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| Monday, June 23 Updated: June 24, 8:54 AM ET Red Sox hope to turn around Mendoza's fortune Associated Press |
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Mendoza, currently on the disabled list with a bad right knee, is 1-3 with a 6.81 ERA. He was scheduled to make a four-inning rehab start Monday for Boston's rookie team in the Gulf Coast League in order to make him better suited for the starting rotation, according to the Boston Globe. Mendoza pitched three innings in his last rehab outing. "We're trying to get him on track," general manager Theo Epstein told the Globe on Sunday. "Sometimes a change of roles helps." Mendoza has been a starting pitcher before. He started 57 games in his tenure with the Yankees before signing as a free agent with the Red Sox, although he has served mostly as a reliever during his career. He is 21-17 with a 4.94 ERA as a starter. The Red Sox are hoping to get reliever Chad Fox and starter Casey Fossum back soon. Fox went on the DL in late April with a strained left oblique, and is on a rehab assignment. Fossum's left shoulder tendinitis is improving slightly, according to the Globe, but it is uncertain when the left-hander will begin throwing off a mound again. After trading for Byung-Hyun Kim earlier in the season, the contending Red Sox have been unable to add another starting pitcher.
The club also expects Jim Edmonds and J.D. Drew to return after not being in the starting lineup in a loss Sunday to the Royals. Drew did pinch-hit in the ninth of that game, however. "I definitely expect Rolen will be playing Tuesday," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "He's made a lot of improvement. I'd be shocked if he's not playing Tuesday."
The club also optioned outfielder Jayson Werth to Triple-A Syracuse. He hit .216 with two home runs and eight RBIs with Toronto.
Stewart entered Monday's game hitting .300 with three home runs and 25 RBIs. The left fielder will return to the starting lineup despite the strong play of outfielder Reed Johnson, who entered Monday hitting .313 with six home runs and 15 RBIs.
"We were fortunate that we had a kid with no experience at all, step into a big role and really perform up to major league standards or above major league standards," Toronto manager Carlos Tosca said.
Tosca gave outfielder Frank Catalanotto a day off and started Johnson in right field on Monday night.
He said Johnson has moved ahead of Werth on the depth chart. Stewart is eligible for free agency this fall and could be moved before the July 31 trading deadline.
Stewart, Toronto's leadoff hitter, tested his legs in a minor league game at Syracuse on Saturday. He went 0-for-3.
Tosca also said third baseman Eric Hinske will begin a rehab assignment at Syracuse on Tuesday. Hinske has been on the 15-day disabled list since May 24 because of a broken bone in his right hand. Hinske said his hand feels good, and he hopes to be back in Toronto's lineup this weekend.
"I just have to get my timing back," said Hinske, who has been taking batting practice for four days. "I really don't have any pain."
Williams ran six 90-foot sprints at the team's player development center in Tampa, Fla. He could rejoin the Yankees by the All-Star break. "I hope so," Williams said. "It's hard to put a date on it because you start pressing. The last thing I want to do right now is start doing too much. Whenever I'm ready, the knee is going to tell me."
Williams resumed throwing and hitting off a tee last week. "The knee is doing well," Williams said. "No pain. No discomfort. Everyday we're doing a little more. We're on the right track."
The five-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner, who underwent surgery May 27 to repair torn cartilage in his left knee, was at Tropicana Field Monday night for the Yankees game against Tampa Bay.
First baseman-designated hitter Nick Johnson continues undergoing treatment for a hand injury. There is a possibility he might rejoin the team in three-to-four weeks.
Alomar has been on the disabled list since May 31 with a strained right oblique muscle. In a five-game rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte, he batted .267 with one RBI.
Before getting hurt, Alomar was hitting .247 with one home run and eight RBIs. Paul hit .353 with four RBIs in 13 games with the White Sox. He also had a .450 on-base percentage.
Burks has experienced numbness and tingling in his arm for months, and some of the muscles in his right hand had atrophied.
The 38-year-old Burks finished the season batting .258 with six homers and 28 RBIs. He is in the final year of a three-year contract with the Indians, who have a club option for 2004.
Garcia, on the DL since May 8 with a strained left wrist, hit .267 with six doubles and seven RBI in 14 games during a rehab assignment at Triple-A Buffalo. Before getting injured, Garcia was hitting .194 with six extra-base hits in 24 games with Cleveland. Santiago was promoted from Buffalo on Sunday after the Indians played consecutive 15-inning games in Pittsburgh. He did not appear in Sunday's game. He was 0-1 with a 3.94 ERA in 15 games with Cleveland earlier this season.
Koplove, bothered by recurring pain in his right shoulder, was placed on the DL retroactive to June 18. He was on the disabled list earlier this month for a similar ailment.
Johnson, the four-time Cy Young Award winner, has been out for several weeks after undergoing right knee surgery. His move to the 60-day DL was to make room on the 40-man roster for Bottalico, who was with the Diamondbacks during spring training.
It is the 17th time this season the Diamondbacks have used the disabled list. In addition to Johnson and Koplove, Arizona players currently on the DL include pitchers Curt Schilling, Matt Mantei and Bret Prinz, infielders Shea Hillenbrand, Craig Counsell and Junior Spivey, and outfielder Danny Bautista.
"We feel like he's ready," Mets general manager Jim Duquette told the New York Daily News on Sunday. "He has been pitching much better [(at Triple-A]. We'll probably bring him up no sooner than Wednesday." Heilman is only scheduled to make one start with the Mets. But if he pitches well, he could stay in the rotation and take Pedro Astacio's spot. Astacio is out for the season after shoulder surgery. Mike Bacsik could be sent to the bullpen if Heilman earns a permanent spot in the rotation. Heilman pitched for Norfolk on Sunday, throwing 53 pitches against the Columbus, the Yankees' Triple-A club. Heilman's pitch count was kept in check to prepare for his Shea debut. Heilman struggled in spring training, but has pitched well for Norfolk, going 6-4 with a 3.21 ERA.
"It might be a few more days for Carlos," Tigers manager Alan Trammell said. "He's played, but he hasn't been 100 percent. He's still showing somewhat of a limp. It won't happen until he can show us he can play at 100 percent at least a couple of days in a row." Trammell said Pena might even miss this week's entire four-game series at Fenway Park.
"We might have to make a decision," Romero told the Pioneer-Press of St. Paul, Minn. He has been pitching most of June with persistent discomfort in his groin. "I don't know. We're trying to be smart about it." Romero's work has been reduced as the Twins staff tries to nurse him through the problem, but risked further injury on an awkward play while covering first base on Sunday. After the game, Romero met with manager Ron Gardenhire and was scheduled to be checked Monday. The Twins open a six-game homestand Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox. Romero, who went 9-2 with a 1.91 earned-run average last season, had a 2.82 ERA until 3½ weeks ago, when the pain surfaced and his ERA started to climb. He lowered it to 4.20 for the season with a scoreless two-thirds of an inning Sunday.
Sanchez gives the Pirates an extra reliever after a doubleheader against Montreal last Wednesday and a pair of 15-inning games against Cleveland on Friday and Saturday _ all Pittsburgh wins. "The situation as it is, we need rested pitchers," Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said.
Acquired from Arizona last July 6 in a trade for Mike Fetters, Sanchez was 3-2 with a 2.68 ERA in 27 relief appearances with Nashville this season.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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