NEW YORK — After learning Ryan Howard agreed to a contract with the Atlanta Braves, first baseman Freddie Freeman texted Howard an emoji of clapping hands.

“When he walks up to the plate, he can still change the game with one swing of the bat,” Freeman said Thursday when Howard’s minor league deal was announced.

If added to the 40-man roster, Howard would get a contract paying a $750,000 salary in the major leagues this year and $120,000 in the minors. He would have the chance to earn $750,000 in performance bonuses based on plate appearances: $150,000 each for 100, 175, 250, 325 and 400.

Howard, the 2006 NL MVP and a three-time All-Star first baseman, will report to extended spring training next week and join Triple-A Gwinnett when he’s ready.

“You can’t ever have enough players because it takes a lot of guys to get through this long season,” Braves Manager Brian Snitker said. “Just from being across the diamond and seeing him at some events in the offseason, he seems like a great guy and a good teammate.”

YANKEES: James Kaprielian, a top pitching prospect, was placed on the minor league disabled list because of pain in his right elbow and will be sent for scans.

Kaprielian, a 23-year-old right-hander taken with the 16th overall pick in the 2015 amateur draft, will have an MRI and a dye contrast MRI.

His 2016 season was cut short after his third start at Class A Tampa on April 21 because of a strained right flexor tendon. He returned to pitch in the Arizona Fall League and went 2-3 with a 4.33 ERA.

WHITE SOX: Chicago placed reliever Jake Petricka on the 10-day disabled list because of a strained muscle on the right side of his back.

Petricka pitched one scoreless inning in Tuesday’s opener. He was replaced on the roster by right-hander Tommy Kahnle from Triple-A Charlotte. Kahnle was 0-1 with a 2.63 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 29 appearances for the White Sox last season.

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