White Sox' Uribe believes legal troubles are over

A messy and frequently confusing offseason involving Juan Uribe took on far greater clarity yesterday, as the White Sox shortstop reported one day late to spring training and apparently free of any possible charges involving a reported shooting incident with a pellet gun in the Dominican Republic.

During a hearing in the Dominican earlier this week, it was decided Uribe no longer was required to arrive every 15 days to sign in and that he has no requirement to be back in court. Martin Arburua, Uribe's agent, was relaying the message from Maria Luisa Guzman, Uribe's lawyer, in Santo Domingo.

"The legal process and procedure in the Dominican Republic is a lot different than it is here in the United States," said Arburua.

Looking in much better physical condition than he did at the end of the 2006 season, Uribe expressed relief over being part of the team again. Uribe also spoke of how fame brought his name into this case, once again claiming he was home during the alleged crime Oct. 13 in Juan Baron.

"All they wanted was money and that's why my name was thrown in the hat," Uribe said.

Mets pitcher Pedro Martínez should know when he can start throwing after a checkup with team doctors next week.

Recovering from rotator cuff surgery on his right shoulder, Martínez is likely to miss the first half of the season.

"If it doesn't [heal], then I need to hang it up, hang it and go home because I'm not going to work any harder," said the three-time Cy Young Award winner.

Orioles reliever Jamie Walker sustained a concussion when he was hit in the back of the head by a line drive during batting practice at Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Walker never went down and walked off the field under his own power. He was diagnosed with a mild concussion and is day to day . . . Sammy Sosa returned to the field after a year away from the game, greeted warmly by fans at Surprise, Ariz. The 38-year-old slugger, fifth on baseball's home run list with 588, has a minor league deal with the Rangers . . . Randy Johnson pitched off a mound for the first time since back surgery in October and the 43-year-old lefthander said he felt fine . . . Jo Matumoto, a 36-year-old lefthander who pitched for Brazil's national team, agreed to a minor league contract with the Blue Jays and was invited to spring training.

Material from mlb.com was used in this report.