Red Sox atop baseball salary rankings, and Yankees are seventh

The New York Yankees are on track to open the season this week with baseball's seventh-highest payroll, their lowest ranking since 1992, according to projections by the Associated Press.

The Boston Red Sox will top the major leagues at about $223 million, ending the Los Angeles Dodgers' four-year run as the top spender. San Francisco will be second at around $203 million, and the Chicago Cubs are set to be third at about $183 million.

The Dodgers and Washington Nationals will each be at about $180 million, and the Los Angeles Angels will be next at about $170 million. The Yankees will be at around $167 million, their lowest payroll since 2003.

New York has not been ranked as low as seventh since 1992, when it finished ninth at $34.5 million. The Yankees rose to third the following year and topped the major leagues from 1994-97 and 1999-2013, interrupted by a season in which Baltimore finished $207,000 ahead. They were second to the Dodgers for each of the past four years.

New York owner Hal Steinbrenner vowed to get under the luxury tax threshold for the first time since the current tax started in 2003. New York has paid $341 million in penalties over 15 years.

Bartolo Colon signed another minor league contract with the Texas Rangers, and they have a major league assignment for him: Pitch the fifth game of the season.

They are promising the 44-year-old righthander nothing beyond that.

"Let's get through that and then we'll see," General Manager Jon Daniels said.

• Oft-injured New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird will need surgery on his right ankle and will be sideline for at least six weeks. Tyler Austin, expected to start the season at Class AAA, will get the bulk of playing time at first base in Bird's absence.