Bonds gets extended spring rest

Barry Bonds went home for a three-day spring break in the middle of spring training.

The outfielder will return from his excused absence Tuesday, the day after the San Francisco Giants’ only scheduled day off this spring.

Nearly all of the players who did not make the trip to Tucson on Saturday were given the day off. With the team off today, Manager Bruce Bochy gave Bonds a day off Sunday against the Kansas City Royals.

Bonds has four home runs in his last seven games. In 23 at-bats, he is batting .348 with four homers and nine runs batted in.

Bonds needs 22 home runs to break Hank Aaron’s career mark of 755.

*

Third baseman Chipper Jones was held out of the Atlanta Braves’ lineup for the third consecutive game because of a sore muscle on his right side, which he called “just a tweak.”

Jones, 35, said he hopes to play Wednesday but could be held out much longer. He said his absence from the lineup is “precautionary, to make sure it’s 100%.”

*

Left-hander Erik Bedard will start the Baltimore Orioles’ season opener in Minnesota on April 2, Manager Sam Perlozzo said.