BLUE JAYS: The Blue Jays activated outfielder Brad Wilkerson off the 15-day disabled list Tuesday. Wilkerson injured his left shoulder diving for a ball in the outfield last month and has been missing time ever since. Wilkerson began the season with Seattle but was released April 30 and signed with Toronto on May 9. He is batting .219 with three homers and 26 RBI in 93 games.
INDIANS: Travis Hafner was left in the minor leagues Tuesday when the Cleveland Indians didn’t make him one of their September callups. The Indians also shut down left-hander Aaron Laffey with what trainer Lonnie Soloff said was elbow inflammation and will send right-hander Jake Westbrook, recovering from Tommy John surgery, to see a hip specialist on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Indians informed Major League Baseball on Tuesday of their desire to terminate their player development contract with Class AAA Buffalo, ending a 14-year partnership with the Bisons. The Indians’ decision appears to clear the way for the club to move its top minor league affiliate to Columbus, Ohio, which will have a new stadium next season. Cleveland already has three minor league teams — Akron, Lake County and Mahoning Valley — in Ohio.
ORIOLES: The Baltimore Orioles scratched right-hander Jeremy Guthrie from his scheduled start today. Guthrie, who leads the Orioles in innings pitched (186 2-3), wins (10), and strikeouts (119) has been complaining of a dead arm. Guthrie has lost three straight starts, making the shortest start of his career on Friday when he gave up seven runs in three-plus innings in a 14-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. In all, he is 10-11 with a 3.57 ERA.
RANGERS: Texas catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia is out for the season after injuring his right forearm on Monday night against the Seattle Mariners. Saltalamacchia had an MRI on Tuesday, and team doctors said the second-year player needs to rest his sore right arm for six to eight weeks.
RAYS: The Tampa Bay Rays activated closer Troy Percival from the 15-day disabled list before Tuesday night’s game against the New York Yankees. The 38-year-old right-hander, sidelined because of cartilage damage in his right knee, had been out since Aug. 14, when he limped off the mound after fielding a ninth-inning bunt at Oakland.
RED SOX: Josh Beckett threw 58 pitches in the bullpen Tuesday afternoon, setting up for a return to the Red Sox rotation Friday. Beckett (inflamed right elbow) has not pitched since Aug. 17, when he allowed eight runs in 21/3 innings. He was set to return last week, but instead visited Dr. James Andrews in Florida. Andrews said the elbow was in good shape and gave him the OK to throw this week.
Meanwhile, Kevin Youkilis was a game time scratch on Tuesday night because of lower back spasms.
ROYALS: The season is over for Kansas City second baseman Mark Grudzielanek, who was moved from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list on Tuesday. Grudzielanek, a 12-year veteran and the Royals player of the year last season, hurt his ankle in a collision with a teammate on Aug. 1. Earlier this season, he got his 2,000th hit. He hit .299 with three homers and 24 RBI before his injury.
WHITE SOX: Chicago White Sox outfielders Carlos Quentin, who leads the American League in home runs, and Ken Griffey Jr. were out of the lineup Tuesday night against Cleveland. Quentin has a sore left forearm while Griffey has tightness in his lower back. Both are considered day-to-day.
YANKEES: New York pitcher Joba Chamberlain was activated from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday. Chamberlain was placed on the DL on Aug. 6 with right rotator cuff tendinitis. He left his start Aug. 4 against Texas with shoulder soreness. The right-hander will work out of the bullpen the rest of the regular season.
ASTROS: The Houston Astros activated second baseman Kaz Matsui from the 15-day disabled list Tuesday. Matsui was activated a few days early. He had been on the DL since Aug. 13 with an irritated disc in his lower back, and still needs a few more days before he’s ready to play, manager Cecil Cooper said. Matsui, who has missed about a third of the season with various injuries, is expected to play this weekend at Colorado.
BRAVES: Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said he is day-to-day with a twisted right knee he suffered during infield practice before the team’s 16-14 win against the Florida Marlins on Tuesday night. Jones, who is hitting .358 with 20 home runs and 67 RBI, said it hurts to walk but he should be able to play in a few days. Atlanta manager Bobby Cox said Jones will be out of the lineup today.
BREWERS: Brewers pitcher Ben Sheets, pulled from Monday’s game after five innings because of slight tightness in his left groin, is expected to make his next scheduled start on Saturday against San Diego. The Brewers said the right-hander was pulled because of “very slight tightness.” The New York Mets rallied against relievers for a 4-2 victory. But both general manager Doug Melvin and manager Ned Yost said Tuesday the injury was minor and they are confident the oft-injured Sheets will not miss a turn as the Brewers try to reach postseason play for the first time since 1982.
DODGERS: Los Angeles second baseman Jeff Kent had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday morning and might be able to return to action this month. Trainer Stan Conte said the outpatient procedure to clean out debris from the cartilage tear on Kent’s knee took 20 minutes. No additional problems were discovered. Kent, who is on the disabled list for the eighth time in his big league career, will be able to start the rehabilitation process today.
REDS: The Cincinnati Reds activated right-hander Jared Burton from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday. Burton had been on the disabled list since July 19 with strained muscle in his right side, an injury he sustained July 6 in Washington. The relief pitcher was 4-1 with a 2.23 ERA in 43 games before the injury.
NATIONALS: Washington Nationals catcher Jesus Flores was carted off the field with a sprained left ankle Tuesday night after Philadelphia’s Chase Utley barreled into him on a play at the plate. X-rays showed no obvious signs of a fracture and an MRI was pending, the team said. The collision came as Utley was attempting to steal home with two outs in the third inning. With runners on first and third, Washington pitcher John Lannan made a pickoff throw to first and Utley broke for home. Utley arrived at the plate just after the throw from first baseman Ronnie Belliard and crashed hard into Flores. After he tagged out Utley, Flores stayed on the ground near home plate for several minutes as his left leg was attended to by trainers and medical personnel.
CARDINALS: St. Louis will be without Joe Mather for the rest of the season because of a broken bone in his left hand. The 26-year-old outfielder was injured while swinging at a pitch in the Cardinals’ 8-6 loss to Arizona on Monday. He will undergo surgery to repair the broken hamate bone, team officials said.
Associated Press
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
