Yankees Trade White to the Padres

Outfielder Rondell White has a place to play following his trade Wednesday from the New York Yankees to the San Diego Padres for outfielder Bubba Trammell and minor league left-hander Mark Phillips.

The trade came less than two weeks after Padre left fielder Phil Nevin had surgery on his dislocated left shoulder, which probably will sideline him for the season.

White, 31, will play left field and bat fifth, providing protection for Ryan Klesko. Trammell had been scheduled to play right field, but rookie Xavier Nady is the front-runner to start at the position.

New York had little room for White following the signing of Japanese star Hideki Matsui, who figures to play left field alongside center fielder Bernie Williams and right fielder Raul Mondesi.

“It’s good and bad. I’m going to miss the guys,” White said. “I had a chance to play with a group of Hall of Famers. I didn’t want to leave New York.... It’s a business. I’m getting a chance to play every day. I think I’m an everyday player.”

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Catcher Dan Wilson was put on the disabled list by the Seattle Mariners because of a strained muscle on his left side.

Wilson, who will be 34 on Tuesday, has been the Mariners’ opening-day catcher for the last eight seasons.

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Cleveland Indian rookie Manager Eric Wedge fired Mike Brown as pitching coach and replaced him with Carl Willis.

Willis had been the pitching coach at triple-A Buffalo the last two seasons under Wedge.

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The Chicago White Sox optioned right-hander Jon Rauch to triple-A Charlotte and reassigned veteran right-hander Gil Heredia, 37, to their minor league camp.

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Florida Marlin right-hander A.J. Burnett might sit out his opening-day start because of an inflamed elbow.

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Boston pitching coach Tony Cloninger, 62, has an aggressive form of bladder cancer, which the team said was detected at an early stage and might not require further surgery.

Doctors removed a two-inch tumor from Cloninger’s bladder last week.