The Brewers placed Bill Hall on the 15-day disabled list Friday with a high right ankle sprain and recalled outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. from Triple-A Nashville. Hall, who was hitting .271 with nine homers and 38 RBIs, was injured when he landed awkwardly after leaping for a home run hit by Ryan Doumit on Thursday at Pittsburgh. Hall left the game and postgame X-rays were negative. "Hopefully, it's a quick two weeks," manager Ned Yost said. "It could be anywhere from two to six weeks - we just don't know. Hopefully, he's a quick healer." Gwynn was with Milwaukee from the start of the season through June 18, hitting .301 with no homers, eight RBIs and six stolen bases in 49 games. When he was sent to Nashville last month, Gwynn was in a 4-for-24 slump.
Mark Mulder left Friday’s bullpen session feeling very optimistic he’ll be able to rejoin St. Louis’ banged up starting rotation. "Today was by far the best I've thrown," Mulder said after throwing 45-50 fastballs. "Where that is on a scale, I don't know, but it's definitely a lot, lot, lot better." The southpaw is rehabbing from rotator cuff surgery last September. A month ago, he said he wouldn't be surprised if he didn't pitch competitively again until next year and he remains without a timetable. "I didn't see him, but he was pleased today," manager Tony La Russa said. "It's a big difference from spring training. He's definitely making progress." The former Athletic went just 6-7 with a 7.14 ERA in an injury-plagued '06. Meanwhile, teammate Chris Carpenter pitched three scoreless innings Sunday in his second rehab start for Class A Palm Beach. He allowed two hits, walked one and struck out two while throwing 39 pitches. He’ll likely need to make another couple rehab starts before rejoining the Cards.
Mark Teixeira, who played in a club record 507 consecutive games before going on the DL June 9 due to a strained left quadriceps muscle, will make a rehab start at Double-A Frisco on Wednesday. He then expects to play Friday night against the Angels. "As long as I get that one game in to make sure I can go through a full game, and play defense and take my at-bats and run around the bases, I should be fine," Teixeira said Sunday. "Make sure I can do some stretches at first and dive if I need to. Hitting, make sure I can explode out of the box." Teixeira ran the bases at full speed during a workout Sunday. Feel free to plug him back in your starting lineups for week 14.
Milton Bradley was activated Saturday from his fourth trip to the DL this season. He started in left field and batted fifth Saturday afternoon against the Braves, going 1-for-3 with a walk and a pair of runs scored. The Padres monitored his progress in batting practice through the week. He had no problems batting right-handed, but was a little tentative batting left-handed. "As the week wore on, the discomfort lessened to the point where he felt as though he was ready to play," manager Bud Black said. "In these situations where really the player truly knows how he feels, I told Milton to be as honest with me as possible and he goes, 'I will be.' Last night after batting practice we spoke in my office and he said, 'I'm ready. Let's go."' Limited to 65 at-bats this season with the A's, Bradley was hitting .292 with two homers and seven RBIs going into Saturday. His presence will take away at-bats from Jose Cruz Jr.
Brian Fuentes, who lost his job as Colorado's closer after blowing four straight saves, will miss the All-Star game because of a strained back muscle. Fuentes said he felt discomfort in the left latissimus dorsi after some mop-up work at Houston on Sunday and was extra sore after his scoreless inning of work Tuesday night against the New York Mets at Coors Field. "I thought I'd give it a day and I came back the next day and it was still sore," Fuentes said Friday night. "So, we're just day-to-day right now." Fuentes, who saved 20 of his first 22 games, won't be available until sometime after the All-Star break. He said he'll still make the trip to San Francisco for the All-Star game.
The Braves placed John Smoltz on the shelf on Friday after an MRI found inflammation - but apparently no structural damage - in his right shoulder. The Braves said the MRI also showed a "good" rotator cuff, and as a result Smoltz will meet with Dr. James Andrews, as had been tentatively planned. He will be eligible to come off the DL on July 18 and will miss Tuesday's All-Star game in San Francisco. On Thursday, Roy Oswalt was named to replace Smoltz on the NL All-Star team. Manager Bobby Cox, who hoped to avoid putting Smoltz on the DL, said he is expected to be ready to go when he's eligible to be activated. Smoltz (9-5, 3.07 ERA) gave up three runs and seven hits over six innings while striking out six and has lost three of five starts since tweaking his shoulder on May 29. Left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes, who was a combined 10-1 with a 3.08 ERA in 17 starts with Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Richmond, replaced him in the rotation Saturday and allowed five hits, three walks and five runs in three innings. He was awarded the loss and Cox announced afterwards that he’ll get at least one more start with the Braves, coming on July 17. So, keep the kid reserved in week 14, but he’s a decent option in week 14 in NL-only formats.
Nick Johnson saw a specialist in New York because of continued soreness in his right hip. He is still recovering from a fractured right femur he sustained when colliding with Austin Kearns on Sept. 23, 2006. Johnson had surgery the night of the injury and continues to rehab the injury. "It's not a setback at all," said manager Manny Acta. "It's normal. You broke one part of your body and you start favoring that part and some other part's going to get sore." GM Jim Bowden said the pain is at the point where a rod was inserted after the injury. There's still no timetable for Johnson's return.
Mike Sweeney underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Thursday, but no timetable was given for his return. Before the surgery, the team said he could be out from two to six weeks. The oft-injured Sweeney has not experienced any of the back problems that put him on the disabled list in years past. Instead, he went on the DL retroactive to June 18 with right knee inflammation. Sweeney, who had hoped to return to the lineup this week, will meet Friday with team physician Dr. Steve Joyce, who performed the surgery.
Josh Johnson left the Marlins' game against the Padres on Wednesday night after five innings because of a stiff forearm, then was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Making just his fourth start after missing the first 2 1/2 months of the season while recovering from an irritated ulnar nerve in his pitching elbow, Johnson said he felt the tightness while throwing warmup pitches before the sixth inning. "It didn't get better," he said. "It was tight. I guess better safe than sorry." Manager Fredi Gonzalez said the coaching staff "saw him start fidgeting with his arm to get it loose. We went out and asked him and he said, 'It's tightened up.' So that was all we needed to get him out of there." Johnson held San Diego to four hits while striking out three in five scoreless innings. He came in with a 10.97 ERA.
The Dodgers' pitching staff took another hit Wednesday when Randy Wolf, one of three starters with at least eight victories, was stashed on the shelf because of soreness in his left shoulder. The veteran southpaw joins starter Hong-Chih Kuo, who went on the DL on Wednesday. Jason Schmidt is already out for the season after elbow surgery, and reliever Yhency Brazoban is sidelined because of a strained right shoulder. Wolf (9-6) departed after three innings against Atlanta on Tuesday because of tenderness in his shoulder. "Going into yesterday, it was the worst it's been," he said. "I really haven't thrown 100 innings since 2004, so it could be the result of that. There's a level of frustration because I know there's probably nobody in the world that does more shoulder exercises than me." Left-hander Eric Stults was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday to take Wolf's roster spot. He will work out of the bullpen, although manager Grady Little said he wouldn't hesitate to start Stults.
Randy Johnson was put on the DL for the third time this season because of a sore back. Manager Bob Melvin said Johnson has a personal trainer that he's rehabbed with in the past who could combine efforts with team medical personnel. The plan calls for Johnson's injury to be re-evaluated once he's eligible to come off the DL. The move was made retroactive to June 29 so he can return July 14. Melvin said no further medical tests were planned for Johnson, who is 4-3 with a 3.81 ERA in 10 starts. Melvin said surgery is not a serious consideration at this point. Johnson had back surgery in the offseason. "He has pitched with this before and we have to an extent rely on how he's feeling," Melvin said. "It'll be a work in progress." Yusmeiro Petit, a 22-year-old rookie, allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings as Johnson's replacement on Tuesday in a 7-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Giants activated Rich Aurilia (sore neck) from the 15-day disabled list Tuesday, and the veteran promptly went 7-for-16 with a home run in San Francisco’s final four games of the first half. He had been sidelined since June 18 - receiving two acupuncture treatments last week before a two-game rehab assignment with Triple-A Fresno in Las Vegas. The Giants optioned OF Nate Schierholtz to Fresno to open up a roster spot. "I feel good," Aurilia said. "It went well in Vegas and I had no pain and no headaches. It was 115 degrees on Sunday, so my legs were a little beat up. I will keep the range of motion (in the neck) and keep it loose. Hopefully, I'm done with it now." He’s definitely a worthy option in NL-only leagues, and a decent play in larger mixed formats.
Jon Lieber underwent season-ending surgery on Friday to repair a ruptured tendon in his left foot. The 37-year-old suffered the injury on June 20 while backing up home plate on a play in Cleveland. He went on the DL three days later, finishing with a 3-6 record and a 4.73 ERA in 12 starts this season. "He pitched some good baseball for us," said manager Charlie Manuel. "If things had been a little bit different, he could've pitched better. He had the talent."
The White Sox placed Scott Podsednik on the DL Tuesday because of a strained left ribcage muscle. The injury occurred Sunday while leading off against the Royals, less than two weeks after he returned from a two-month stint on the DL with a strained adductor muscle. "He's unreliable, there's no doubt," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "Now, he's got a different injury. Now, it's not his legs. Now, it's his side. It's important for the ballclub to have a guy like him, but in the meanwhile, when you can't count on a guy day-in and day-out, it's hard.” The White Sox recalled Jerry Owens from Triple-A Charlotte to replace Podsednik. Owens batted .170 in 15 games for Chicago last month.
Lyle Overbay (wrist) went 2-for-4 with a grand slam Saturday in his second game for Double-A New Hampshire. He went 0-for-5 on Friday. Overbay is likely to be activated right after the break.
The Blue Jays activated Reed Johnson from the 60-day disabled list before Friday's game against Cleveland and optioned outfielder Adam Lind to Triple-A Syracuse. Johnson has been sidelined since April 12 after undergoing surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back. Johnson set career highs in seven offensive categories last season, including average (.319) and home runs (12).
The Royals activated Mark Grudzielanek from the DL Friday and optioned Shane Costa to Triple-A Omaha. Grudzielanek had been out since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to repair cartilage damage on June 15 - his second surgery since March. He was hitting .267 with four homers and 26 RBI in 52 games. He hasn't played since experiencing tightness in the knee against St. Louis on June 12.
Zach Duke won't throw for a couple of weeks as he waits for his aching left elbow to calm down, and his return to the Pirates' rotation is still uncertain. After tests conducted by the Pirates revealed irritation in his ulnar collateral ligament, Duke sought a second opinion Friday from orthopedist James Andrews. The acclaimed physician’s findings were nearly the same as those by the Pirates' doctors, manager Jim Tracy said. The initial diagnosis was made Monday after Duke underwent an arthrogram, a procedure in which dye was injected into his elbow to reveal any possible structural damage in the elbow. Duke (3-7) is struggling for the second season in a row. He has yielded five runs or more in six of his last eight starts, including six runs and 12 hits in four innings against Florida his last game on June 28.