Baseball Notes: Giants will pay Marco Scutaro $6 million

The San Francisco Giants have re-signed second baseman Marco Scutaro to a major league contract that pays him $6 million this year even though he may never play baseball again following back surgery.

The Giants announced Wednesday they signed Scutaro, the 39-year-old most valuable player of the 2012 NL Championship Series, to match his previous contract through the 2015 season. He was designated for assignment and later released Jan. 28 as he recovered.

Scutaro played in only five games last season after batting .297 in 2013.

Etc.

High-level executives of the St. Louis Cardinals were not involved in the hacking of the Houston Astros’ player personnel database, an attorney hired by the team said Wednesday, citing an internal review. ... Boston Red Sox General Manager Ben Cherington said he deserves most of the blame with his club struggling for the second straight year. Entering Wednesday, Boston is 99-129 since winning the 2013 World Series under Manager John Farrell. “I’m more responsible than anyone else for that,” Cherington said, “so I have to find a way to make that better.” ... Washington Nationals right-hander Doug Fister will return from the disabled list to start Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Nationals will also hope to get back center fielder Denard Span, who is out of Wednesday’s lineup with back tightness. ... The Colorado Rockies placed outfielder Corey Dickerson on the 15-day disabled list and selected the contract of right-hander Justin Miller from triple-A Albuquerque.