Hank Blalock, who has had shoulder discomfort in recent days, will have surgery to remove a rib Monday and could be out up to three months. Blalock missed Thursday's game against Tampa Bay, but the Rangers thought he would be available for their first interleague series this weekend against Houston. Instead, team officials said Friday he had been diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, which affects the nerves that pass through the shoulder into the neck. The surgery will remove a rib on the right side of his upper chest. The two-time All-Star was hitting .285 with five home runs and 16 RBIs. "It's a huge loss," manager Ron Washington said. "Especially when you realize he was rounding into the form people remember in the days when he was knocking the ball out of the ballpark and hitting for a high average. “We're going to miss him. But you lose bodies and you bring bodies in. The schedule continues on and we just bring other people in and keep playing."
Ryan Howard, on the disabled list with a left quadriceps strain, fielded grounders Sunday and is on target to return to the Philadelphia Phillies this week. Howard said he felt fine after taking ground balls for nearly 45 minutes before the Phillies beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3, and planned to play at Atlanta when he's activated from the DL on Friday. "I felt good. I'm ready to go," Howard said. "That's the plan, to try and be ready to go. Right now, things are looking pretty good. Hopefully they keep going the same way and the leg keeps getting better." Howard is scheduled to serve a rehab assignment as a designated hitter Wednesday and Thursday at Class-A Lakewood.
The Chicago White Sox activated Jim Thome from the 15-day disabled list Sunday and optioned outfielder Ryan Sweeney to Triple-A Charlotte. Thome, on the DL since April 29 with a strained muscle in his rib cage, was called back from a rehab assignment with Charlotte. Thome is batting .340 with five homers and 10 RBIs in 19 games for the White Sox. Sweeney batted .200 in 15 games with a homer and five RBIs since he was recalled from Charlotte.
The Boston Red Sox placed right-hander Josh Beckett on the disabled list Saturday, and recalled righty Devern Hansack from Triple-A Pawtucket in time for him to start the second game of a day-night doubleheader against Atlanta. The Red Sox also sent lefty Jon Lester, cancer-free since December after undergoing chemotherapy to treat lymphoma, to Pawtucket for his second rehabilitation assignment of the season. Beckett (7-0) has a torn flap of skin on the middle finger of his throwing hand. The right-hander went on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 14, and is expected to pitch against Cleveland in Boston on May 29.
The Cincinnati Reds activated right-hander Aaron Harang from the bereavement list Sunday to start against the Cleveland Indians and optioned infielder Jeff Keppinger to Triple-A Louisville. After the Reds completed a three-game series in San Diego with a 3-2 loss Wednesday night, Harang remained in San Diego to be with his ailing grandfather. He returned to the team Saturday night. Keppinger has batted .250 (2-for-8) in three games with the Reds this season.
Russ Ortiz came off the disabled list Monday and assumed a new role for the San Francisco Giants: as a reliever. Ortiz, the right-hander who began the season as the team's fifth starter, returned after being sidelined since May 2 with an irritated nerve in his pitching elbow. Hard-throwing rookie Tim Lincecum took his spot in the rotation and has done plenty to keep his job.
The Colorado Rockies activated second baseman Kaz Matsui on Monday and optioned Omar Quintanilla to Triple-A Colorado Springs. Matsui missed 32 games with lower back spasms. Matsui, who was in the lineup for Monday night's game against Arizona, hit .361 (13-for-36) with three RBIs in nine games before the injury.
The Texas Rangers activated outfielder Frank Catalanotto from the 15-day disabled list Monday and sent infielder Travis Metcalf back to Double-A Frisco. Catalanotto was batting .140 in 18 games before going on the DL May 1 with tendinitis in his right biceps. He played one rehabilitation game at Frisco and four at Triple-A Oklahoma, where he hit .385 with two doubles and scored five runs. Catalanotto was in the Rangers' lineup at designated hitter Monday night against the Minnesota Twins. Manager Ron Washington said Catalanotto's arm should be strong enough to allow him to play the outfield by this weekend. "He can swing the bat, but he's still not ready to go in the outfield," Washington said. "Hopefully by the end of this week, he will. He's been throwing light. As soon as he tells me he can throw, I'll put him out there."
Phil Hughes threw 25 pitches Monday during his first session on a half-mound since straining his left hamstring three weeks ago. The 20-year-old, considered one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, also jogged on the outfield warning track and took part in agility drills at the Yankees' minor league complex. Hughes was injured on May 1 in the midst of a no-hit bid against the Texas Rangers in his second major league start. Left-hander Kei Igawa threw 56 pitches in a bullpen session, two days after he allowed two unearned runs over four innings during his first start for Class A Tampa. He was sent to the minors on May 7 to work on pitching mechanics and could pitch in another minor league game later this week.
Josh Hamilton was sent back to Cincinnati by the Reds on Sunday to be checked out by team doctors one day after he was diagnosed with a stomach ailment. The 25-year-old, who has made an inspirational comeback from drug and alcohol addiction, was taken to Lutheran Hospital at 5:45 a.m. on Saturday. The club said he had gastroenteritis, an inflammation or infection of the gastrointestinal tract. Hamilton was released from the hospital, but remained in his hotel room when the Reds beat the Cleveland Indians 10-5 Saturday night. "He was feeling a little bit better," Reds manager Jerry Narron said following Cincinnati's 5-3 loss Sunday. "He finally had something to eat. Hopefully, he'll be better tomorrow and he'll be able to play sometime early in the week."
Darrell Rasner left his outing against the Mets with a broken index finger Saturday that could sideline him three months. "It turned out to be a pretty bad break," general manager Brian Cashman said. Manager Joe Torre, pitching coach Ron Guidry and trainer Gene Monahan immediately came out to check on Rasner, along with the team's entire infield. Rasner took a deep breath and tried a few warmup pitches. But when he threw a splitter on his fourth delivery, he hopped off the mound in obvious pain and grabbed his right hand before running into the dugout and down the steps toward the clubhouse.
The Texas Rangers placed infielder Jerry Hairston, Jr. on the 15-day disabled list Saturday because of a pinched nerve in his neck. The Rangers called up left-handed pitcher John Koronka from Triple-A Oklahoma. Koronka was scheduled to make his first start of the season against the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Hairston injured his neck Wednesday in an 11-8 loss to Tampa Bay. He's batting .234 with a homer and three RBIs in 23 games this season.
The Florida Marlins placed starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco on the 15-day disabled list because of right elbow inflammation Saturday. This is the second time the right-hander has been on the DL this season. He missed most of April with inflammation in the elbow. Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said Nolasco, who is 1-2 with a 5.48 ERA, may not resume throwing for a week or so.
Jesse Crain will miss the rest of the season with a right shoulder injury. Crain was examined by team doctors Thursday, one day after he allowed six unearned runs in a 15-7 loss in Cleveland. A follow-up exam by a specialist in New York on Friday confirmed that Crain has a torn labrum and rotator cuff, leaving him unavailable for at least eight months. New York Mets team orthopedist Dr. David Altcheck recommended that the 25-year-old Crain undergo surgery. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said the exam confirmed the team's diagnosis. Crain was 1-2 with a 5.51 ERA in 18 appearances this season. In 2006, he went 4-5 with a 3.25 ERA in 68 outings.
Jason Bergmann went on the 15-day disabled list with a swollen pitching elbow Friday, meaning four-fifths of the team's opening day rotation is sidelined by injury. "They just don't want to make it worse. They don't want me to hurt something else trying to compensate," Bergmann said. "I want to pitch. I want to be healthy. If taking a couple extra days off is the key to that, so be it." Bergmann (1-3, 2.76 ERA) complained of a sore elbow on Tuesday, a day after he threw a career-high 110 pitches while taking a no-hit bid into the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves.
The Florida Marlins activated pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim from the disabled list and placed infielder Mike Jacobs on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured right thumb Thursday. The Jacobs' move was retroactive to Monday. Kim, who was acquired from Colorado on Sunday for pitcher Jorge Julio, will make his Florida debut as a starter Friday night at Tampa Bay. The one-time Arizona Diamondbacks closer known for his submarine delivery was primarily a reliever for most of his first four major league seasons with Arizona starting in 1999, and again with Boston in 2003, but has mostly started since 2004 with Colorado. Jacobs, who was batting .281 with four home runs and 14 RBIs, had been bothered by his thumb for most of last week and left Sunday's 6-4 loss in Washington after the fourth inning.
Rocco Baldelli's sore hamstring landed him on the 15-day disabled list, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays replaced him by activating outfielder Greg Norton for Thursday night's series finale against the Texas Rangers at Disney World. Baldelli left Tuesday night's game against the Rangers after running out a ground ball in the first inning. He had a MRI Thursday and was placed on the DL with what manager Joe Maddon described as a "moderate" left hamstring strain. "We're not sure what that means as far as how long he'll be out," Maddon said. Baldelli was used mostly as a designated hitter for the first two weeks of the season after straining his right hamstring during spring training. He's struggled recently, going 1-for-40 and watching his batting average plunge to .204.
The Chicago White Sox activated catcher Toby Hall from the 15-day disabled list Thursday. Hall, who dislocated his right shoulder diving for a ball while playing first base in a spring training game March 25, had been on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte. He batted .263 with two homers and seven RBIs in the five rehab games. He had been on the DL since April 1.
The Mets placed veteran outfielder Moises Alou on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained left quadriceps after New York's 8-1 win over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night. The team called up Jason Vargas to start Thursday against the Cubs. The 24-year-old lefty is 2-3 with a 5.30 ERA at Triple-A New Orleans, but is 0-4 with an ERA over 9.00 in his last four outings. The Alou move is retroactive to May 13. He is hitting .318 with two homers and 13 RBIs, but is going on the DL for the 15th time in his career.
The Atlanta Braves put left-hander Mike Gonzalez on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left elbow and recalled lefty Macay McBride from Triple-A Richmond. Gonzalez, who is 2-0 with two saves and a 1.59 ERA, left Tuesday's 6-2 victory over Washington after two-thirds of an inning, when his velocity dropped. After the game, he told manager Bobby Cox he was fine - but a few minutes later, Gonzalez felt arm spasms while in the shower. Gonzalez is to have an MRI exam Thursday in Atlanta. "It's hard to explain," Cox said. "He didn't feel any pain whatsoever."