Baseball notes: Former Dodger Rafael Furcal retires after 14 seasons

Former National League rookie of the year Rafael Furcal has retired after 14 major league seasons. Furcal, an infielder who played for the Dodgers from 2006 until they traded him to St. Louis in 2011, signed a minor league contract with Kansas City during spring training, and the Royals placed him on the voluntary retired list Tuesday. The 37-year-old hit .240 in 25 at-bats for Class A Wilmington and Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

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New York Yankees center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury left Tuesday’s game against Washington in the fourth inning because of a right knee injury, the severity and cause of which were not immediately detailed by the team. . . . Detroit put designated hitter Victor Martinez, runner-up in the AL MVP vote last year, on the 15-day disabled list because of left knee inflammation. . . . Washington put left fielder Jayson Werth on the DL because of a bruised left wrist suffered when he was hit by a pitch Friday. . . . The Chicago Cubs traded catcher Welington Castillo to Seattle for right-handed reliever Yoervis Medina. . . . Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka, sidelined since April 23 because of right wrist and forearm injuries, is slated to throw about 45 pitches in a minor league rehab start at Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes-Barre on Thursday. . . . The New York Mets cut reserve outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis and promoted hot-hitting minor leaguer Darrell Ceciliani.