Anaheim Angels: Angels lefty Scott Schoeneweis, still upset about relieving more than a year after being demoted to the bullpen, is even more perturbed about his diminishing role there.

The five-year veteran,who got a lot off his chest during a lengthy closed-door meeting with manager Mike Scioscia and pitching coach Bud Black after Sunday's contest, has appeared in 30 of Anaheim's first 79 games.

Under the terms of the one-year, $1.425 million contract he signed in January, Schoeneweis would receive a $5,000 bonus if he pitched in 45 games - and an additional $1,000 for every game after that up to 65.

"Schoney wants to contribute and he wants to have more of an expanded role," said Scioscia, who did not use him during the three-game sweep over the Dodgers. "Right now his role is maybe not as clearly defined, but those things usually play themselves out. He has a great arm and he's thrown a lot better than his stats indicate, so we have a lot of confidence in him. But there are other guys in the bullpen who are doing too good a job to move them out of the roles that they are in. I know it's frustrating for Scott, but I think he understands the situation and how we feel."

Cincinnati Reds: Struggling of late, the Reds are making a radical move: They are going to a four-man starting rotation.

"We're going with it to the All-Star break," Reds manager Bob Boone told the Cincinnati Enquirer on Sunday. "It's going to take a lot of communication. If someone needs a day, we can give it to them. This gives us more bullpen guys, which is our strength."

Danny Graves, Paul Wilson, Ryan Dempster and Jimmy Haynes remain in the Reds' rotation.

"People are going to say it's crazy," Graves told the newspaper. "Because no one else in baseball does it. I'm totally up for it."

Dempster, however, had a different reaction. "I'll pitch whenever they ask me to," he told the newspaper. "It will definitely be different ... I guess you can tell by my answers what I think."

"I've never done it before," Wilson told the paper. "I don't foresee it as a problem. We're doing it on a trial basis, so we'll see what works and what doesn't work."

"It's good, because more starts mean more chances to pitch," Graves said. "I think it will work out for Paulie (Wilson) and me because we're sinkerball pitchers. We need to pitch a lot to stay sharp."

Haynes, Dempster, Graves and Wilson are a combined 11-23 with a 5.52 ERA. However, Graves, Dempster and Haynes pitched OK in the weekend series in Cleveland. Haynes dropped to 1-7 with Sunday's loss, however.

A depleted bullpen -- relievers Kent Mercker and Gabe White are on the disabled list -- was a major reason for the move.

New York Yankees: Bubba Trammell's career with the Yankees may be over.

The outfielder's agent called general manager Brian Cashman a few hours before Sunday night's game against the Mets to say that Trammell wouldn't be at the game for personal reasons, the New York Daily News reported.

Cashman told the newspaper he will apply to the commissioner's office to put Trammell on the restricted list. The Yankees played against the Mets with only 24 players, winning 5-3 to complete a sweep of their weekend series and the season series. If the commissioner's office lets the Yankees put Trammell on the restricted list, the Yankees will be able to replace him on the active roster.

The Yankees have a meeting scheduled Monday with the players association to discuss Trammell's situation, a baseball source said.

Team sources told the newspaper that Trammell bolted because he was unhappy with his playing time. Trammell had been scheduled to start Sunday night against Al Leiter-- but was replaced by Juan Rivera.

Asked why Trammell didn't show up, Cashman told the paper, "I can't comment further. I'm telling you most of what I know. He's on our 25-man and 40-man roster, but he's not here. I haven't spoken to Bubba. It was a quiet Sunday before that call."

Trammell hasn't played in the last eight games. He is hitting .200 with no homers and five RBI in 55 at-bats.

Johnson swings bat: New York Yankees first baseman Nick Johnson swung a bat Monday for the first time since injuring his right hand in May.

Johnson reported no problems after taking swings with a fungo bat. He has also started a throwing program, but is not yet catching the ball.

"A step forward,'' Johnson said. "It felt good.''

Johnson hurt himself swinging on May 14 and was placed on the disabled list two days later. Tests showed he had a stress fracture in his right hand.

There is no timetable for Johnson rejoining the Yankees, although the team hasn't ruled a return sometime before the end of this month.

Oakland Athletics: Outfielder Jermaine Dye's return from a knee injury was delayed Monday because the Athletics said he needed another day off as a precautionary measure.

Dye has played only once since missing the A's game against the San Francisco Giants on June 22 with a troublesome right knee. He had cartilage removed from the knee in April, and it has bothered him as he has struggled to a .158 batting average with 11 RBIs this season. Manager Ken Macha originally had Dye in the lineup for the Monday night game against Seattle, but then scratched him.

Dye received a cortisone shot on Friday, and a doctor recommended to A's trainer Larry Davis on Sunday that keeping Dye out of the lineup for an extra day would be best.

"It's like we're giving him a day to do baseball skill work,'' Davis said. "It's been six or seven days. It's tough to take a week off and jump right in there. We'll just step it up a little bit at a time.''

Atlanta Braves: Braves right-hander Paul Byrd will have reconstructive surgery Tuesday on his pitching elbow.

Byrd, who had bone chips removed from his right elbow on April 11, pitched just one inning for the Braves in spring training.

He was 17-11 with 3.90 ERA with Kansas City in 2002, and signed with the Braves in December. He also had arthroscopic surgery on his elbow in 2000.

Seattle Mariners: The Mariners returned lefty reliever Matt White to the Cleveland Indians organization Monday and called up right-hander Aaron Taylor from the minors.

White made two relief appearances for Seattle, allowing three runs on three hits with two walks and no strikeouts in two innings. He was obtained June 6 from Boston in exchange for minor-league outfielder Sheldon Fulse.

"Whitey's a guy we would have liked to keep in the organization," Mariners manager Bob Melvin said. "It became apparent this guy might have a good future ahead of him, but not here at this time."

White was acquired by the Red Sox last year in the winter meeting draft from the Indians. He appeared in three games this season for Boston before being designated for assignment June 5. Taylor has gone 1-3 with 16 saves and a 2.45 ERA in 33 games at Triple-A Tacoma. He made his major league debut last September with five relief appearances for the Mariners.

Taylor arrived in Oakland for the start of a four-game series Monday.