Los Angeles Dodgers: Pitcher Darren Dreifort, making a successful comeback following his second "Tommy John" surgery, was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday retroactive to May 29 because of a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee. The Dodgers replaced Dreifort on their active roster by recalling left-hander Victor Alvarez from Triple-A Las Vegas. Dreifort underwent reconstructive surgery on his pitching elbow in July 2001, and didn't pitch again until this season. It appeared he was going to return last summer, but he needed arthroscopic surgery on his knee.

Dreifort, a 31-year-old right-hander, is 4-4 with a 4.03 ERA in 10 starts this season. He has 67 strikeouts in 60 1-3 innings. Against Colorado on May 28, he allowed nine hits and six runs in three innings in his shortest outing of the year. Afterward, Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said Dreifort was hampered by pain in his knee.

It had been hoped Dreifort would start Saturday against the Chicago White Sox, but those plans were scrapped Wednesday. The 26-year-old Alvarez, who made his big-league debut with the Dodgers last season, is 3-1 with an 0.84 ERA and one save in 15 appearances at Las Vegas.

Texas Rangers: The Rangers traded disgruntled pitcher Alan Benes after he balked at a demotion, sending the right-hander back to the Chicago Cubs for minor league infielder Steve O'Sullivan on Wednesday.

Benes, who was traded from Chicago to Texas on May 9, went 0-3 with a 12.00 ERA in four starts for the Rangers. He was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma on May 29, but didn't report for a scheduled start Monday. O'Sullivan, a 23rd-round draft pick of the Cubs in 2002, missed all but five games last season with a broken hand and was still recovering at the Cubs' extended spring training camp. He will be assigned to Texas' extended spring camp. The Rangers also announced that right-hander Joaquin Benoit, scheduled to start Thursday against the Atlanta Braves, will be put on the 15-day disabled list with tendinitis in his elbow. Right-hander Victor Santos will be called up from Oklahoma to start against the NL East-leading Braves. He was 4-3 with a 2.96 ERA for the Triple-A team.

Finally, the Rangers placed right-hander Todd Van Poppel on irrevocable waivers for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release. He was designated for assignment May 29 after going 1-0 with an 8.52 ERA in seven appearances for Texas.

Minnesota Twins: The Twins placed right-handed pitcher Rick Reed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a lower back bruise. The move is retroactive to June 1.

The Twins also selected the contract of right-hander Mike Nakamura from Triple-A Rochester and transferred right-hander Mike Fetters to the 60-day DL with a strained left hamstring. He's been on the DL since April 27.

Reed's pain is caused by a strain to the right abdominal wall. It began bothering him after his last start May 31 against Seattle in the Metrodome. Left-hander Johan Santana (2-1) will start Saturday in San Diego in place of Reed. Nakamura was 4-4 with a 2.01 ERA and two saves in 21 games for Rochester this season.

Toronto Blue Jays: The Blue Jays placed left-hander Pete Walker on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday, a day after he injured his left knee making a pitch. Walker is out with a strained knee.

The Blue Jays also placed outfielder Shannon Stewart, who has missed nine of the last 10 games with an injured right hamstring, on the DL retroactive to May 29.

The Blue Jays recalled right-hander Josh Towers and outfielder Jayson Werth from Triple-A Syracuse. Walker was 1-1 with a 5.85 ERA in 15 games, including four starts. Stewart was batting .300 with three homers and 25 RBIs.

Cleveland Indians: Right-hander Mark Wohlers is expected to miss the rest of the season after test results revealed ligament damage to his right elbow. Wohlers has not pitched this season after having surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow in March. A comparison of MRI results from February and May showed a tear in the graft from Wohlers' ligament surgery in 2000.

"They saw a definite change in the ligament and Mark is going to have to be down, doing nothing for six weeks," Indians manager Eric Wedge said Wednesday. "We are talking about three months off for him to be all the way back. He's pretty much done for the year."

Wedge said Wohlers is not expected to have more surgery. Wohlers, the Indians' top setup man, was scheduled to come off the disabled list last week, but felt pain in his elbow during a rehabilitation stint at Double-A Akron on May 23. The setback led to the second MRI last week. Wohlers pitched in a team-high 64 games last season, going 3-4 with a 4.79 ERA. He was a dominant closer for the Atlanta Braves in the 1990s before elbow problems contributed to an inability to throw strikes.

Five days after designating infielder Bill Selby for assignment, the Indians traded him to St. Louis on Wednesday for minor league catcher Clint Chauncey. Selby, 32, was batting just .103 (4-for-39) in 26 games before being designated for assignment last Friday. Chauncey, 22, had been with Class A Peoria of the Midwest League and was hitting .294 (10-for-34) in 15 games.