 Brandon Lyon returns from DL -- Jun 9 8:28 am -- |
| He won't resume closing for Astros right away |
Brandon Lyon is back with the Houston Astros after spending a month on the disabled list with a partially torn rotator cuff, but manager Brad Mills told Steve Campbell of the Houston Chronicle that he won't immediately resume closing. The team prefers to ease him back into things before putting him into a closing situation. (HardBallTalk)
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| Roberts still has concussion symptoms -- Jun 9 8:27 am -- |
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Brian Roberts was in Baltimore yesterday to meet with manager Buck Showalter and talk to reporters, and the Baltimore Orioles second baseman revealed that he's still experiencing concussion symptoms three weeks after suffering a concussion sliding head-first into first base on May 16. Roberts was told during a recent doctor visit that he's showing some improvement, but his return timetable has repeatedly been pushed back and now Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that he will “be held back from doing baseball activities for at least another two weeks.†(HardBallTalk)
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| Pedroia might need surgery on right knee -- Jun 9 8:24 am -- |
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According to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe, Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia will fly back to Boston on Thursday to have his right knee examined by a specialist and could be facing surgery that would put him out for at least a month. Pedroia has been playing with a banged up knee since mid-May. (HardBallTalk)
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| Marlins fire hitting coach John Mallee -- Jun 9 8:23 am -- |
| Name ESPN analyst Eduardo Perez as replacement |
According to the Florida Marlins official Twitter feed, hitting coach John Mallee has been "relieved" of his duties and ESPN baseball analyst Eduardo Perez will take over the gig Thursday. (HardBallTalk)
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| Hanley could return Tuesday -- Jun 9 8:21 am -- |
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The Florida Marlins placed shortstop Hanley Ramirez on the 15-day disabled list just a few days ago with pain in his lower back, but he is already nearing the start of a minor league rehab assignment. According to Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post, Marlins skipper Edwin Rodriguez told reporters on Wednesday that Ramirez could begin playing in rehab games at Single-A Jupiter this weekend and may even be ready to return to the big leagues on Tuesday, the first day he’s eligible. (HardBallTalk)
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| Martin Prado day-to-day -- Jun 9 8:20 am -- |
| Left knee contusion |
Atlanta Braves outfielder Martin Prado was struck on the side of his left knee with a throw while attempting to steal second base on Tuesday night against the Marlins. He was still feeling it Wednesday. Prado plays hurt often and typically tries to talk his way into the Braves batting order no matter what is ailing him. (HardBallTalk)
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| Ian Kinsler on paternity leave -- Jun 9 8:16 am -- |
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Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas reports the Texas Rangers placed Ian Kinsler on baseball's new paternity leave list Wednesday evening after the second baseman and his wife welcomed their second child on Wednesday afternoon. The baby, given the name Jack Jamisson Kinsler, weighed in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces. Kinsler is expected to spend Wednesday evening and all of Thursday with his wife and newborn child before returning to the Rangers’ starting lineup on Friday night in Minnesota. (HardBallTalk)
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| Rockies activate Aaron Cook -- Jun 9 8:15 am -- |
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As expected, the Colorado Rockies activated veteran right-hander Aaron Cook from the 60-day disabled list on Wednesday evening. Cook is making his 2011 debut on Wednesday night in San Diego after sitting out for over two months with a broken finger on his pitching hand. (HardBallTalk)
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| Lawrie out with fractured hand -- Jun 9 8:11 am -- |
| Expected to miss 3-4 weeks |
A bone scan turned up a non-displaced fracture in Brett Lawrie's hand, and the Toronto Blue Jays number one prospect is expected to need the next 2-3 weeks off, Sportsnet's Shi Davidi reports. X-rays originally found no break in the area in which Lawrie was hit by a pitch last week while playing for Triple-A Las Vegas, but additional tests performed after the swelling went down discovered the fracture. (HardBallTalk)
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| Padres activate C Hundley from DL -- Jun 9 8:09 am -- |
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Out for the past month with a strained oblique muscle, Nick Hundley has been activated from the disabled list and will resume starting behind the plate for the Padres. Hundley hit .263 with three homers and a .758 OPS in 27 games prior to the injury. He replaces Rob Johnson in the starting lineup. (HardBallTalk)
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| Bryce Harper shows some arrogance -- Jun 7 7:41 am -- |
| Blows a kiss to pitcher after home run |
Washington Nationals highly-touted prospect Bryce Harper is in a bit of hot water this morning after taking an extended walk around the base paths and blowing a kiss to the pitcher after a home run. Harper is playing for Single-A Hagerstown. Here is the video everyone is talking about, courtesy of CSNWashington.com. (CSNWashington.com)
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| Soria the closer again -- Jun 7 7:40 am -- |
| After one-week demotion |
Demoted from closer to middle reliever last week after blowing three saves in four appearances, Joakim Soria threw five hitless innings in three outings and now the Kansas City Royals are ready to hand him ninth-inning duties back. Aaron Crow was tabbed as the fill-in closer, but never actually got a save opportunity. (HardBallTalk)
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| Kouzmanoff to Triple-A, Sizemore up -- Jun 7 7:35 am -- |
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Last week, when the Oakland Athletics acquired Scott Sizemore from the Detroit Tigers and optioned him to the minors, experts speculated it wouldn't take long for Sizemore to replace Kevin Kouzmanoff as the starting third baseman. That anticipated move is now a reality, with Sizemore called up and Kouzmanoff being sent down to the minors Monday. (HardBallTalk)
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| A's Anderson to have elbow examined -- Jun 7 7:31 am -- |
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Brett Anderson was on his way to a breakout sophomore campaign last year when elbow problems ended his season on June 5 and the 23-year-old southpaw's elbow is barking again. Joe Stiglich of the San Jose Mercury News reports that Anderson has left the Oakland Athletics on their East Coast road trip and is heading back to California to have his sore elbow examined by doctors. (HardBallTalk)
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| Wandy Rodriguez to return next Monday -- Jun 7 7:29 am -- |
| Jordan Lyles likely going back to minors |
Wandy Rodriguez threw 60 pitches in a bullpen session yesterday and Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Houston Astros now expect him to come off the disabled list when eligible next Monday. He'll first have to avoid a setback with his elbow injury while making a rehab start Wednesday at Double-A. Jordan Lyles is expected to be sent down when Rodriguez is activated. (HardBallTalk)
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| Report: Pirates drafting Cole -- Jun 6 7:42 am -- |
| UCLA pitcher Gerrit Cole with number 1 pick |
UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole will be the Pittsburgh Pirates' choice with the No. 1 pick when the draft starts tonight, according to MLB.com prospect and draft analyst Jonathan Mayo. Cole's performance this season is considered somewhat disapppointing, with rotation-mate Trevor Bauer posting superior numbers, but Cole has long been projected as the potential No. 1 pick. (HardBallTalk)
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| Jake Peavy is heading to the DL -- Jun 6 7:41 am -- |
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Jake Peavy missed the second half of last season and the first several weeks of this one following shoulder surgery. Since rejoining the Chicago White Sox rotation, however, he had been pitching pretty darn well, and helping the Sox slowly dig out of the big hole they found themselves in. Now, however, that’s on hold, as Peavy is likely going to land on the DL today with a strained right groin. (HardBallTalk)
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| Marlins to place Han-Ram on DL Monday -- Jun 6 7:39 am -- |
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Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez hasn't improved since revealing to reporters last Monday that he couldn't put his shoes on due to lingering discomfort in his lower back and upper left leg. According to Manny Navarro, beat writer for the Miami Herald, Ramirez is likely to be placed on the 15-day disabled list on Monday morning. (HardBallTalk)
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| Belt has hairline fracture in left wrist -- Jun 6 7:37 am -- |
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According to the San Francisco Giants' official Twitter feed, Brandon Belt was diagnosed Saturday with a hairline fracture in his left wrist and has been placed on the 15-day disabled list. Belt was struck in the wrist by a pitch last Tuesday in St. Louis. He’s likely to miss at least a full month. (HardBallTalk)
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| Orioles activate Derrek Lee from DL -- Jun 6 7:35 am -- |
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After going 2-for-3 with a walk in his first minor league rehab game with Double-A Bowie last night, the Baltimore Orioles activated Derrek Lee from the disabled list for Saturday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Lee went 2-for-4 with 2 runs. (HardBallTalk)
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| Furcal, Garland placed on DL -- Jun 6 7:20 am -- |
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Los Angeles Dodgers announced that Rafael Furcal and Jon Garland were placed on the disabled list while Ivan De Jesus and John Ely were called up from Triple-A Albuquerque. Furcal is out with a strained side. Garland has a shoulder injury. (HardBallTalk)
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| Dice-K will undergo Tommy John surgery -- Jun 2 6:23 am -- |
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Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports heard from a source late Wednesday evening that Boston Red Sox right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka was considering undergoing Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery following his visit this week with Dr. Lewis Yocum. According to Brown's source, the Los Angeles-based Yocum found a "significant tear" in Matsuzaka's throwing elbow and recommended the procedure. A later update confirmed Dice-K decided to have the surgery. It is scheduled for early next week. (HardBallTalk)
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| Cards to place Holliday, McClellan on DL -- Jun 2 6:21 am -- |
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A pair of big losses for first-place St. Louis. Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told the media Wednesday that both Matt Holliday and Kyle McClellan would go on the DL prior to Thursday's game. Holliday has been nursing a quad injury for over a week now. He missed six games before returning to the lineup Monday. McClellan is out with a strained hip flexor. Taking his spot in the rotation will be Lance Lynn. (HardBallTalk)
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| Byrd likely out 4-6 weeks -- Jun 2 6:14 am -- |
| Facial fractures from being hit by a pitch |
The timetable for Chicago Cubs outfielder Marlon Byrd's return from the scary injury he suffered when he was hit by a pitch in Boston on May 21 is 4-6 weeks. "They're looking 4-6 weeks, and I think that timetable is about right," Byrd said Wednesday. With Reed Johnson also out currently, the Cubs are using Tony Campana in center field. (HardBallTalk)
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| Rumor: Mets may deal Wright, keep Reyes -- Jun 1 6:54 am -- |
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This one falls under the pure speculation category, but it is noteworthy nonetheless. A "source familiar with the organization's thinking" told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that the New York Mets may re-sign free-agent-to-be Jose Reyes and trade David Wright next winter. According to the unnamed source: "It will be a very ticklish situation because of what David has meant to the team for so long, but that’s not a concern of [GM Sandy Alderson]. There will be some capital there to spend on Reyes if they choose to go that direction. Now, he can’t obviously get monster money. If Reyes wants monster money, no, the Mets won’t keep him." The source, of course, didn’t rule out a trade of Reyes before the deadline. (HardBallTalk)
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| Doumit out with fractured left ankle -- Jun 1 6:47 am -- |
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Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit's collision with Carlos Pena at home plate Sunday wasn't nearly as scary as Buster Posey's a few days earlier, but it did leave him with a fractured left ankle, tests Tuesday confirmed. Doumit will miss at least a month. (HardBallTalk)
Fantasy Slant: The Pirates were looking to trade Doumit prior to the July 31 trade deadline. They may very well still do that, but this puts a damper on his trade value.
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| Soria pulled from closer's role -- May 31 6:23 am -- |
| Fifth blown save |
On Monday, Kansas City Royals closer Joakim Soria he gave up a two-run homer to Torii Hunter with one out in the ninth inning, giving him three straight blown saves. He went on to allow one more run before escaping the ninth in what turned out to be a 10-8 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. Soria has blown five saves at all. With the latest blown save, the Royals had no choice but to make a move in the closer’s role, and manager Ned Yost said after Monday’s game that Soria would be pulled for now and that rookie Aaron Crow would get save chances. (HardBallTalk)
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| Han-Ram suffering back problems -- May 31 6:20 am -- |
| Says he can't put on his shoes |
Florida Marlins SS Hanley Ramirez was held out of Monday's lineup after leaving Sunday's game with lower back soreness. He told the Palm Beach Post the discomfort there and in his upper left leg is, "the worst pain I've ever had in my life, in my career." Ramirez said the back has been bothering him for “maybe a month,†but that he kept it secret from everyone except manager Edwin Rodriguez. (HardBallTalk)
Fantasy Slant: No word yet on whether Ramirez will be placed on the DL or not.
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| Doumit, Pearce on 15-day DL -- May 31 6:18 am -- |
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The Pittsburgh Pirates placed both Ryan Doumit and Steven Pearce on the disabled list Monday. Doumit suffered a sprained left ankle when Carlos Pena slid into him at home plate in Sunday's game against the Chicago Cubs. Pearce, who had been getting most of the starts at third base with Pedro Alvarez also on the shelf, left Saturday’s game with a sore calf. (HardBallTalk)
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| Liriano on DL with shoulder injury -- May 31 6:13 am -- |
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Minnesota Twins placed starting pitcher Francisco Liriano on the disabled list after Monday's game. The Twins were initially hopeful that he'd miss just one start with shoulder soreness, and Anthony Swarzak nearly threw a no-hitter in his place Saturday, but Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Liriano, “did not feel well when he played catch before today’s game.†The decision was then made to put him on the DL. (HardBallTalk)
Fantasy Slant: Swarzak will likely start on Thursday against the Kansas City Royals in place of Liriano.
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| Jose Reyes on the bereavement list -- May 31 6:12 am -- |
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New York Mets SS Jose Reyes will miss the next 3 to 7 days after the Mets placed him on the bereavement list following the death of his grandmother in the Dominican Republic, Adam Rubin reports. The Mets have not yet added anyone to the 25 man roster to take his place during that time. (HardBallTalk)
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| Padres acquire IF Tolleson from A's -- May 30 7:05 am -- |
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With the Scott Sizemore acquisition giving the Oakland Athletics more infielders than they can play at Triple-A Sacramento, Oakland sent Steven Tolleson to the San Diego Padres today for a player to be named later. Tolleson went unclaimed on waivers this spring despite a nice track record. The 27-year-old was hitting .274/.388/.394 with five homers and eight steals for Sacramento this season. He came in at .332/.412/.503 last year and also hit a respectable .286/.340/.408 in 49 major league at-bats for the A’s. (HardBallTalk)
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| Orioles demote Bergesen, Tillman -- May 30 7:04 am -- |
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With Brian Matusz coming back Wednesday and a few off days coming up, the Baltimore Orioles shipped out both Brad Bergesen and Chris Tillman on Sunday and will go with a four-man rotation for now. (HardBallTalk)
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| Posey out for season after ankle surgery -- May 30 7:02 am -- |
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Buster Posey has two screws inserted into his ankle in surgery Sunday and was officially ruled out for the season, San Francisco Giants trainer Dave Groeschner said. Posey also had three torn ligaments in his left ankle repaired by Giants physicians. He is slated to have a second surgery in 8-10 weeks to remove the hardware from his ankle. With Posey out, the Giants are currently going with Eli Whiteside as their starting catcher. (HardBallTalk)
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| Holliday held out with quad discomfort -- May 30 6:58 am -- |
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According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday is out of the St. Louis starting lineup on Sunday afternoon against the Colorado Rockies. Holliday has been able to serve as a pinch-hitter the last two nights in Colorado, but he is still apparently battling discomfort in his left quadriceps muscle and will be missing his sixth consecutive start. (HardBallTalk)
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| Cubs place Reed Johnson on DL -- May 30 6:57 am -- |
| Activate catcher Geovany Soto |
The Chicago Cubs had a busy little Sunday morning, according to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com, making four 25-man roster moves. Outfielder Reed Johnson was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a back injury, catcher Geovany Soto was activated from the 15-day disabled list, outfielder Brad Snyder was called up from Triple-A Iowa and catcher Welington Castillo was optioned to Triple-A Iowa. (HardBallTalk)
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| MLB fines, suspends Jerry Hairston, Jr. -- May 30 6:52 am -- |
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Mark Zuckerman of CSN Washington's Nats Insider passes along notice that Washington Nationals infielder Jerry Hairston, Jr. has been suspended one game by Major League Baseball and fined an undisclosed amount for his "aggressive actions" toward home umpire Ed Hickox on Friday against the Padres. Hairston was ejected in the seventh inning Friday evening after arguing that Padres starter Clayton Richard quick-pitched him before he could step into the batter’s box. Hairston tried to call time just before Richard’s delivery, but time was not granted and he slapped a lazy fly ball to center field that was easily snagged by Cameron Maybin. (HardBallTalk)
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| Matusz to make 2011 debut Wednesday -- May 29 7:25 am -- |
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From Baltimore Sun beat writer Jeff Zrebiec comes word that left-handed starter Brian Matusz has joined up with the Baltimore Orioles and is likely to be activated for his 2011 regular season debut on Wednesday afternoon against the Seattle Mariners. Matusz allowed just one run over five-plus innings Friday in his final rehab start at Triple-A Norfolk. (HardBallTalk)
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| Andrew Bailey likely to return Sunday -- May 29 7:23 am -- |
| Or possibly Monday |
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle brings word that Oakland Athletics closer Andrew Bailey has arrived in Oakland and is likely to be activated from the 15-day disabled list on either Sunday or Monday. Bailey threw 13 pitches in a one-inning rehab appearance Friday evening at Triple-A Sacramento. He allowed two hits but zero runs. (HardBallTalk)
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| Wandy Rodriguez on DL with elbow injury -- May 29 7:21 am -- |
| Team will promote Jordan Lyles |
Houston Astros placed Wandy Rodriguez on the 15-day disabled list with fluid in his left elbow joint, reports Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Rodriguez was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks with discomfort in his elbow. Bud Norris will move up a day to start in his place. (HardBallTalk)
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