NATIONALS: Infielder Aaron Boone was placed on the 15-day disabled list, making him the 15th Washington player to be shelved this season. Boone strained his left calf while pinch running in Saturday’s game at Cincinnati. He is batting .258 with five home runs and 17 RBI. The move is retroactive to July 7. Boone was replaced on the roster by infielder Pete Orr, who was recalled from Class AAA Columbus.
BLUE JAYS: Toronto outfielder Vernon Wells is expected to miss four to six weeks with a strained left hamstring after being placed on the 15-day disabled list. Toronto did not immediately add another player to the roster. A move to replace Wells is expected before the Blue Jays begin a three-game series against the New York Yankees today. Wells clutched at his knee and lower hamstring after going into third base standing after stealing the base in the sixth inning of Wednesday’s game against Baltimore. Trainer George Poulis and manager Cito Gaston came out to check on Wells, who stayed in the game and scored when Scott Rolen singled to left. Wells did not come out on defense the next inning.
METS: Mets left fielder Moises Alou likely will miss the rest of the year because of a torn left hamstring, a setback that could mean the end of his 17-season career. Trying to rehab a lingering strained left calf, the oft-injured Alou left Wednesday’s game for Class AA Binghamton because of cramping in his hamstring. Doctors in New York discovered the tear. Surgery is the recommended remedy, but the 42-year-old Alou will make the final decision. Alou missed the first month of this season after hernia surgery. He has played just one game in the majors since May 22 because of the calf problem.
YANKEES: Johnny Damon’s injured left shoulder is still too sore for baseball activities and the New York Yankees left fielder is hoping to start hitting off a tee on Monday. Damon sprained and bruised his shoulder when he crashed into the left-field fence trying for a leaping catch against Boston last Friday. Damon is on the disabled list for the first time in his major league career after 131/2 seasons and 1,927 regular-season games.
REDS: Cincinnati got some good news when MRI results on two-time 16-game winner Aaron Harang showed only a strain of his right forearm. The 6-foot-7 right-hander, who allowed a career-high seven walks and six runs in 41/3 innings in Tuesday’s 7-3 loss to the Cubs, complained of pain in his forearm the next morning and went back to Cincinnati to have his arm examined. Harang has been instructed to not pick up a baseball for a week. Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said Thursday that Harang would be placed on the 15-day disabled list.
INDIANS: Right-hander Bryan Bullington, the No. 1 pick in the 2002 amateur draft, was claimed on waivers by Cleveland from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pittsburgh had planned to reassign the 27-year-old Bullington to Class AAA Indianapolis if he cleared through waivers. He was 4-6 with a 5.52 ERA in 15 starts for Indianapolis this season.
CUBS: Chicago signed first-round draft pick Andrew Cashner, giving the right-hander a deal that includes a $1.54 million signing bonus, $75,000 toward education and an invitation to spring training next year. He will report to the Cubs’ rookie league team in Mesa, Ariz., and then move onto short-season Class A ball in Boise. The 6-foot-6 Cashner led Texas Christian with nine wins while recording nine saves in 30 relief appearances during his junior season. He had a 2.32 ERA and struck out 80 while walking 27 in 541/3 innings.
CARDINALS: St. Louis left-hander Mark Mulder was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a shoulder strain, one day after he left his comeback start after facing only three batters. Mulder, coming back from two shoulder operations, complained of shoulder discomfort in his start against Philadelphia and threw just 16 pitches. The start was Mulder’s first since September and the former 20-game winner hasn’t won a game in nearly 25 months.
ALL-STAR GAME: Colorado’s Matt Holliday will replace injured Chicago Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano in the National League starting lineup for Tuesday’s All-Star game at Yankee Stadium. Soriano has been on the disabled list since June 12 because of a broken left hand from being hit with a pitch from Atlanta’s Jeff Bennett. Soriano was one of three outfielders elected to the starting lineup in fan voting, joined by Cubs teammate Kosuke Fukudome and Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun. NL manager Clint Hurdle of the Rockies said Holliday will get to start because he finished second to Braun in player voting, which is used to select the reserves.
DIAMONDBACKS: Arizona outfielder Justin Upton likely will be sidelined through the All-Star break with a strained oblique muscle. Upton was hurt while swinging during batting practice before Wednesday night’s game against Washington. Upton could go on the disabled list if the injury doesn’t improve in the next week.
TIGERS: Tiger Stadium may be coming down, but Detroit officials say the historic ballpark’s field will be saved. Fred Rottach, who oversees the stadium property for the city, says the playing field will remain intact after the park’s demolition. He says the foul poles and flagpole also will be preserved.
ASTROS: Houston placed pitcher Oscar Villarreal on waivers after he rejected his assignment to Class AAA Round Rock. Outfielder Reggie Abercrombie accepted his assignment and will report to Round Rock today. Villarreal was 1-3 with a 5.02 ERA in 35 appearances for Houston this season. He was traded to the Astros in the offseason from Atlanta for Josh Anderson. Abercrombie hit .188 in 14 games this season.
Associated Press
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