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Report: NL Triple Crown leader Ethier to DL

Tue, 18 May 2010 18:28:03 EDT

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier is expected to land on the 15-day disabled list, MLB.com is reporting.

Ethier broke his right pinkie during batting practice on Saturday. His finger was placed in a splint on Sunday.

Ethier leads the National League in the Triple Crown categories. The right fielder is tops in batting (.392) and RBI (38) and is tied with Arizona's Kelly Johnson in homers (11).

Cubs to call up shortstop Castro

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 2:43:11 EST

Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune reports the Cubs are calling up shortstop Starlin Castro and plan on inserting him into the lineup immediately.

The 20-year-old is hitting .376 with one homer, 14 extra-base hits and 20 RBI in 26 games with Double-A Tennessee.

Reports claim manager Lou Piniella plans to start Castro at short, move Ryan Theriot to second base and send Chad Tracy to the minors.

Astros' Berkman open-minded about possible trade

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 22:00:21 EDT

Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle reports Astros veteran first baseman Lance Berkman is open to being dealt.

"If it was me and I was running the show here, if we didn't make a great comeback like we did in '05 and be sort of around .500 by the All-Star break, I'd try to trade every veteran I could to reload," Berkman told the Chronicle. "That's the quickest way you're going to be able to reload and get it going in the right direction."

Berkman, who is in the final year of his contract with the team holding a $15 million option for 2011, is hitting just .213 in 47 at-bats with two homers and seven RBI through Wednesday.

"As a player, if [the team] came to me and said, 'Hey, we've got a deal to go to a contender,' I'd take it," Berkman added to the Chronicle. "Heck, it's only a three- or four-month deal. It's not like I'm signing for 10 years with another team." Berkman, who is in his 12th season with the Astros since he debuted with them in 1999, has 315 homers and 1,048 RBI, while batting .299 in his career.

Dodgers look to fix rotation with Padilla out

Mon, 03 May 2010 14:40:00 EDT

Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times reports Dodgers starting pitcher Vicente Padilla is expected to be out until at least June with an irritated nerve in his right forearm.

And with original fifth start Charlie Haeger struggling, Joe Torre is trying to figure out which two starters can fill in.

John Ely, who will get another start Thursday, and Carlos Monasterios, who pitched well in Haeger's place on Saturday are the likely candidates.

Braves' Escobar could end up on DL

Mon, 03 May 2010 14:30:56 EDT

David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Braves shortstop Yunel Escobar could end up on the disabled list.

Escobar, who left Thursday's game after straining his left abductor, is listed as day to day, but manager Bobby Cox doesn't expect Escobar back soon and thinks a trip to the DL is a possibility.

Escobar sat out the weekend serries

"If he can't play in the Washington series I think we'll probably call somebody up," Cox said of Escobar, who sat out the weekend series in Florida.

Nats plan to promote Strasburg to Triple-A club

Sun, 02 May 2010 11:25:12 EDT

Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports the Washington Nationals plan to promote Stephen Strasburg to Triple-A Syracuse as long as the weather permits and he pitches well for Double-A Harrisburg against Altoona on Sunday.

Strasburg, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 first-year player draft, has been dominate since starting the season with Harrisburg, yielding just one earned run while striking out 23 in 17 1/3 innings. The San Diego State product is 3-0 with an 0.52 ERA in four starts.

"As he progresses, he is going to go to Syracuse and is going to pitch there until we deem he is ready to go to the next level," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo told MLB.com. "It's reasonable to assume he is going to be in Syracuse sometime soon.

Rangers' Kinsler likely to be activated Friday

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:58:43 EDT

Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler, who is recovering from an ankle sprain, went 2 for 4 with a pair of RBI and a stolen base in a rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco. Kinsler is likely to be activated for Friday's contest with the Seattle Mariners. Infielders Joaquin Arias or Andres Blanco are the likely candidates to be demoted.

Mets' Beltran not close to return

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:02:24 EDT

Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran, who is recovering from offseason knee surgery, is not close to returning.

A team official confirmed on Wednesday that Beltran was fitted for a custom right knee brace in the hopes of accelerating his rehabilitation.

Giants' Sanchez within two weeks of return

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:38:38 EDT

Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News reports Freddy Sanchez could return to the Giants within two weeks.

Sanchez, recovering from a surgically repaired shoulder, played in his first extended spring camp game in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Friday going 1 for 2 with a walk. "It looks like he's on his way," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.

Mariners' Lee ready for Friday debut

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:33:20 EDT

Steve Kelly of the Seattle Times reports Cliff Lee is ready to make his Mariners debut Friday at home against the Texas Rangers.

The 2008 American League Cy Young Award winner threw six scoreless innings Sunday for Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday.

Lee threw 68 pitches of which 46 were strikes.

"I felt good," Lee told the Times. "Threw strikes. Forced them to swing the bat. It went good. The injury is a nonissue. I would have liked to have had a little more command, but that will come. Every [pitch] felt comfortable. My curveball wasn't as good as I wanted, but that's not out of the ordinary. But fastball, changeup, cutter, they were all where I wanted them to be.

Phils' Blanton, Romero could be back by May 1

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:21:42 EDT

David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News reports the Phillies could have right-handed starter Joe Blanton and left-handed setup man J.C. Romero back by May 1.

Blanton, on the disabled list since late March with an oblique strain, pitched two scoreless innings in a rehab start for Class A Lakewood on Tuesday.

Romero, who is recovering from offseason elbow surgery, pitched a second consecutive day for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Astros reliever Arias likely done for season

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:08:29 EDT

Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle reports Astros reliever Alberto Arias is probably done for the season after having surgery on his right shoulder on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old right-hander appeared in 42 games last season and was 2-1 with a 3.35 ERA, while striking out 39 batters in 45 2/3 innings.

"I'm not going to play this year, so I'm going to be ready for spring training [in 2011]," Arias told the Chronicle.

Mets likely to call up first-base prospect Davis

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:47:35 EDT

New York-based SNY reports that the Mets will call up first-base prospect Ike Davis before Monday night's game against the Cubs.

The 23-year-old is batting .364 in 33 at-bats with Triple-A Buffalo. He was scratched from Buffalo's Monday lineup, adding to the rumors of his call-up.

Davis combined to hit .298 with 20 homers and 71 RBI between Double-A Binghamton and Class A Port St. Lucie last season.

Piniella to shake up Cubs lineup

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:38:00 EDT

Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune reports Cubs manager Lou Piniella plans to shake up the lineup.

Against lefties, look for Marlon Byrd to lead off, Jeff Baker to bat second, Xavier Nady to hit fourth and Geovany Soto and Ryan Theriot to bat before the pitcher.

"We're going to change this lineup around and see if we can spur the offense a little bit," Piniella said after the Cubs dropped Sunday's game to Astros.

O's Montanez ready if Pie hits DL

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 20:26:03 EDT

Orioles Insider reports the team isn't sure if outfielder Felix Pie will need to go on the disabled list or not, but Triple-A outfielder Lou Montanez will be on hand if needed.

Pie strained his left shoulder in Wednesday's game against the Oakland A's.

The Orioles are sending Montanez out to Oakland to meet them and be ready in case Pie ends up on the DL.

Astros' Berkman to play two games in Triple-A

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:51:27 EDT

Bernardo Fallas of the Houston Chronicle reports Astros first baseman Lance Berkman will play two games for Triple-A Round Rock this weekend.

Berkman, who started the season on the disabled list while he recovers from minor knee surgery, is slated to play for the Express Saturday and Sunday.

Houston hopes Berkman will be in Tuesday's lineup when the Astros host the Florida Marlins in the first game of a nine-game homestand.

Giants to make decision on Lewis soon

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:37:16 EDT

Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News reports the Giant swill be making a decision on what to do with outfielder Fred Lewis soon.

The team told Lewis, who is completing a rehab assignment at Triple-A Fresno, it will decide if he will be activated or traded by the weekend. Lewis, who is recovering from a sore shoulder, is out of options and his rehab assignment won't last past Thursday. San Francisco already has six outfielders on the roster. Lewis, who debuted with the Giants in September, 2006, hit .258 with four homers and 20 RBI, while swiping eight bases last season. His best year was 2008 when he hit .282 with nine homers and 40 RBI and stole 21 bases.

The A's and Padres have shown interest as have the Blue Jays.

Rangers' Kinsler still not ready to return

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:27:30 EDT

The Dallas Morning News reports the return of Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler might take long then initially believed.

Kinsler, who is recovering from an ankle sprain from March 12, stretched, ran on a treadmill and took two round of batting practice on Wednesday.

"We thought it'd be three or four days [after the initial injury] and now it's been three to four weeks," Kinsler said.

When Kinsler is ready, he'll likely need to go on a rehab assignment before joining the major league club.

Mets' Reyes might be in Saturday's lineup

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 18:31:45 EDT

Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports Mets shortstop Jose Reyes might be in the lineup Saturday against the Nationals.

Reyes, sidelined with a thyroid condition, is eligible to come off the disabled list on Saturday. He has been playing in minor league games at the Mets' spring training site in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

"The physical conditioning part is going extremely well," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "He's getting enough at-bats, so we will do another evaluation [Thursday] after he plays in St. Lucie."

Cards move Garcia to Saturday start

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 19:14:49 EDT

Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Dispatch reports the Cardinals will start Jamie Garcia on Saturday at the Brewers instead of the originally scheduled Sunday.

"I don’t think Sunday night is a great first start for Garcia. It’s dumping something extra on him that he doesn’t need," said manager Tony La Russa, referring to Sunday's night's game being on national television.

The lefty pitched in 10 games in 2008, before having to face Tommy John surgery. He returned late last season and pitched in nine games in the minors.

Berkman hopes to play in St. Louis

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 18:58:19 EDT

Brian McTaggert of MLB.com reports Houston's Lance Berkman hope to make his season debut next week in St. Louis.

Berkman, who is dealing with a nagging left knee injury, is eligible to come off the disabled list on Saturday.

The 34-year-old All-Star had arthroscopic surgery on March 13 after the knee swelled during the first few days of spring training.

M's in lead for Dominican hurler

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 18:50:47 EDT

The Mariners blog on the Seattle-Post Intelligencer website reports Seattle is still in the lead for Dominican Republic pitcher Rafael DePaula.

DePaula, 17, worked out for several teams recently and ESPN The Magazine claims the Mariners are the favorite to land the hard-throwing teenager.

Pedro eyeing major league contract

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 17:33:53 EDT

Pedro Martinez is hoping his career isn't over.

The right-hander, who owns 219 career wins, told the Boston Herald he expects to sign a major league contract during the season.

"I'm in good shape, real good -- it doesn't take me that long to get ready," the 38-year-old Martinez told the Herald. "Last year I wanted to come back and prove to myself that I was healthy. I didn't want to go down sore or with the excuse that my dad had died and I couldn't pitch. When I cleared my mind, I proved I could pitch."

D-Backs' Upton sprains ankle

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:56:33 EDT

Doug Haller of the Arizona Republic reports Diamondbacks right fielder Justin Upton suffered a sprained left ankle in Wednesday's spring game against the White Sox.

Upton, who hit .300 with 26 homers and 86 RBI last season, injured the ankle beating out an infield single.

Opening day doubt for Cards' Molina

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:44:21 EDT

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Dispatch reports that Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina might not be ready for opening day. The Gold Glove winner suffered an oblique strain on Wednesday.

Molina batted .293 with six home runs and 54 RBI last season.

Twins look into dealing for a closer

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:35:36 EDT

Tom Powers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports the Twins will likely trade for a new closer now that Joe Nathan is out for the season.

To avoid having Nathan being startled by rumors, Minnesota general manager Bill Smith told the injured closer of his intentions to acquire a possible closer.

San Diego's Heath Bell has been rumored, and the Twins are looking at Toronto, where Kevin Gregg, Scott Downs and Jason Frasor are competing for the Jays' closer gig. "The past two weeks, we've been working on contingencies," Smith told the Pioneer Press.

Pujols suffering from stiff back

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:20:13 EDT

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Dispatch reports St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols was scratched from Monday's lineup due to a stiff back.

A Cardinals official said Pujols was scratched so that he could have his back checked.

Tigers' reliever Miner doubtful for opening day

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:52:11 EDT

Tom Gage of the Detroit News reports Tigers reliever Zach Miner might not be available for opening day because of a strained right elbow.

Miner, who has a 12.15 ERA in five appearances this spring, doesn't know when he'll be able to throw again.

"I've strained some stuff in there, but it wasn't my ligament." Miner told the News. "I was concerned about that because it had been bother me for a little bit. Any time you get pain in your elbow, you're immediately concerned."

Miner is about to begin his fifth season in the majors -- all with the Tigers. He was 7-5 last season with a 4.29 ERA in 51 games, which included five starts. The right-hander is 25-20 with a 4.24 ERA in his career, which included 35 starts.

Fish looking at Lowell

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:39:13 EDT

The Miami Herald reports the Florida Marlins have shown some interest in Boston Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell.

Florida scouts were on hand for Boston's Monday spring training game in which Lowell made his 2010 Grapefruit League debut. The Red Sox have been trying to move Lowell after adding Adrian Beltre in the offseason.

Lowell played for the Marlins from 1999-2005, hitting .272 with 143 homers and 578 RBI. The last four seasons, the South Florida high school product, played for the Red Sox. Lowell, who won World Series rings with Florida (2003) and Boston (2007), is coming off offseason thumb surgery and is also dealing with a hip issue.

O's Roberts still not ready for spring games

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:37:38 EST

Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun reports that Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts has been placed on a new anti-inflammatory medication and will need a couple of days before resuming his rehabilitation program for a sore back.

The team still plans on Roberts being ready for the regular-season opener.

The switch-hitter posted a .283 batting average in 2009 with 16 homers, 79 RBI, 110 runs and 30 stolen bases.