No Surgery for Sheffield

Gary Sheffield got a thumb’s up from a hand specialist Tuesday and will return to spring training instead of having surgery to repair a torn ligament.

The right fielder, who reinjured his thumb last weekend, was examined in New York by Dr. Melvin Rosenwasser. Sheffield immediately headed back to Tampa, Fla., and will resume playing later this week.

“Gary Sheffield is one tough cookie, an exceptional athlete and a leader with tremendous determination to win,” Yankee owner George Steinbrenner said. “He will be a big factor for the Yankees, and I applaud his courage.”

Sheffield originally hurt his right thumb July 10 while sliding headfirst into third base while playing for the Atlanta Braves. The torn ligament went undetected, and he hit .327 after the injury with 17 homers and 62 RBIs in 69 games.

“He swung the bat with supersonic speed last year,” Brave General Manager John Schuerholz said. “If that’s what happens with somebody who has a hurt thumb, we’re going to see to it that all our players go through that.”

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Boston Red Sox outfielder Trot Nixon expects to be ready for opening day despite sitting out six spring training games because of back pain.

Nixon received an injection to relieve the pain and said he probably could play if it were the regular season.

“We still have quite a bit of time here,” said Nixon, who hasn’t swung a bat or practiced in the field in a week.

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Texas Ranger President Mike Cramer said he planned to resign June 30 to pursue another business opportunity.