BOSTON -- Boston Red Sox right-hander Chad Fox, who leads the team's bullpen by committee with three saves, was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday with a strained left oblique muscle.

Fox blew a save in Sunday's 6-4, 14-inning victory at Anaheim, allowing a run, a hit and a walk while retiring only one batter. While he leads the Red Sox in saves, he also leads with the team with two blown saves.

Signed as a free agent last December, Fox is 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA in 10 relief appearances.

The Red Sox will make a corresponding roster move before Tuesday's game against the Kansas City Royals. They could activate left-hander Alan Embree, who has been on the disabled list since April 9 with a shoulder injury but completed a rehabilitation stint with Class A Sarasota on Sunday.

Ankiel pitches scoreless inning in Double-A
KODAK, Tenn. -- St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Rick Ankiel struck out two in a scoreless inning for Double-A Tennessee on Sunday.

Pitching against Orlando, the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Ankiel faced five batters and threw 28 pitches in the eighth inning, 16 for strikes. He allowed a single and walked one, also throwing a wild pitch.

The 23-year-old left-hander consistently threw 92-95 mph.

Ankiel won 11 games for St. Louis as a rookie starter in 2000 before control problems sidetracked his promising career. He missed last season with an elbow injury and the Cardinals are trying to convert him into a reliever.

Ankiel struggled in spring training with St. Louis, prompting the team to send him to the minors to start the season.

Park project no longer on Kreuter's shoulders
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Catcher Chad Kreuter is being dropped by the Texas Rangers, who were hoping he would make Chan Ho Park a better pitcher.

Kreuter was told of the move after Sunday's game. Because the Rangers were off Monday, they said his removal from the roster will take effect Tuesday.

Kreuter usually caught Park when they were with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Park's success there made him a coveted free agent after the 2001 season and the Rangers signed him for $65 million over five years.

After Park struggled last season, the Rangers brought Kreuter to spring training. He made the club and went 2-for-18 in seven games, including six starts.

Park, though, hasn't improved. He's 1-3 with a 7.16 ERA after allowing five runs on four hits and five walks in four innings Sunday. Texas overcame that to beat the Yankees 10-7.

Dodgers put Shuey on disabled list
PITTSBURGH -- The Los Angeles Dodgers put right-handed reliever Paul Shuey on the 15-day disabled list Friday because of a sprained right knee and recalled infielder Jason Romano from Triple-A Las Vegas.

Romano began the season with the Dodgers, going hitless in two at-bats before being sent to Las Vegas on April 8. He was batting .228 with one homer, six RBI and seven stolen bases with the 51s.

Shuey was 2-1 with an 0.68 ERA in 10 games, allowing one run and five hits in 13 1/3 innings.

Giles taking BP but not yet ready to play
PITTSBURGH -- This is the sight the Pittsburgh Pirates waited two weeks to see: Brian Giles with a bat in his hands, line drives jumping off his bat.

The problem: He's not close to being ready to doing it in a game.

Giles took swings in an indoor batting cage Friday, the closest thing to a baseball-related activity he's had since spraining his right knee April 10. He's been out of the Pirates' lineup since.

However, Giles isn't ready yet to start running or making the lateral cuts necessary to play in the outfield. He is eligible to come off the disabled list this weekend, but manager Lloyd McClendon said he probably won't be ready until the Pirates come off a 10-day road trip that ends May 8.

Giles will go on the trip, to work on his conditioning, but said Friday he has no idea when he'll be ready to play.

Rangers' Valdes out with shoulder tendinitis
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas right-hander Ismael Valdes was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday because of tendinitis in his right shoulder.

The Rangers had already said Valdes would miss his scheduled start Saturday against the New York Yankees. Manager Buck Showalter said after the Rangers' 16-5 win over Boston that Valdes had been placed on the disabled list.

An MRI on Thursday confirmed the tendinitis. The move is retroactive to Sunday, a day after his last start.

Valdes, 2-2 with a 5.74 ERA, initially complained of stiffness in his right shoulder Saturday at Oakland after giving up six runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. That came five days after he pitched eight shutout innings against Anaheim.

White Sox limit fan accessibility at ballpark
CHICAGO -- Fans with upper-deck seats at Chicago White Sox home games won't be allowed into other levels of the ballpark unless they have season tickets.

The change was made Thursday after the team conducted an internal review of security and crowd management at U.S. Cellular Field. The review was partly prompted by an attack on an umpire during a game last week, White Sox spokesman Scott Reifert said.

Eric Dybas, 24, ran onto the field on April 15 and grabbed umpire Laz Diaz around the legs during a game between the White Sox and Kansas City Royals.

That attack came about seven months after Kansas City first base coach Tom Gamboa was pummeled by a father and son during a game at the same stadium, then called Comiskey Park.

The new policy will remain in effect for the entire season, the White Sox said.

Glanville has surgery, out 4 more weeks
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas center fielder Doug Glanville had surgery Wednesday to repair a ruptured hamstring tendon behind his right knee and will be out of the lineup about four more weeks.

The surgery was performed by team physician Dr. John Conway in Fort Worth.

Glanville went on the 15-day disabled list on April 17, retroactive to April 15, the day after he got hurt running out a grounder against Anaheim. The ruptured tendon was diagnosed after an MRI that was reviewed Monday by Dr. James Andrews of Birmingham, Ala.

Without the surgery, Glanville could have continued rehabilitation and been back in as little as two weeks. But there would have been no assurances he wouldn't have more problems with the injury.

Rangers manager Buck Showalter said the surgery is expected to eliminate Glanville's hamstring problem.

Former Rangers outfielder Ricky Ledee suffered a similar injury during spring training in 2001. He didn't have surgery, then missed the first two months of the season and was limited all year.

The Rangers believe Glanville partially tore the tendon in the past, possibly more than 10 years ago, and finished it off in that April 14 game against the Angels.

Sojo mulling major comeback
NEW YORK -- Luis Sojo hopes to play in the major leagues again after a successful stint as a manager in the minors last season, Newsday reported Thursday.

The 38-year-old Sojo, who won four World Series titles as a utility infielder with the New York Yankees, retired right before last season after he was told he wouldn't make the big league team out of spring training.

He took over as manager of the Yankees' Double-A affiliate in May, leading Norwich to an Eastern League title.

Sojo plans to begin his comeback in the Mexican League to see if he can attract interest from a major league team. He told the newspaper he spoke with Mexican League clubs and thought he was close to a deal with one, but wouldn't identify it.

"There's no doubt in my mind, if somebody called me, I'd do it,'' Sojo told the newspaper. "I still think I can do it.''

Grieve has surgery on thumb, out at least a month
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Devil Rays outfielder Ben Grieve had surgery on his left thumb Thursday to determine the cause of an infection that required hospitalization last weekend.

Grieve was operated on at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday, a move retroactive to April 18.

"There was still some infection in his thumb, so the doctor wanted to clean that out and make sure we rid that so he wouldn't have any further problems," Tampa Bay head trainer Ken Crenshaw said.

Grieve is expected to be out at least a month. The surgery was done on an outpatient basis.

Results of a culture taken should be known Friday. It will help determine what antibiotics Grieve will receive.

Tampa Bay recalled infielder Felix Escalona from Double-A Orlando Thursday to replace Grieve.

Tampa Bay also placed outfielder Damian Rolls on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured right thumb tip. He was hurt attempting to make a diving catch Tuesday.

Rolls' thumb will be in a splint three to four weeks.

Infielder Chris Truby's contract was purchased from Triple-A Durham.

Durham right-hander Luis De Los Santos was designated for assignment, meaning the team has 10 days to trade him, place him on waivers or send him outright to the minors. Pitcher Delvin James cleared waivers and was sent outright to Durham.

Red Sox acquire minor-league reliever from Brewers
The Boston Red Sox acquired right-handed reliever Michael Nicolas from Milwaukee on Thursday for a player to be named later or cash.

Nicholas was optioned by the Red Sox to Double-A Portland.

The Brewers had claimed Nicholas on Wednesday after he was put on waivers by San Diego. In five appearances for Mobile, the Padres' Double-A team, Nicolas was 0-1 with an 8.10 ERA with a save. In 6 2-3 innings, he had 11 strikeouts, but also gave up six hits and walked seven.

Cordova to miss 6-8 weeks with elbow surgery
BALTIMORE -- Orioles outfielder Marty Cordova had surgery Thursday at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center to remove bone chips from his right elbow.

The Orioles said Dr. Leighann Curl removed one large chip and several small ones, and also cleaned the area around elbow.

Cordova was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday and is expected to be out for six to eight weeks.

Hamstrung Segui placed on DL: The Orioles placed designated hitter David Segui on the 15-day disabled list for the second time this season, and recalled outfielder Larry Bigbie on Thursday from Triple-A Ottawa.

Segui has been sidelined since straining his right hamstring April 17 in Cleveland. Although he has been making steady progress in his bid to return, the Orioles felt it best to give him at least another week to recover.

"This way he has the full amount of time and doesn't have to push himself any harder than he has to. I think that's the right way to go," said Orioles bench coach Sam Perlozzo, serving as interim manager while Mike Hargrove tends to his ailing mother in Texas.

Segui spent time on the DL earlier this season with a broken thumb. He returned April 5, and was batting .441 before the hamstring injury.

The move is retroactive to April 18, so he's eligible to return May 3. Although Segui is eager to play, he realizes it's probably better to wait a few days before trying to run at full speed.

Schmidt on bereavement list following mother's death
PITTSBURGH -- San Francisco Giants pitcher Jason Schmidt left the team Tuesday following the death of his mother and was placed on the bereavement list Wednesday.

Vicki Schmidt, of Longview, Wash., died Tuesday after a long illness. She was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in spring training 2002.

Schmidt (2-0) will miss his scheduled start Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Damian Moss (3-0) probably will move up a day in the rotation to replace him.

The bereavement list means Schmidt must remain there for a minimum of three games and a maximum of seven. The Giants likely will call a pitcher up from the minors to start Friday or Saturday in Philadelphia, but manager Felipe Alou said that might not be determined until Wednesday.

The Giants purchased right-hander Luis Estrella's contract from Triple-A Fresno.

Estrella was 0-1 with five saves and a 3.86 ERA at Fresno, getting three saves and compiling a 1.42 ERA in his last five appearances. This is his first time in the major leagues.

The 28-year-old Estrella was at spring training as a non-roster player.

The death of Schmidt's mother came less than a week after former Giants star Bobby Bonds underwent brain cancer surgery.

Pirates' Fogg will miss at least three starts
PITTSBURGH -- Pirates right-hander Josh Fogg went on the disabled list Tuesday, and right-hander Brian Meadows was recalled from Triple-A Nashville.

Fogg has a strained abdominal muscle and was lifted after one inning of his start Sunday against the Chicago Cubs. Fogg was replaced by Salomon Torres, who pitched five innings of one-hit shutout relief in the Pirates' 8-2 victory.

Torres left the game after being hit on the left knee by a pitch, apparently in retaliation for his beaning Sammy Sosa earlier in the game. Unless he has complications from being hit, the right-handed Torres is expected to replace Fogg in the rotation and start Saturday against the Dodgers.

Fogg will miss at least three starts with an injury that is hampering his throwing motion. He was injured April 15 while batting against the Mets.

Last season, Fogg led NL rookies with 33 starts and 194 1-3 innings pitched while going 12-12 with a 4.35 ERA.

Meadows was 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA at Nashville. He started 11 games for the Pirates last season and has 37 victories in the majors. He is expected to take Torres' spot as a long reliever.