DENVER -- The Colorado Rockies placed first baseman Todd Helton on the 15-day DL with a sore back on Friday.
Helton, a career .332 hitter coming into 2008, is hitting .266 with seven home runs and 29 RBI. Over his past 22 games Helton is hitting .182 (14-for-77) and was moved from the cleanup spot to hitting second in the lineup.
The 34-year-old Helton sat out Thursday's game against Florida, and Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said his back felt worse Friday.
"He feels probably more discomfort today than yesterday," Hurdle said. "We feel we're best served by shutting this thing down for a while and give him a chance to heal rather than pushing his way through this one. I don't think he's capable of pushing his way through this one."
This is the third trip to the DL in Helton's 11-year career and his first since 2006. In his first 10 full seasons in the major leagues, Helton has played an average of 154 games and has never missed more than 18 games in any one season.
The Rockies also recalled Joe Koshansky from Triple-A Colorado Springs.
Koshansky is hitting .281 with 18 home runs and 78 RBI in 82 games for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. He was expected to be in uniform for Friday's game against the Marlins. Full story
Padres' Barrett may miss six weeks
PHOENIX -- San Diego catcher Michael Barrett will require surgery for facial fractures and may be out six weeks.
The Padres placed Barrett on the 15-day disabled list and purchased the contract of catcher Nick Hundley from Triple-A Portland. The 24-year-old Hundley was scheduled to make his major league debut on Friday night at Arizona.
Barrett left Wednesday night's game at Colorado in the third inning after fouling a ball off his face. He returned to San Diego and was examined at Scripps Clinic on Thursday.
Barrett missed 19 games in August 2007 with a concussion, but Padres manager Bud Black said the catcher had not suffered another concussion this time.
A's Foulke on DL
CHICAGO -- The Oakland Athletics placed reliever Keith Foulke on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his right shoulder.
Foulke, who is 0-3 with a 3.81 ERA in 26 appearances, had experienced some irritation in his pitching shoulder the last few weeks and told manager Bob Geren on Thursday that he couldn't throw.
"It acted up yesterday after his last outing," Geren said. "It bothered him a couple weeks ago for a few days and then he came back and threw well. Then the second time out it started bothering him again. With the All-Star break coming up, let's get it right."
Oakland recalled left-hander Jerry Blevins from Triple-A Sacramento to take Foulke's roster spot. Blevins, who is 0-1 with a 9.64 ERA in six major league appearances, was 2-2 with a 2.78 ERA and 10 saves for the River Cats.
Bucs demote Bullington
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates designated pitcher Bryan Bullington for assignment, a move that may end the former No. 1 draft pick's tenure with the organization without him winning a game in the majors.
The Pirates have 10 days to trade the right-hander, release him or keep him at Triple-A Indianapolis if he clears waivers. Outfielder Chris Duffy was returned to the 40-man roster after his time on the 60-day disabled list expired.
Bullington was drafted ahead of players such as B.J. Upton, Prince Fielder, Scott Kazmir, Nick Swisher and Cole Hamels in June 2002, partly because the Pirates felt they had a better chance of signing the former Ball State pitcher. General manager Dave Littlefield projected him as no better than a No. 3 starter in the majors.
Bullington was 0-3 with a 5.89 ERA in six games, including three starts, with Pittsburgh in 2005 and 2007. He missed the 2006 season for right shoulder surgery.
D-Backs recall Bonifacio, Romero
PHOENIX -- Looking to bolster their bench, the Arizona Diamondbacks recalled infielder Emilio Bonifacio and outfielder Alex Romero from Triple-A Tucson.
To make room on the roster, the Diamondbacks optioned right-hander Connor Robertson to Tucson and designated outfielder Jeff Salazar for assignment.
Salazar, who has spent parts of the last three seasons in the major leagues, batted .202 with two homers and 10 RBI in 58 games this season.
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