CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs shortstop Nomar Garciaparra said he is recovering faster than he expected from surgery to repair a ruptured tendon in his left groin and hopes to return for the final two months of the regular season.
Garciaparra is taking ground balls and batting practice and doing some light running, but he has difficulty pushing off.
He said his strength and stamina are increasing, and hopes to start running the bases next week.
He plans to spend the weekend in Chicago before returning to Arizona.
Garciaparra was batting .157 with no home runs and four RBI in 14 games when he slipped running out of the batters box at St. Louis in late April. He plans to rehab in the minor leagues before returning to the Cubs. Full story
Tendinitis lands Phillies' Thome on DL
PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies placed first baseman Jim Thome on the 15-day disabled list with tendinitis in his right elbow.
It's Thome's second stint on the DL this season. He was placed on the DL in May with a lower back strain and missed 19 games.
Thome has struggled this season, hitting .207 with seven home runs and 30 RBI. He has only 14 extra-base hits in 193 at-bats.
Thome said his elbow has been bothering him for about a month, but really started to cause pain after a throw in Thursday's game against the New York Mets.
Orioles shift to 4-man rotation
BALTIMORE -- Rookie right-hander Hayden Penn was optioned to Double-A Bowie by the Baltimore Orioles, who will attempt to use a four-man rotation until the All-Star break.
Penn never pitched above the Double-A level before joining the Orioles in late May to replace the injured Erik Bedard in the starting rotation. He was 2-0 after five games, but lost his last two starts while yielding a total of 12 runs and 15 hits in 5 2/3 innings.
"He's getting away from what made him a successful pitcher," Orioles executive vice president Jim Beattie said.
Penn allowed five runs, seven hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings Thursday against Cleveland. The Orioles hope the 20-year-old will return to form in the minor leagues.
Pirates ax former first-rounder
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates purchased the contract of highly touted pitching prospect Zach Duke from their Indianapolis farm team, and released former No. 1 draft pick Bobby Bradley to make room on their 40-man roster.
The 22-year-old Duke will make his major-league debut for the Pirates when he starts Saturday night in Milwaukee against the Brewers. He will start in place of Oliver Perez, who is out three to six weeks with a broken left big toe after kicking a laundry cart in the clubhouse in St. Louis on Sunday.
Duke was 12-3 with a 2.92 ERA in 16 starts for Indianapolis. He led the International League in wins and innings pitched (108) and was fourth in ERA.
Last season, Duke had the lowest ERA of any pitcher in minor league baseball, 1.46, in 26 starts with Single-A Lynchburg and Double-A Altoona. He was invited to the Pirates' major-league spring camp this year as a non-roster player where, he was 0-1 with a 3.75 ERA in four games.
Detroit names Gibson hitting coach
DETROIT -- Kirk Gibson is trying to help his old team by taking a job he never wanted.
The Detroit Tigers made Gibson their new hitting coach, the same day they activated All-Star Magglio Ordonez from the disabled list.
Gibson switches jobs with Bruce Fields, who had been the team's hitting coach since the beginning of the 2003 season.
Trammell described Gibson's reaction to the move as "lukewarm", and Gibson said he had never even considered the position.
Home Run Derby to have new look
NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball is going international for its Home Run Derby on All-Star weekend.
Instead of having four players from each league, the commissioner's office said it will have eight players represent their native countries at the July 11 event. Major League Baseball plans to formally launch plans that day for its first World Baseball Classic, a 16-team event during spring training next year.
This year's Home Run Derby is at Detroit's pitcher-friendly Comerica Park, where the All-Star Game will be played the following night.
The top four players in the first round advance to the semifinals, and the top two in the semis move on to the final.
Angels put Quinlan on 15-day DL
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Los Angeles Angels put Robb Quinlan on the 15-day disabled list and brought up right-hander Kevin Gregg from Triple-A Salt Lake.
Royals' physician Dr. Steven Joyce said an MRI indicated a mild disc bulge in Quinlan's neck and inflammation in his left shoulder. Quinlan, an infielder-outfielder, has been having a nagging problem in the area.
Gregg provides the Angels with a bullpen replacement for reliever Brendan Donnelly, who began serving an eight-game suspension on Friday for having pine tar on his glove.
Cardinals ink two first-round picks
ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals signed first-round draft picks Tyler Greene and Mark McCormick to minor league contracts.
Greene, a shortstop from Georgia Tech, was the Cardinals' second pick of the draft and the 30th overall selection. McCormick, a right-handed pitcher, was the 44th selection with a supplemental pick and recently completed his college career at Baylor with a trip to the College World Series.
The Cardinals have signed 36 of their 51 picks from the June 7 draft, including all 14 players selected in the first 10 rounds.
Marlins leaning toward starting Olsen
NEW YORK -- The Florida Marlins are leaning toward skipping struggling left-hander Al Leiter's next turn in the rotation in favor of rookie Scott Olsen.
Marlins manager Jack McKeon said Friday before Florida played the New York Mets that he was considering giving Olsen his second career start Monday against Milwaukee.
Leiter, who signed a one-year, $8 million contract in the offseason to return to the team he helped lead to the World Series title in 1997, has been ineffective. He is 3-6 in 15 starts with a 6.45 ERA this season.
Leiter went 10-8 with a 3.21 ERA last season for the Mets and is 158-126 in his 19-year career.
Royals activate Sweeney from DL
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Royals activated Mike Sweeney off the 15-day disabled list and optioned first baseman Justin Huber to Double-A Wichita.
Sweeney missed 13 games with a sprained left wrist. He was used as the designated hitter against the Los Angeles Angels and probably will not play in the field until after the All-Star break, manager Buddy Bell said.
Twins' Cuddyer gets CT scan on hand
MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota infielder Michael Cuddyer showed up at the stadium with a sore and swollen left hand, causing the Twins enough concern to send him for a CT scan.
The test showed he has a deep bone bruise, stemming from a pitch by Kansas City's D.J. Carrasco that hit him there during Wednesday's game. Manager Ron Gardenhire said Friday before the Twins played Tampa Bay that Cuddyer will likely be out at least the weekend.
"He has no strength in it," said Gardenhire, who has been forced to constantly shuffle his infield this season. "We were hoping that he would be a little better, and he's not."
Luis Rodriguez, essentially the regular second baseman during June with Nick Punto and Luis Rivas both hurt, played third base on Friday. If Cuddyer has to miss more time, Minnesota could recall Terry Tiffee from Triple-A. Glenn Williams had assumed the starting job at third from the struggling Cuddyer, but Williams dislocated his shoulder earlier this week and was placed on the disabled list.
