All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes has been told to rest and refrain from athletic activity for two to eight weeks until his thyroid levels normalize.

Reyes appears likely to start the season on the disabled list. "It doesn't look good right now." Mets general manager Omar Minaya said Thursday. "We will have to prepare for that."

Reyes has been diagnosed with an overactive thyroid, and his levels were elevated after he exercised Monday and Tuesday. While he initially thought he might be able to return after a few days, he will have to stop working out.

In other baseball news: Lefthanders Eddie Guardado and Shawn Estes were released by the Nationals. Guardado, a longtime Twins reliever, had pitched in two exhibition games and had an ERA of 18.00 in two innings. ... First baseman Todd Helton and the Rockies agreed to $9.9 million, two-year contract extension through the 2013 season. ... Arizona manager A.J. Hinch says there's an increasing chance that Brandon Webb (offseason shoulder surgery) will start the season on the disabled list. Webb reached what Hinch called a "plateau" in his comeback from surgery on his right shoulder. He has not thrown a bullpen session for a week after saying he felt "stagnant" and was not making the progress he expected. ... Brian Giles said the pain in his arthritic right knee is getting worse, and the 39-year-old outfielder informed the Dodgers he will retire. Giles is a career .291 hitter with 287 home runs and 1,078 RBI in 1,847 games.

SKIING

Vonn crashes but will ski Friday Lindsey Vonn crashed and bruised her right knee during the World Cup giant slalom Thursday, but is expected to compete Friday in the super-G in an attempt to win her third consecutive overall title. Vonn fell in first run of the giant slalom when her skis locked, she spun in the air and crashed into the safety netting. She skied down the slope and was taken away from the race area for medical evaluation. "I'm going to race tomorrow," Vonn said. "I'm not going to back down from this and at this point, I'm used to fighting through pain." With two races remaining in the season, Vonn leads Maria Riesch by 165 points. A victory is worth 100 points.

Guay wins super-G

Erik Guay produced a daring run to win the final race of the season and claim a World Cup title in the super-G. Guay became the first Canadian to win a crystal globe since Steve Podborski in 1982. Guay went into the race in third place, but his blistering run as snow fell on the Kandahar course gave him the title. He also won the super-G win Sunday in Kvitfjell, Norway. Guay finished in 1 minute, 26.36 seconds, followed by Ivica Kostelic of Croatia. Olympic champion Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway was third.

AROUND THE HORN

Soccer: Major League Soccer players voted to strike if a new labor contract isn't agreed to before the first season opener March 25. The league's first collective bargaining agreement, a five-year deal, originally was set to run out Jan. 31 but was extended twice. It expired Feb. 25.

Cross-country skiing: Emil Jonsson won a men's 1.2-kilometer cross-country World Cup sprint in Drammen, Norway, with Andrew Newell of the U.S. placing third 2 seconds back. Norway's Petter Northug edged Newell to take second, 1.9 seconds behind Jonsson.

Marit Bjorgen of Norway won the women's race in 3:16.2. Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk had been even with her but slid out at a bend. Aino-Kaisa Saarinen and Pirjo Muranen, both from Finland, crossed second and third.

WNBA: Two-time league MVP Lauren Jackson re-signed with Seattle.

Cycling: Polish brothers Pawel and Kacper Szczepaniak have been suspended after failing doping tests when finishing 1-2 in the under-23 Cyclo-cross World Championship race.

Iditarod: Mitch Seavey was the first to reach Cripple early Thursday morning. He was expected to take his mandatory 24-hour layover there with several other leaders including John Baker and four-time champion Martin Buser. Jeff King and other strong contenders already have taken their 24-hour breaks. Following King out of Cripple on Thursday evening was defending champion Lance Mackey. He, too, has already taken his 24-hour layover.

ASSOCIATED PRESS