Chicago White Sox: First baseman Paul Konerko, an All-Star selection last season who hasn't had an extra-base hit in his last 23 games, has been benched.

	Konerko

Konerko has been at a loss for words on how to explain his situation, and his nightmarish season is getting only worse. He is 0-for-8 in his last four games and 4-for-22 (.182) in his last nine. He hit .181 (15-for-83) in May following a .238 April.

"We'll find places to use Paul, there's no doubt about that," White Sox manager Jerry Manuel told reporters Tuesday night. "It's just right now, with kind of the struggles that he's had and we're pretty lacking in offense, we just have to find that where we can right now."

Konerko batted .328 with 20 home runs and 71 RBI before the All-Star break last season. He is hitting .191 this season with three home runs and 17 RBI in 204 at-bats.

Arizona Diamondbacks: The Arizona Diamondbacks have decided to send third baseman Shea Hillenbrand to a brief rehabilitation with Triple-A Tucson rather than activating him from the disabled list immediately.

Hillenbrand, sidelined since June 9 with a strained left side, will join the Sidewinders in Las Vegas on Friday and play at least two games there.

"Our initial plan was to go ahead and activated him on Friday and put him in the lineup,'' manager Bob Brenly said on Wednesday. "But after talking it over with the rest of the coaches and Joe (general manager Joe Garagiola Jr.), we think it's in his best interest and our best interest to see him face some live pitches first.''

Hillenbrand could join the team in Detroit on Saturday, or will play the weekend in Las Vegas and be activated for Arizona's series opener in Colorado on Monday. Hillenbrand, who has never played in Triple-A, had no problem with the plan.

"I've never been through this before, so I don't know,'' Hillenbrand said. "If I'd been through this before, I could probably have a better chance of expressing my opinion on the situation. But I'm just doing what I'm told.''

Toronto Blue Jays: The Blue Jays will activate Eric Hinske from the disabled list on Thursday.

Last year's AL Rookie of the Year has been on the 15-day DL since May 24 because of a broken bone in his right hand.

Hinske singled, doubled and homered in three at-bats in a rehab game at Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday. He went 0-for-3 on Tuesday.

Hinske said earlier this week that he was ready to play, but the Blue Jays weren't expecting him back until the weekend.

He hit .232 with two home runs and 21 RBI in 44 games with Toronto.

The Blue Jays optioned infielder Howie Clark to make room on the roster for Hinske. Clark hit .432 in 37 at-bats with Toronto.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Outfielder Brian Jordan sat out of the Dodgers' series finale against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night with a sore left leg.

Jordan, already bothered by sore oblique muscles, strained his leg while beating out an infield single in the sixth inning of Tuesday's 2-1 loss. Jordan, who struggled with knee problems throughout last season, felt a sharp pain in his leg in roughly the same spot where he had offseason knee surgery.

"When I hit the bag, I reached out with my good leg _ and I came down hard on my bad leg,'' Jordan said. "It might be the same patellar (tendon).''

He will have an MRI in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Jordan took batting practice before Wednesday's game while wearing a brace and a heavy wrap on the leg, but the Dodgers decided not to risk it. Jordan was in the Dodgers' original starting lineup, but he was scratched 20 minutes before the first pitch.

Gagne fined for outburst: The Dodgers will get a $500 repair bill from the Giants after closer Eric Gagne broke a telephone in the visiting dugout at Pacific Bell Park on Monday night.

	Gagne

Gagne was angry after giving up the winning run in the 11th inning of the Giants' 3-2 victory over the Dodgers. Barry Bonds drew a walk and stole second base -- the 500th steal of his career -- before scoring on Benito Santiago's single.

A San Francisco team spokesman said the Dodgers would be charged for the phone.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays: The Devil Rays optioned rookie right-hander Dewon Brazelton to Class A Bakersfield and recalled infielder Antonio Perez from Triple-A Durham before Wednesday night's game against the New York Yankees.

Brazelton's demotion came a day after he walked four of nine batters and allowed three runs in one-plus innings of a 10-9 loss to the Yankees -- the second shortest non-injury related start in Devil Rays history.

In four starts since getting his first major league win on May 30, Brazelton allowed 23 runs, 23 hits and 11 walks in 13 innings. He was dropped from Tampa Bay's rotation after a poor performance in an 11-2 loss to the Yankees in his previous start, but regained the job after what manager Lou Piniella described as a solid week of work on the side.

General manager Chuck LaMar said the decision was made to send Brazelton to Bakersfield, rather than Durham, because the team wants him to concentrate on improving rather than trying to produce immediate results to get back to the majors.

"We'll let him get himself together,'' Piniella said. "We can call him back up from Bakersfield as easy as any place. We just want him to start throwing the ball the way he can.''

Houston Astros: Jose Vizcaino's broken left wrist will require surgery, and the Houston Astros infielder will be sidelined about eight weeks, the team announced Wednesday.

Vizcaino was injured when he was hit by a pitch from Arizona reliever Stephen Randolph in the seventh inning of Tuesday night's 12-5 Diamondbacks' victory.

X-rays taken at the ballpark indicated the bone remained aligned and no surgery would be needed. That meant he would be out four-to-six weeks.

But further X-rays in Houston on Wednesday by Dr. Tom Mehlhoff indicated surgery would be needed to insert a plate in Vizcaino's forearm to facilitate the healing, the Astros said.

The surgery tentatively is scheduled for Friday in Houston at The Methodist Hospital.

The Astros recalled infielder Eric Bruntlett from Triple-A New Orleans to take Vizcaino's roster spot. Vizcaino had been starting at second in place of Jeff Kent, who was out of the lineup for the seventh consecutive game on Wednesday with tendinitis in his left wrist.

New York Yankees: Right-hander Jon Lieber threw batting practice for the first time since undergoing major elbow surgery last August.

Lieber threw 40 pitches at the team's player development center in Tampa, Fla. It was the first time he has faced hitters since pitching against the Padres on Aug. 1.

"It just felt good to be out there," Lieber said. "I still have a long ways to go, but that's a big step."

Lieber signed a two-year free-agent contract during the offseason. He went 20-6 in 2001 for the Cubs and was selected for the NL All-Star team.

Barring any problems, Lieber could pitch in a minor league game within the next few weeks. The possibility of Lieber joining the Yankees late this season has not been completely ruled out.

"I don't want to push it," Lieber said. "The main thing is how I feel tomorrow. The next day, how you rebound. We'll see how it feels tomorrow and go from there."

Sojo rejoins Yanks: The Yankees hired Luis Sojo as a special assignment instructor Wednesday.

Sojo played in parts of six seasons with the Yankees from 1996-2001, and was a member of four World Series championship teams.

"I'm excited to come back,'' Sojo said. "I'm doing something different, but I'll have fun too.''

Sojo managed the Yankees' Double-A team in Norwich to the Eastern League championship last season. After deciding not to manage again, Sojo was playing in the Mexican League this season before retiring this week.

"Louie's such a big favorite here,'' Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "He's played in big games. He knows what the feeling is like. He's a good communicator. For a lot of the Latin players we have, it can only help us.''

New York Mets: Mets left fielder Cliff Floyd was removed from New York's starting lineup 10 minutes before gametime with a sore right Achilles' tendon.

Floyd, who has been hampered by the sore Achilles' tendon all season, is hitting .273 and leads the Mets with 14 home runs and 42 RBI.

Roger Cedeno replaced Floyd in the lineup, but Jeromy Burnitz moved from right to left field and Cedeno started in right.

Cincinnati Reds: Left-handed reliever Gabe White was placed on the 15-day disabled list and right-hander Brian Reith was recalled to replace him.

White was placed on the DL retroactive to Saturday with a strained left groin. He was 3-0 with a 3.93 ERA in 34 relief appearances for the Reds.

Reith went 3-1 with a 1.96 ERA and one save in 16 relief appearances for Triple-A Louisville. He pitched for the Reds this season from April 25 to May 27, appearing in 12 games with a 1-0 record and 3.86 ERA.

San Francisco Giants: Giants outfielder Marvin Benard will have arthroscopic surgery Friday to repair torn cartilage in his left knee.

The Giants won't know how long he'll be out until after the surgery.

After missing most of May following arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, Benard has been on the disabled list since June 18 with his latest injury.

In his 12th season in San Francisco's organization, Benard is hitting .185 in just 54 at-bats with no homers and four RBI. The nine-year major league veteran will be a free agent this winter.

Florida Marlins: Marlins right-hander Josh Beckett is scheduled to make his second rehabilitation start.

Beckett, sidelined since May 9 with a strained right elbow, will throw a maximum of 75 pitches Thursday for the Marlins' Double-A affiliate in Carolina.

Beckett made his rehab debut Saturday for Florida's Class-A team in Jupiter, Fla. Beckett threw 42 pitches, 27 for strikes in three innings. He then threw 13 more pitches in the bullpen.

Marlins manager Jack McKeon said Beckett is slated to return to the rotation July 1 against Atlanta. Beckett is 2-3 with a 3.76 ERA in eight starts for the Marlins this season.

Florida right-handed reliever Tim Spooneybarger, out since June 12 with elbow tendinitis, will not be ready to be activated from the DL on Friday. He cut a bullpen workout short Tuesday because of elbow pain.

Team officials said Wednesday that Spooneybarger is not expected to throw again until early next week. Spooneybarger is 1-2 with a 4.07 ERA in 33 relief appearances this season.

Montreal Expos: Rookie reliever Luis Ayala was placed on the disabled list with inflammation in his right shoulder.

Ayala was placed on the 15-day DL, retroactive to Sunday, after pitching one scoreless inning on Saturday against Toronto. The 25-year-old native of Mexico is 6-2 with a 3.09 ERA and two saves in 34 games. He leads all rookies with six relief wins.

The Expos did not immediately make a roster move to replace Ayala on the roster.