NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez signed another big-league contract, joining the William Morris Agency in an attempt to extend his brand beyond the baseball diamond.
The New York Yankees slugger signed with the powerhouse talent agency in Beverly Hills, Calif., and becomes part of a client list that includes some of the biggest names in sports, entertainment and business.
"Partnering with William Morris will enable me to broaden the scope of my career in creative and innovative ways," Rodriguez said in a statement. "I'm excited to see what we will be able to accomplish together, both domestically and abroad."
At Yankee Stadium, hours before New York played the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night, Rodriguez did not want to discuss his arrangement with William Morris.
"Just baseball questions," he said while dressing at his locker before batting practice. "I just want to win baseball games."
Dave Wirtschafter, president of William Morris Agency, called Rodriguez "one of the world's most iconic athletes whose personality transcends sports."
"In the baseball world, Alex is synonymous with success," he said in a statement Tuesday. "Our job will be to extend that success beyond the field to other opportunities." Full story
Brewers make room for Suppan
ST. LOUIS -- The Milwaukee Brewers optioned left-handed reliever Mitch Stetter to Triple-A Nashville, making room on the roster to activate Jeff Suppan to start against the Cardinals.
Stetter was 2-1 with a 2.78 ERA in 23 appearances over two stints. He has held opponents to a .160 batting average, and went 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA since recalled on June 20, but was vulnerable because he has minor league options remaining.
Manager Ned Yost said the pitcher understood, and said "There wasn't a lot of things we could do."
The move left Brian Shouse as the lone left-hander in the bullpen, limiting Yost's late-inning flexibility. Shouse was 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in 29 games.
"I don't have two lefties, so of course it changes things," Yost said. "But it's not anything that's unmanageable. You take with what you've got and you go."
Cardinals place Duncan on DL
ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals placed Chris Duncan on the 15-day disabled list with a bulging disc in his neck. It's the latest setback for a player who totaled 43 homers his first two major league seasons but has just six this year.
Duncan, batting .248 with 27 RBI in part-time duty, said the neck has been bothering him for a while but had been tolerable until after Monday night's game when he couldn't sleep and then woke up with stiffness. He also reported shooting pain down his right arm.
The news was more positive for right-hander Adam Wainwright, who threw his first bullpen session since going on the DL on June 8 with a ruptured tendon in the middle finger of his pitching hand. Wainwright threw 40 pitches at 70-75 percent effort, is scheduled for at least two more bullpen sessions on Thursday and Saturday, and could be back in the rotation in two weeks or so.
"It's a big step for me, really testing it on the mound," Wainwright said. "It's pretty exciting, actually."
Nats, Guzman agree to extension
SAN FRANCISCO -- Washington Nationals shortstop Cristian Guzman agreed to terms on a $16 million, two-year contract extension that takes him through the 2010 season.
He appreciated the vote of confidence by his club, especially after making his second All-Star game and first since 2001. Guzman, who will earn $8 million in each of the next two seasons, could have opted to test free agency this fall.
"I took this deal because I want to stay here," said Guzman, in his third year with Washington after spending his first six major league seasons with the Minnesota Twins. "They gave me the deal I wanted. Why do you have to wait? I take the deal."
The 30-year-old Guzman entered Tuesday night's series opener at San Francisco batting .310 with five home runs, 34 RBI, 56 runs scored, three triples and 26 doubles in a team-high 96 games this season.
Giants activate Roberts
SAN FRANCISCO -- The San Francisco Giants activated outfielder Dave Roberts from the disabled list following a long recovery from left knee surgery.
The 36-year-old Roberts was not in the starting lineup against the Washington Nationals but was available to play for the first time following his April 12 surgery. Roberts had cartilage cleaned out from behind his left kneecap caused by arthritis and wear and tear. Roberts had been on a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Fresno before being activated.
Roberts played in only six games prior before surgery. A lifetime .267 hitter, he was batting only .118 with one RBI while playing with a sore knee that bothered him since spring training.
Fred Lewis has earned the starting job in left field, where Roberts had been scheduled to play this year. Manager Bruce Bochy said he planned to sit down with Roberts to discuss his role.
Giants cut Vizquel's playing time
SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants manager Bruce Bochy sat down with Omar Vizquel and told the 11-time Gold Glove shortstop he will play less in the season's second half.
The Giants are going for a youth movement and that means the 41-year-old Vizquel apparently will spend more time watching the likes of rookies Emmanuel Burriss and Ivan Ochoa at his spot in the middle of the infield.
"I'd like to get more playing time for these kids," Bochy said Tuesday before his struggling club opened a series against the Washington Nationals. "He wants to help these kids. It's a very workable situation. In a week or so, Burriss will get more playing time. Omar, he brought it up, saying: 'I work with these guys. I'm fine with that. He understood what his role would be. He's had a great career."
Bochy has said this before, but this time sounded more serious about actually doing it.
Gobble goes on DL
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Royals pitcher Jimmy Gobble, who allowed 10 runs in one inning Monday against Detroit, was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a stiff lower back.
Gobble established a Kansas City franchise record for runs allowed by a reliever in a game.
"We don't project this to be anything major, but nonetheless it is affecting his performance," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "I think it is affecting his performance in relation to what people saw him do last year. I'm glad it is not anything that is projected to be too long of a period of time, hopefully."
Gobble was 0-2 with an 11.31 earned run average in 31 relief appearances. Opponents had a .318 batting average and a .561 slugging percentage against him. Gobble, a 27-year-old left-hander, was 4-1 with a 3.02 ERA in 2007 and led the Royals in strikeouts in 2006.
Agent in jail for smuggling players
MIAMI -- Gus Dominguez negotiated the contract for the first Cuban player to defect to the United States. He opened his home to prospects fresh from the communist island and taught them about bank accounts.
Now he's locked up in a federal prison, serving a five-year sentence as the first sports agent convicted of illegally smuggling a Cuban player into the United States.
"It's been hard. I try really not to focus too much on it," said Dominguez in a recent phone interview. "I think I would be a little more depressed if I focused on it."
His plight has placed a pall over those agents who handle Cuban players -- no one wants to end up like Dominguez.
Kerhsaw called up
DENVER -- The Los Angeles Dodgers recalled left-handed starter Clayton Kershaw from Double-A Jacksonville and optioned Eric Stults to Triple-A Las Vegas.
Kershaw was scheduled to start against the Colorado Rockies.
Kershaw, 20, was 0-2 with a 4.42 ERA in eight starts with the Dodgers earlier this year. He was sent to Jacksonville on July 2, where he was 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA in three starts for the Suns.
Stults started Monday's game at Denver but was pulled after giving up three runs in 3 2/3 innings of the Dodgers' 16-10 win. In six starts this season, Stults is 2-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 25 strikeouts.
Fogg hit in mouth during BP
CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Reds right-hander Josh Fogg was hit in the mouth by a ball during batting practice, and was taken to a medical center for evaluation.
A ball hit by Joey Votto smacked Fogg, who was in the outfield during batting practice. Fogg left the field with the assistance of a trainer who held a towel in front of his face. There was no immediate word on his condition.
Fogg is scheduled to start Friday against Colorado. He is 2-2 with a 7.09 ERA in seven starts and seven relief appearances.
OF Pena's season over
WASHINGTON -- The Washington Nationals announced that outfielder Wily Mo Pena had surgery on his left shoulder and will miss the remainder of the season.
The team said the surgery was performed Tuesday in Cincinnati to repair a partial tear of Pena's rotator cuff and a tear of his labrum.
"It was a devastating surgery," general manager Jim Bowden said in San Francisco, where the Nationals opened a three-game series. "The doctors didn't expect it to be so severe."
Pena, who batted .205 with two home runs and 10 RBI, had been on the 15-day disabled list since July 18. The shoulder will be placed in a sling for three weeks before Pena begins rehabilitation. He's expected to be ready for next season's spring training.
Pena was acquired by the Nationals from Boston in August 2007.
