The Athletics lost Eric Chavez, Mark Kotsay and Travis Buck for the remainder of the season Friday. Chavez will undergo surgery on his troublesome right shoulder on Wednesday to repair his labrum, then doctors turn their focus to his back problems. He has been bothered by shoulder problems for about two years and he debated having an operation after the 2005 season. "At this point in the season, we felt like getting him started on something he needed to give him maximum time to get ready for next year, to get him strong and healthy," manager Bob Geren said. Chavez batted a career-low .240 this season with 15 home runs and 46 RBI. In 2006, he hit .241, second worst among all AL qualifiers, and his 100 strikeouts were his third most in parts of nine big league seasons. He still hit 22 home runs to reach the 20-homer mark for the seventh straight year, but his 72 RBI were his fewest during that span.

Buck also will have an operation Sept. 10 to tighten a loose ligament in his right elbow, to be performed by claimed physician Lewis Yocum. He hit .288 with seven homers and 34 RBI. "As much as I want to play and they want me to play, this is the right move," Buck said. Kotsay began the 2007 campaign on the DL following back surgery March 8 during spring training. He returned June 1, then was sidelined again Aug. 17 with lower back spasms. He batted .214 with one HR and 20 RBI. Kotsay will wait until the soreness in his back subsides before he begins a strengthening program and rehabilitation. "You've got to look forward and how this will get me strong and playing from the beginning of next year," Kotsay said. "For me, I'll accept the fact this was a terrible year and move forward."

The Cardinals will be without All-Star 3B Scott Rolen for the final month of the season because of a shoulder injury. They acquired Russell Branyan from the Phillies to take his spot. Rolen was batting .265 with eight homers and 58 RBI, greatly decreased power numbers after hitting 22 homers last year and 34 in 2004. His usually impeccable fielding had suffered lately, with four errors coming in a three-game stretch last week.

Vernon Wells will undergo an MRI exam after the season to determine whether he needs surgery on his sore left shoulder. Batting coach Mickey Brantley said Wednesday that Wells has been bothered by tightness in his shoulder most of the season. Wells is batting .265 with 15 HR and 74 RBI in 130 games this season, his ninth with Toronto. He batted .303 with 32 homers and a team-high 106 RBI in 2006. Asked about the injury before Friday's game against Seattle, he said, "I haven't said anything about it all year and I'm not going to start now. I don't want to make excuses. It's been a rough year, that's about it."

In his return from shoulder surgery, Pedro Martinez gave up three runs -- two earned -- and five hits over five innings Monday against the Reds. He struck out four, including Aaron Harang in the second for the 3,000th strikeout of his career, becoming the 15th pitcher in history to accomplish the feat. The 35-year-old Martinez, a three-time Cy Young winner, was at a career crossroads last season. He had surgery on his rotator cuff on Oct. 5, an operation that often takes more than a year for a full recovery. He was throwing predominantly in the low 80's in his return, and was able to turn it up to 87 a few times on his hardest throws. Don't expect much value from the ace, but this performance is encouraging for Martinez's 2008 campaign.

The damage a foul ball did to Juan Encarnacion's left eye was the worst the Cardinals' medical director has ever seen to a baseball player. Dr. George Paletta was not optimistic Sunday that Encarnacion will regain full vision after his frightening injury and resume his career. "It's the worst trauma I've seen. Absolutely," Paletta said. "You hope the best for Juan, but he suffered a severe injury with a very guarded prognosis. It's way too early to say whether he will or he won't, and if he doesn't what percentage of vision loss he may have." Paletta said the eye socket was essentially crushed on impact, comparing the injured area to the disintegration of an egg shell or ice cream cone, and that the optic nerve had sustained severe trauma. Reconstructive surgery may not take place for several days while doctors wait for swelling to subside. Encarnacion, who is in the second year of a three-year free agent contract, crumpled to the grass after being struck while waiting to pinch hit in the on-deck circle in the sixth inning on Friday. He remained hospitalized with a concussion and multiple fractures to the eye socket. Encarnacion was still experiencing headaches and nausea. Encarnacion missed the first 1 1/2 months recovering from wrist surgery and hit .283 with nine homers and 47 RBI.

Mark Mulder will rejoin the Cardinals' rotation for the first time in more than a year on Wednesday, just in time for the stretch drive. Manager Tony La Russa said he's not sure what to expect from Mulder, who had rotator cuff surgery in September 2006. "He knows himself better than anybody and he's been getting better and better," La Russa said. Mike Maroth also will return to a rotation, given the Cardinals are finishing the season with 35 games in 34 days. Maroth is 0-4 with an 11.08 ERA, but he'll get another chance at the expense of Anthony Reyes. Reyes, 2-13 with a 5.63 ERA, lasted only one inning in his last start on Friday. The moves leave the Cardinals entering the week with a six-man rotation of Kip Wells (6-15, 5.50), Joel Pineiro (3-2, 3.71), Mulder, Maroth, Adam Wainwright (13-9, 3.78) and Braden Looper (12-10, 4.45).

Kenny Rogers is returning to the Tigers' rotation to start Wednesday's game against the White Sox, which will be the first outing for the left-hander in more than a month. The Gambler went on the DL with inflammation in his left elbow. "I think any time you get a guy like that back, it's certainly good for morale," manager Jim Leyland said. "A lot of that depends on if he's healthy and performing." Rogers, who threw a bullpen session Sunday, is 3-2 with a 5.23 ERA this season in only 32 2/3 innings because of injuries. He began the season on the DL after having surgery March 30 to remove a blood clot from his left shoulder and repair arteries. His last start was July 25 against the White Sox and he lasted four innings.

Ben Sheets was activated from the DL Wednesday and promptly defeated the Cubs later in the day. Sheets, on the DL since July 16 with a sprained finger on his pitching hand, also had some partial tearing of the tissue surrounding the tendon of the finger. He surrendered six hits and one run in six strong innings in his return, improving his record to 11-4. In his absence, the Brew Crew went just 16-24 and fell out of first place in the NL Central.

Alfonso Soriano returned to the Cubs' lineup Tuesday night after being sidelined over the previous three weeks. He’s gone 5-for-20 in his first five contests since the activation. "I think the team needs me and I need the team, too," Soriano said. "I want to play. We are up 1 1/2 games ahead and we want to win the division." Soriano suffered a small tear in his right quadriceps as he was running the bases Aug. 5 against the. As he rounded second base, he pulled up lame and hobbled into third base where he was tagged out.

Francisco Liriano has been undergoing rehabilitation from reconstructive elbow surgery at the Metrodome the past week, taking a break from the Florida heat. Liriano has experienced no setbacks in his recovery, and he is still on track to be ready for spring training in February. After going 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 121 innings, Liriano's season was cut short by soreness in his elbow in early August. He had Tommy John surgery, a ligament transplant procedure, in November. "Everything's perfect, how I feel," Liriano said. "I don't feel any soreness, any pain." He has begun to throw lightly, and this week he'll continue that on a mound. Liriano won't be allowed to have a bullpen session until November, but he has lost some weight and passed every step in the rehab process so far. He said he doesn't plan to change his motion once he starts throwing from the windup.

Brandon Backe was activated from the DL Friday and will start Tuesday in his first appearance in almost a year following elbow ligament replacement surgery. Backe's first start of 2007 will come in Milwaukee and will be three days shy of a year since his elbow was operated on last Sept. 7, 2006. "I can't wait," Backe said. "It's been a long road, a lot of traveling. This has been my goal - to get back in and pitch this year on the team." Backe made five rehab starts at Triple-A Round Rock and struck out 10 in six innings Thursday night. The usual recovery time range from this type of surgery is 12-to-18 months.

Freddy Garcia had season-ending shoulder surgery Thursday, nearly three months after he threw his last pitch for the Phillies. Renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews performed the operation on Garcia's labrum. The 31-year-old Garcia will be a free agent after this season, and the Phillies won't bring back perhaps the biggest bust in team history. It ended up costing them $10 million for just one total victory. Acquired from the White Sox for two minor leaguers, Garcia was 1-5 with a 5.90 ERA in 11 starts for Philly. Garcia was 17-9 with a 4.53 ERA for White Sox last season and pitched more than 200 innings for the seventh time in his career.

Around the league:
Michael Barrett was activated from the shelf Saturday. He was diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms after being kneed in the head while sliding into second base the day before at Cincinnati. He was hit in the mask by a foul tip the previous Sunday against San Francisco. Barrett is hitting .231 in 31 games with San Diego. … Randy Wolf will have diagnostic arthroscopic surgery on his sore left shoulder on Wednesday. The southpaw felt pain in his shoulder while throwing last weekend. "It's not that bad. It's just not right," Wolf said. "It's hard to explain." Wolf is 9-6 with a 4.73 ERA. … Chris Duffy underwent shoulder surgery Friday and should be ready for spring training. Duffy has had discomfort in the shoulder for about two years, and is expected to be recovered from the surgery by March 1. Duffy batted .249 with three home runs and 22 RBI in 70 games this year. … The Brewers put RHP Claudio Vargas on the shelf Tuesday with a strained lower. Vargas is 10-4 with a 5.13 ERA in 25 games, including 23 starts. … David Ross was activated on Tuesday, 15 days after he went on the disabled list with a concussion. He took the spot of C Ryan Jorgensen, who was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Monday. Ross was hurt in a home plate collision with Mike Cameron on Aug. 13.

Mike Sweeney was activated from the shelf on Friday after he has missed 61 games with a right knee injury. Since signing a $55 million contract during spring training in 2002, the DH/1B has missed significant time in every season besides 2005. He was hitting .245 with seven HR and 31 RBI in 57 games before the injury. … The Rangers activated Hank Blalock from the DL and recalled RHP Edinson Volquez from Triple-A Oklahoma. Blalock went on the DL on May 17 after being diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, which affects the nerves that pass through the shoulder into the neck. He was batting .285 with five HR and 16 RBI. Volquez will be the Rangers starter Saturday at LA. He has spent the season in the minor leagues with Class-A Bakersfield, Double-A Frisco and Oklahoma. Volquez is 14-6, 3.67 this season. … Andy Phillips has a broken right wrist and will have surgery Tuesday, most likely sidelining him for the rest of the year after being hit by a pitch on Sunday. Jason Giambi started at first in the opener of New York's pivotal series against Seattle. Also, Wilson Betemit, Shelley Duncan and Doug Mientkiewicz also could play first. Phillips is batting .292 with two HR and 25 RBI.