NEW YORK -- John Maine was put on the 15-day disabled list because of a bone spur in his right shoulder Monday, leaving the Mets without a key starter as they head into September looking to erase the memory of last year's disastrous stretch run.
Shelving Maine allowed New York to activate second baseman Luis Castillo before playing the Houston Astros, two days after Castillo asked for more time to rehabilitate a left hip flexor.
Maine was on the DL from Aug. 3-13, retroactive to July 29, and returned knowing that he'd have to pitch with the shoulder problem the rest of the season. He didn't go more than 5 2/3 innings in his three starts and gave up eight runs on Saturday. His fastball, normally in the low to mid 90s, rarely exceeded 89 mph.
Maine said rest helped alleviate the pain the first time he sat and hopes another break will allow him to pitch the final couple of weeks of the season. He said a cortisione shot on Thursday did not help.
Mets general manager Omar Minaya said surgery is the only way to fix the problem but even though it is a minor operation, Maine would not have enough time to recover to pitch again this season. Instead, Maine will not throw for two weeks and hold off from any exercise for a week. Full story
Rangers name Francisco closer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Frank Francisco does not have a career save and is 0-for-6 in save opportunities this season, but he will be Texas' closer for the remainder of this season.
With the Rangers trading closer Eddie Guardado to Minnesota for minor league right-hander Mark Hamburger, Francisco was moved from the set up role to closer.
Francisco, a 28-year-old hard-throwing right-hander, is 2-5 with a 3.78 ERA with 65 strikeouts and 22 walks in 52 1/3 innings
In other roster moves, the Rangers purchased the contracts of left-hander Bill White and outfielder Nelson Cruz from Triple-A Oklahoma and designated outfielder Jason Ellison for assignment.
ChiSox activate Crede, recall Broadway
BALTIMORE -- The White Sox activated All-Star Joe Crede from the disabled list.
Crede had a rehabilitation assignment with Charlotte, where he was 2-for-16 in five games. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list July 25, retroactive to July 22, with back inflammation. In 90 games with Chicago, Crede was hitting .255 with 17 home runs and 54 RBI.
Chicago also recalled right-hander Lance Broadway from Triple-A Charlotte, where he was 11-7 with a 4.66 ERA in 24 games, including 23 starts. In two games with the White Sox this year, Broadway was 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA.
The White Sox optioned infielder Chris Getz to Charlotte to create room for Broadway. Getz was 2-for-7 with one RBI in seven games. To open a roster spot for Crede, they placed outfielder DeWayne Wise on the 15-day DL with a strained left groin. Wise batted .288 with two homers and seven RBI in 35 games.
Jays option Mench, send Diaz to Bucs
TORONTO -- The Blue Jays optioned outfielder Kevin Mench to Triple-A Syracuse and sent minor league catcher Robinson Diaz to Pittsburgh to complete last week's trade for utilityman Jose Bautista. Toronto will fill the vacant spot on its roster before opening a three-game series at Tampa Bay on Tuesday.
Mench was traded from Texas to Toronto for cash on May 9 and appeared in 42 games with the Blue Jays, batting .253 with nine RBI.
A fourth-round pick by the Rangers in 1999, Mench reached the major leagues in 2002. He is a career .269 hitter with 89 home runs and 329 RBI.
An ankle injury limited Diaz to 36 games at Syracuse, where he hit .244 with one homer and 13 RBI. He played in one game for Toronto this season, going 0-for-4.
O's righty Cabrera to get MRI
BALTIMORE -- Struggling Baltimore right-hander Daniel Cabrera will get an MRI on his pitching elbow after being examined by the team orthopedist.
Cabrera has displayed diminished velocity on his fastball in recent starts, and was reluctant to address a possible injury after a poor performance against the Yankees on Sunday. An exam by Dr. John Wilckens on Monday was inconclusive.
Orioles manager Dave Trembley expects the right-hander to start Saturday against Tampa Bay, but said he wanted Cabrera to meet with Dr. John Wilckens "as a precautionary measure" before Baltimore faced the Chicago White Sox.
Cabrera is 8-8 with a 5.24 ERA. He has allowed at least six earned runs in five of eight starts since the All-Star break.
Reds' Cueto to skip at least one start
CINCINNATI -- Johnny Cueto has a strained right elbow and will miss at least one start for Cincinnati.
Cueto lasted only three innings in a 4-3 loss to Colorado on Sunday, leaving with soreness in his pitching arm. The right-hander was examined in Cincinnati, and will be examined again later this week.
Cueto is 8-12 with a 4.65 ERA in 27 starts.
Right-hander Homer Bailey also had his sore right knee examined, and was diagnosed with a mild ligament sprain that will cause him to miss a start for Triple-A Louisville. Bailey was sent to the minors again on Aug. 10 after going 0-6 with a 7.93 ERA during two stints with Cincinnati.
A. Reynolds among 10 on Veterans Committee ballot
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Allie Reynolds, Joe Gordon and Vern Stephens are among 10 players whose careers began before 1943 who will be considered by the Hall of Fame's constituted Veterans Committee when it meets on Dec. 7.
Bill Dahlen, Wes Ferrell, Sherry Magee, Carl Mays, Mickey Vernon, Bucky Walters and Deacon White also will be on the ballot, the Hall said Monday. The 10 finalists were selected by a committee of the Baseball Writers' Association of America that considered pre-1943 players. A 12-member committee of Hall of Famers, media and historians will vote.
Players must appear on 75 percent of the ballots to gain election. Results will be announced Dec. 8 at the winter meetings in Las Vegas, and anyone elected will be inducted July 26. The next vote for pre-1943 players will take place in 2013.
Reynolds, a six-time All-Star and six-time World Series winner, was 182-107 for the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees from 1942-53. Gordon, the 1942 AL MVP, was a nine-time All-Star who played for the Yankees and Cleveland from 1938-43 and 1946-50.
Five minor leaguers suspended
NEW YORK -- Five more players, including four in the Dominican Summer League, were suspended for testing positive for banned performance-enhancers under baseball's minor league drug program.
The suspended Dominican Summer League players included Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Rafael Aybar, Florida Marlins pitcher Alfredo Buret, Baltimore Orioles pitcher Julio Sanchez and Minnesota Twins outfielder Eliel Sierra, all penalized after testing positive for a metabolite of Boldenone.
St. Louis Cardinals catcher Juan Castillo, assigned to the rookie league Gulf Coast League, tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol.
A total of 34 minor leaguers have received 50-game bans since July 25, including 26 from the Dominican Summer League and four from the Venezuelan Summer League.
