Hochevar, the first pick in the 2006 amateur draft, got hurt Monday while pitching to Matt Davidson, his final batter during a two-inning outing against the Chicago White Sox. The sprain was revealed in an MRI taken Tuesday.

Manager Ned Yost said Wednesday that Hochevar won't throw for two to three weeks and "probably the best-case scenario" would be a return at the end of May or early June.

"His second-to-the-last pitch against the White Sox he felt a twinge in his elbow," Yost said. "He ended up throwing a cutter to strike the guy out. He felt OK coming in, but the next day it was real stiff and sore."

Hochevar was 5-2 with a 1.92 ERA and two saves in 58 relief appearances last year. He is earning $5.21 million and is eligible for free agency after the season.

He was sidelined from mid-June until mid-September in 2010 because of a sprained elbow and made only 17 starts and one relief appearance that year.

"We were a little nervous that it could have been worse," Yost said. "We think we got as good a report as we'd hoped for coming back. But, again, you really won't know until three weeks to see exactly where we're at."

Hochevar was a candidate for the final rotation slot this season. Yost said Wade Davis, Danny Duffy and rookie Yordano Ventura are "realistically fighting for that spot" and Hochevar would pitch from the bullpen when he returns.


FOR HARVEY, MONEY FOR NOTHING


Matt Harvey may not throw a single pitch this season, but he's already earned $60,000 in bonuses.

The 2014 contract of the injured New York Mets star contains unusual provisions that reward him for 2013 accomplishments.

Harvey has earned a $10,000 bonus for making last year's All-Star team and $50,000 for finishing tied for fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting under the deal.

Represented by agent Scott Boras, Harvey becomes eligible for arbitration after the 2015 season.

"It's always nice. I just found about it when they were doing all that stuff," Harvey said Wednesday at spring training in Port St. Lucie, Fla. "I let Scott take care of all that stuff. I just play."

Harvey gets a salary of $546,625 while on the major league roster this year under the one-year deal announced Monday, and he is paid at an annual rate of $299,250 if on option to the minors.

Recovering from elbow ligament-replacement surgery on Oct. 22, Harvey gets paid at the big league rate while on the disabled list or during a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment. He may not return to the mound for the Mets until 2015.

Harvey was 9-5 with a 2.27 ERA in 26 starts last year with 191 strikeouts in 178 1/3 innings, and he had a salary of $498,750 in the major leagues.

Harvey, who turns 25 on March 27, started the All-Star Game at Citi Field last July and became the youngest All-Star starting pitcher since the Mets' Dwight Gooden in 1988.

He was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament following his start against Detroit on Aug. 24.


HUNTER DIDN'T KISS GATOR


Torii Hunter claims he didn't actually kiss an alligator.

The Detroit Tigers outfielder was featured in a viral photo from spring training that showed him puckering up next to the bounded mouth of a gator, but he told reporters Wednesday he was just "on the backside of it" and there was no kiss.

Hunter says he'd never touched a gator before. The photo is available via a link from Hunter's Twitter account.

The picture was part of a morning meeting the Tigers have been holding daily at spring training under new manager Brad Ausmus. It may sound like a more formal start to each day, but it's also a chance for the team to share a few laughs.

Contributors: Justin McGuire, The Associated Press