SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Cincinnati catcher Tyler Stephenson beat the Reds in salary arbitration on Tuesday, and pitcher Dylan Lee defeated the Atlanta Braves.
The Los Angeles Angels beat left-hander Reid Detmers, leaving players ahead 7-2 this winter with four cases remaining.
Stephenson will earn $6.8 million instead of the team’s offer of $6.55 million in a decision by Josh Gordon, Allen Ponak and Chris Cameron, who heard arguments Monday.
Lee gets a $2.2 million salary rather than the club's offer of $2 million. His case was heard by Jeanne Vonhof, Paul Radvany and Margie Brogan on Jan. 30.
Detmers will receive the Angels' $2,625,000 proposal rather than his $2,925,000 request in a case decided by Robert Herman, Samantha Tower and Scott Buchheit.
Stephenson hit .239 with 13 homers and 50 RBIs in 88 games last year. He was sidelined from mid-March until May 2 by a strained left oblique and between Aug. 15 and Sept. 5 by a broken left thumb sustained while catching a pitch from Hunter Greene during a game against Milwaukee.
Stephenson, who earned $4,925,000 last year, turns 30 in August and can become a free agent after this year’s World Series. He has a .261 batting average with 63 homers and 258 RBIs in six major league seasons, all with the Reds.
The 31-year-old Lee was 2-4 with a 3.29 ERA and two saves in 74 relief appearances last season, when the left-hander earned $1,025,000.
Detmers, 26, was moved to the bullpen last year and went 5-3 with a 3.96 ERA and three saves in 61 relief appearances. He earned $1,825,000.
Detmers pitched a no-hitter against Tampa Bay on May 10, 2022, in his 11th major league start. He is 21-31 with a 4.77 ERA in five major league seasons with the Angels.
Kansas City All-Star left-hander Kris Bubic had his hearing Tuesday, asking for $6.15 million instead of the Royals’ $5.15 million offer. A decision by Margaret Brogan, Brian Keller and Janice Johnston is expected Wednesday, along with the ruling for a previously argued case involving Toronto left-hander Eric Lauer ($5.75 million vs. $4.4 million).
Bubic, 28, was 8-7 with a 2.55 ERA in 20 starts last year, setting career bests for wins and ERA. He didn’t pitch after July 26 because of a strained left rotator cuff.
Bubic had a $3 million salary last year and can become a free agent after this year’s World Series. He is 19-36 with a 4.14 ERA in six major league seasons, all with the Royals.
Two players remain scheduled for hearings this week: Milwaukee catcher Willson Contreras ($9.9 million vs. $8.55 million) and Miami right-hander Calvin Faucher ($2.05 million vs. $1.8 million).
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FILE - Cincinnati Reds' Tyler Stephenson rounds first on his way three-run double during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sept. 15, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
Thousands of Catholic devotees commemorated Good Friday across Latin America with processions and ceremonies re-enacting the crucifixion of Jesus.
In Antigua, a colonial-era city in southern Guatemala, dozens dressed in purple and white robes and made their way under the early morning sun, many of them penitents known as “cucuruchos.” Others carried centuries-old images of Jesus through cobblestone streets.
The city hosts more than a dozen processions throughout Holy Week, set against a backdrop of volcanoes.
Marcos Bautista, 63, said he has attended the Good Friday observances since his father brought him along as a baby in his arms.
“To describe Holy Week in Antigua, there are no words that can capture what it feels like," Bautista said. “It’s a feeling that, just by speaking about what Jesus has done in our lives, moves me deeply.”
In Bolivia, President Rodrigo Paz traveled to the southern city of Tarija to participate in Good Friday ceremonies.
The country is a secular state under its constitution and its leaders refrained from engaging in any religious events between 2006 and 2025. But Paz — who took office last November — broke with precedent by attending Palm Sunday Mass carrying a palm frond.
In the capital city of La Paz, local authorities and military bands accompanied Good Friday processions, in which hooded penitents carried the Holy Sepulcher through the streets.
Antonio Santamaría, who was holding an image of Jesus, said he welcomed the government’s presence. “I’m glad everyone is here now,” Santamaría said.
Bolivia remains a predominantly Catholic country, alongside strong Indigenous spiritual traditions. In some households, it is customary to eat only fish on Good Friday and prepare up to 12 dishes representing the apostles of Jesus, a tradition that has declined in recent years amid an economic crisis.
In Ecuador, where about 80% of the population identifies as Catholic, processions were held across major cities. In the capital, Quito, the “Jesús del Gran Poder” procession drew more than 150,000 faithful who filled the historic center’s streets with chants and prayers as they accompanied an image of Jesus carrying the cross.
Thousands more climbed the Monserrate Hill in neighboring Colombia. At more than 10,200 feet (3,100 meters) above sea level, they reached the summit in the capital city of Bogotá to attend Mass at the basilica. Similar observances, including reenactments of the Stations of the Cross, were held in other parts of the country.
Mexicans, too, celebrated Good Friday in a country that’s home to nearly 100 million Catholics.
Masked penitents, in chains and with pieces of cactus stuck to their skin, walked through the town of Atlixco, in the central state of Puebla. Known as the “Procession of the Chained," it’s part of a tradition in which some participants pay penance for their sins and others thank God for miracles.
“It’s very beautiful, very sad,” said Marcela Ramírez, a homemaker who attended the procession. “It’s a kind of reverence, and you have to come and accompany them.”
While the share of Catholics in Latin America has declined over the past decade, the faith remains the region’s largest religion.
In several countries, including Peru and Argentina, more than 60% of adults still identify as Catholic, according to 2024 surveys by the Pew Research Center and Latinobarómetro.
AP journalists Moisés Castillo in Antigua, Guatemala; Carlos Valdez and Juan Karita in La Paz, Bolivia; Gonzalo Solano and Gabriela Molina, in Quito, Ecuador; and Martín Silva in Atlixco, Mexico, contributed to this report.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
A penitents known as a "Veronica" takes part in the Jesus del Gran Poder procession in Quito, Ecuador, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa).
Hooded penitents known as "Cucuruchos" take part in the Jesus del Gran Poder procession in Quito, Ecuador, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa).
A blindfolded penitent wears a crown of thorns before a Good Friday procession during Holy Week celebrations in Atlixco, Mexico, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Chains drape over the Santa Muerte tattoo of a penitent before a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Atlixco, Mexico, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
A penitent wearing chains and prickly cactus holds a photo on a cross at a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Atlixco, Mexico, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Penitents from the Nazareno brotherhood carry a statue of Jesus down the steps of the Cathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle for a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Tunja, Colombia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
A hooded penitent from the Nazareno brotherhood waits for the Good Friday procession inside the Cathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle during Holy Week in Tunja, Colombia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Young women and girls carry jeweled hearts representing the Virgin Mary at a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Hooded penitents participate in a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
A statue of Jesus Christ with a cross makes its way past electric cables at La Merced church's Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Women carry children dressed as penitents knows as "cucuruchos" on the sidelines of La Merced church's Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Penitents carry statues of Jesus Christ representing the Stations of the Cross at a Good Friday procession by La Merced church during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, just before sunrise Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Musicians dressed as Roman soldiers take part in La Merced church's Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
