BOSTON -- Boston right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka will head to Florida on Monday to begin a spring training-like strengthening program that the Red Sox hope will get him back to the big leagues later this season.
Matsuzaka was 1-5 with an 8.23 ERA and an opponents' batting average of .378 before going on the disabled list June 21. He's been out with a shoulder strain, and the Red Sox have said he hasn't been right since helping Japan win the World Baseball Classic.
"We're going to really strengthen his shoulder and work on his whole body," Boston manager Terry Francona said before Friday's game against Seattle.
The Japanese star was 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA and a major league-best .211 batting average by opponents last season, but his velocity off and his control erratic at times this season.
"He's worked hard while we were gone [on a nine-game road trip] without a baseball," said Francona, who wasn't sure how long Matsuzaka will be in Florida. He said there is no timetable for his return to the Red Sox.
In March, Matsuzaka repeated as MVP in the second WBC, but missed much of Boston's spring training. He was sidelined with a mild right shoulder strain from April 15 to May 22.
He's in the third season of a six-year, $52 million contract he signed after the Red Sox outbid the rest baseball and paid $51.11 million to negotiate with him.
Doumit back on field
DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit caught five innings of a Gulf Coast League game, the first time he has played since breaking his right wrist April 19.
Doumit was hitless in two at-bats with a walk in the first of two scheduled appearances for rookie league Bradenton.
"I'll play one more game here [Saturday], then go to Indy [Triple-A Indianapolis] for four or five games. Then I will be back up with the team," Doumit said. "The wrist feels good. It felt good to get back out on a baseball field and break a bit of a sweat."
Pirates general manager Neal Huntington has said Doumit is not expected back until after the All-Star game.
Doumit's injury, which occurred while he was batting against Atlanta, required surgery and a lengthy healing time before he could resume throwing and hitting.
Mets' Perez starts in Triple-A
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- New York Mets left-hander Oliver Perez took another step toward returning from a right knee injury, allowing three runs in five-plus innings in a Triple-A rehabilitation start.
Perez gave up five hits and four walks while striking out four for the Buffalo Bisons. He threw 92 pitches, 46 for strikes, and delivered a first-pitch strike to only seven of the 23 Rochester Red Wings he faced.
Perez has said reaching 100 pitches in a rehab start was all he needed to rejoin the Mets' rotation.
Matt Macri hit a leadoff homer in the fifth against Perez, who allowed back-to-back doubles in the sixth before being replaced.
Perez is scheduled to return to the Mets for a start on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Hamilton's return on hold
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Josh Hamilton's return to the Texas Rangers has been put on hold.
Rangers manager Ron Washington said that the All-Star center fielder will play at least one more rehab game for Triple-A Oklahoma City as he attempts to come back from abdominal surgery.
Hamilton was supposed to play the outfield Friday night at Iowa. After a rain delay, he went 0 for 5 as the designated hitter.
"Hamilton was the DH because of the weather in Iowa," Washington said. "He'll be in the outfield [Saturday]."
Target Field to open April 12
NEW YORK -- Target Field has a target date.
Outdoor baseball is tentatively set to return to Minneapolis on April 12 when the Minnesota Twins play their 2010 home opener against the Boston Red Sox.
The date was contained in a draft schedule for next season that recently was sent to teams and revealed Friday to the Associated Press. It was provided by a baseball official on condition of anonymity because Major League Baseball's central office asked that the schedule not be made public before it is finalized later this year.
Minnesota is tentatively set to open the season on April 5 at the Los Angeles Angels.
M's activate Kelley
BOSTON -- The Seattle Mariners have activated right-handed reliever Shawn Kelley from the 15-day disabled list and optioned infielder Mike Carp to Triple-A Tacoma.
The team said the 25-year-old Kelley would be available for theFriday night's series opener against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Kelley is 1-1 with a 1.54 ERA in 10 games as a surprise rookie contributor in Seattle's bullpen. The non-roster invitee to spring training has not allowed a run in nine of his 10 appearances this season.
He's been out since May 6 with a strained oblique muscle in his left side. Kelley threw three pitches against Texas on May 5 before leaving in pain.
The 23-year-old Carp batted .375 in five games with Seattle after a promotion from Tacoma.
Reds activate Encarnacion
CINCINNATI -- The Reds activated third baseman Edwin Encarnacion from the 60-day disabled list to replace infielder Danny Richar, who went on the 15-day disabled list with a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
Wilkin Castillo, who had surgery Wednesday to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, was moved from the 15-day DL to the 60-day to make room for Encarnacion on the 40-man roster.
Encarnacion, who'd been on the disabled list since April 28 with a chip fracture in his left wrist, was not in Friday's starting lineup. He was hitting .127 with one homer and six RBI in 19 games when he was injured.
He hit .270 with two home runs and eight RBI in 11 rehab appearances at Triple-A Louisville.
Richar was injured when he slid headfirst into home in the third inning of Cincinnati's 1-0 loss to Arizona on Wednesday. That was his seventh game since being called up on June 20.
Letter bidding suspended
NEW YORK -- Authorities are looking into whether a newly discovered trove of letters to one of baseball's founding fathers contains documents that disappeared long ago from the New York Public Library.
The letters are 19th century correspondence to Harry Wright, who built the country's first professional baseball team in Cincinnati and went on to manage in several cities.
Hunt Auctions, a major auctioneer of sports memorabilia, was preparing to sell a batch of Wright's letters on July 14 at the All-Star Game's fan festival in St. Louis, but has suspended bidding, at least temporarily.
The Exton, Pa., company's president, David Hunt, said he hasn't seen any evidence that the letters were among those that vanished, but thought a temporary freeze was prudent while authorities, including the FBI, investigate.
