his first wife.