ATLANTA BRAVES
Placed IF Mark DeRosa on the 15-day DL. Recalled IF Jesse Garcia from Triple-A Richmond.

This is too bad, because DeRosa smoked an RBI double, limped into second, and it was revealed to be ligament damage in his ankle. All right after he got a starting job at shortstop, moving Rafael Furcal to second and putting Marcus Giles on the bench. Now, I like Giles more than I like DeRosa, but I am not a mean person, and thus, do not want to see DeRosa injured, especially because he himself is quite likable as a spare part middle infielder that's actually more hit than field. He goes against the grain! He opposes the norm! Down with Abraham Nunez and Lance Blankenship! Up with Mark DeRosa!

KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Placed LHP Chris George on the 15-day DL. Activated LHP Darrell May from the 15-day DL.

If it were any other franchise, George would be a future fix in the rotation, but the Royals will probably end up trading him away for Dan Wilson or Desi Relaford, so who cares.
posted by Scott Christ at 8:38 PM

COLORADO ROCKIES
Acquired RHP Bryan Rekar from the Kansas City Royals for RHP Eduardo Villacis.

Not the Bryan Rekar could be considered a "steal" by any means, but he's good depth and this deal favors Colorado for now. This will be his second stint with the Rockies. For more on this and why it favors the Rockies, check the Royals.

DETROIT TIGERS
Activated RHP Matt Anderson from the 15-day DL. Optioned RHP Fernando Rodney to Triple-A Toledo.

Anderson may not close again immediately, since Luis Pujols has liked the way Juan Acevedo has handled the role, but this is just a precautionary measure to make sure Anderson's arm strength is back. He's the team's future at the closer position barring a trade. A stupid, ill-conceived trade, to be more exact.

FLORIDA MARLINS
Placed C Ramon Castro on the 15-day DL. Recalled RHP Pablo Osuna from Triple-A Calgary.

Castro should be the starting catcher since he can hit and Charles Johnson is past his prime, but C.J. "calls a good game" and "helps out the pitching staff", so this will barely be noticeable to the Marlins. There's really never any need to carry three catchers, anyway, especially when one of them is Mike Redmond and the other two are Castro and Johnson.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Acquired RHP Eduardo Villacis from the Colorado Rockies for RHP Bryan Rekar.

Not that having another mediocre righty starter should be high on Kansas City's priority list, but Villacis is a 23-year old still pitching in A-ball. Do the Royals even ask about these things? Do they have anyone that checks them? Does this make any sense whatsoever? How many pitchers in the Royals' system do you figure are already as good or better than Villacis? You'd think the Royals would be smart enough by now to realize this is the same Rockies team that talked them into taking Neifi Perez last season, but they obviously aren't. I know this seems like I'm making a big deal over Bryan Rekar, but it's not that. It's the idea that anyone would even bother to trade for a 23-year old pitcher in Class-A by giving back something even moderately useful in return. It's stupid, and stupidity has gotten retardedly monotonous for this franchise.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Placed C Raul Casanova on the 15-day DL. Purchased the contract of C Marcus Jensen from Triple-A Indianapolis. Designated RHP Everett Stull for assignment. Recalled RHP Valerio De Los Santos from Indianapolis.

With Casanova out, Paul Bako will likely be the No. 1 catcher, with Jensen serving as the backup. This doesn't mean much, since none of these guys are any good.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Placed RHP Cory Lidle on the 15-day DL, retroactive to May 15. Recalled RHP Mike Fyhrie from Triple-A Sacramento.

Lidle has been suitably awful this season after his 13-6 campaign in 2001, and if Fyhrie pitches well, it wouldn't shock me to see him take Lidle's spot in the rotation for good sometime this season. Oakland is playing horribly right now, so something needs to happen, and I'm sure a journeyman like Lidle would be understanding of losing his job to a journeyman like Fyhrie.
posted by Scott Christ at 9:46 AM

BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Recalled OF Luis Garcia from Triple-A Rochester. Announced that C Izzy Molina cleared waivers and was sent outright to Double-A Bowie.

You read that right: Izzy Molina cleared waivers. The news is shocking to everyone. I know, I know. Sit down, get your breath back.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Assigned OF Damon Buford to Class-A Winston-Salem.

The burning question now is, "Where in the world do you send Brooks Kieschnick?" Also, Damon Buford is probably crying right now. Even Darren Bragg is in the majors. And Darren Lewis. True story, back in the mid-90s around the age of 13 or 14 or whatever, I simply put Buford, Bragg and Lewis into their own group and decided that they were the same player. I still do this.

DETROIT TIGERS
Purchased the contract of IF Ramon Santiago from Triple-A Toledo. Optioned IF Oscar Salazar to Toledo. Transferred C Mitch Meluskey from the 15- to 60-day DL.

Meluskey will probably be this generation's Matt Nokes, a guy who had a good rookie year and can't really stay healthy enough to ever again duplicate it, but the real problem might be that he's simply not really that good. With Jose Macias gone, Oscar Salazar has no Obi-Wan Utility to learn from, which brings Santiago up in his spot.

TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS
Placed RHP Delvin James on the 15-day DL. Optioned RHP Jason Standridge to Triple-A Durham. Recalled IF Jason Smith from Durham and selected the contract of RHP Lee Gardner from Durham.

Mr. Standridge your keys are still in your car.

TEXAS RANGERS
Activated OF Juan Gonzalez from the 15-day DL. Placed UT Frank Catalanotto on the 15-day DL, retroactive to May 11. Signed C Danny Adroin to a contract with Triple-A Oklahoma.

Getting Juan Gone back is great news, because it might let Raffy Palmeiro take the extra day or whatever that he needs to get back to 100% so his old bones don't break down again soon.

But with every piece of good news the Rangers get, there seems to come some bad. Catalanotto is an invaluable member of this team as their leadoff hitter and jack of all trades in the field. The third base job is now between Herb Perry and Mike Lamb, Mike Young is totally set at second base, and Gabe Kapler will continue to play since they'll need a leadoff man and he is perhaps the best candidate among the walking.

And I know I said getting Todd Greene was probably a good move, but hey Texas, let's not go nuts with the catchers here, huh?
posted by Scott Christ at 6:22 PM

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Activated 1B Erubiel Durazo from the 15-day DL. Optioned IF Alex Cintron to Triple-A Tucson.

Durazo couldn't come back quickly enough, since it's quite clear that Mark Grace is now in his dog days, and even Bob Brenly couldn't stand to watch Gracie go out and hit .235 anymore. Durazo gives the Diamondbacks a cleanup hitter that could still hit 30 homers this season if everything's okay health-wise. This could and should be Grace's last season, and he'll be a great tutor for Durazo the rest of the way.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Signed OF Brooks Kieschnick and OF Damon Buford to minor league contracts. Acquired OF Anthony Sanders from Triple-A Louisville for future considerations.

Yes, because what a team that can't find playing time for Aaron Rowand needs is to worry about guys like Brooks Kieschnick and Damon Buford. More razor-sharp personnel moves by Kenny Williams. Maybe they can trade Rowand to the Pirates for Armando Rios next.

DETROIT TIGERS
Traded UT Jose Macias to the Montreal Expos for 3B Chris Truby.

Do mine eyes deceive me? Have the Tigers actually made a trade that makes wonderful sense for their team? Look, I don't think there's no use for Macias, since anyone that can play passable defense at second, third and the outfield, run and hit even a little bit has a place in the majors somewhere, but it most certainly was not with a team already carrying positional misfits Dmitri Young, Damian Jackson, Shane Halter and Rob Fick. The Expos could possibly use someone like Macias to spell Endy Chavez in center or give Fernando Tatis a rest at third base, lest his eyelashes are fractured and he goes on the 60-day DL.

Truby gives the Tigers a thumper to replace Dean Palmer and, hopefully, end the horrible, horrible idea of putting Young and Halter on one side of the infield. Young is going to need hernia surgery, anyway, so all in all, I think this is a great move for Detroit.

SAN DIEGO PADRES
Placed 1B Phil Nevin on the 15-day DL, retroactive to May 12. Purchased the contracts of LHP Kevin Pickford and IF Alex Pelaez from Triple-A Portland. Optioned IF Cesar Crespo to Portland. Transferred LHP Jose Antonio Nunez and RHP Matt DeWitt from the 15- to 60-day DL.

Pickford has been solid at Portland (3-4, 2.86) and Pelaez is the run-of-the-mill utility infielder taking Crespo's spot for the time being.

The Nevin move has been about a week coming now, which has annoyed his fantasy owners to no end as they've been stuck in the lurch with a guy that wasn't playing but wasn't DL'd, so they couldn't pick up someone and were left with that useless, filled roster spot. I hate that. And, no, I don't have Nevin on any teams.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Activated OF Shannon Stewart from the 15-day DL.

The question of what to do with Vernon Wells is really far less of a question than the Blue Jays wish it was, because Stewart really should go back to hitting leadoff, but maybe Wells should hit second with Eric Hinske moving down to third. They may as well take advantage of Hinske being their best hitter at the moment by putting him directly ahead of Delgado, at the same time using Wells while he's somewhat hot before he goes back to disappointing everyone. God knows Jose Cruz and Raul Mondesi aren't doing anything for anyone.
posted by Scott Christ at 5:52 AM

SAN DIEGO PADRES
Placed RHP Bobby J. Jones on the 15-day DL. Activated RHP Tom Davey from the 15-day DL.

Jones was surprisingly good for a few starts, then, to everyone's relief, got shelled in consecutive outings. It just wouldn't be the real world anymore if Bobby J. Jones put together a good season.

TEXAS RANGERS
Signed C Todd Greene. Designated C Hector Ortiz for assignment.

I-Rod is terribly injury-prone these days, and playing him as the full-time DH when he returns might be a good idea. Bill Haselman can handle defensive duties in the gear, but Greene gives them a much better bat than Ortiz did. All-in-all, not a bad move for the Rangers.
posted by Scott Christ at 6:35 PM

CLEVELAND INDIANS
Named Buddy Bell consultant to baseball operations.

I always thought Buddy Bell would make a fine hitting coach or something, so maybe this will be what suits him until a team with some talent hires him as a manager. I don't think he was ever necessarily a bad one, but he didn't fit the teams he was managing. What can you do about that?

MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Placed RHP Nick Neugebauer on the 15-day DL, retroactive to May 9. Recalled RHP Brian Mallette from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Praise the lord, Mallette is back. Also, say "Neugebauer" out loud.

NEW YORK METS
Placed IF John Valentin on the 15-day DL. Purchased the contract of IF Ty Wigginton from Triple-A Norfolk.

Valentin has been a valuable role player for the Mets, but this is pretty much an equal-level exchange that shouldn't bother the team much. If you want to argue that maybe Valentin can play more positions, then I would ask you what your definition of being able to play a position is, because mine isn't "Bobby Valentine has stuck him here, here and here."
posted by Scott Christ at 4:34 PM

HOUSTON ASTROS
Named John Tamargo bench coach and Mark Bailey bullpen coach. Acquired LHP Pedro Borbon from the Toronto Blue Jays for a player to be named.

Tamargo takes over for Tony Pena, in case you were unaware. I don't really know what to say about it.

Borbon fits with the Astros as they don't have a single left-handed arm in the bullpen besides Billy Wagner, and he'll give them a short-innings specialist to help out righty setup man Octavio Dotel, who has started getting back to his normal, fireballing self of late.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Named Tony Pena manager.

Pena has been on lots of short-lists for around a year or two now, and this is the type of opening you'd expect him to get. He was a darn good catcher and is a tough guy, but expecting him to be able to turn around such a hideous franchise would be going too far. He won't be worse than Tony Muser, so that's a step forward for Royals fans, at least. I'm really not qualified to say whether or not Pena will be successful, but if he can even return this team to sub-.500 respectability, he'll have done something right.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Activated RHP Woody Williams from the 15-day DL. Optioned LHP Bud Smith to Triple-A Memphis.

The Cardinals have no one to blame for Bud Smith's struggles but themselves, as he was rushed back from injury with the team in dire need of starting pitching. With Williams and Garrett Stephenson back, the Cards are slowly but surely piecing their rotation back together with those two, ace Matt Morris and Darryl Kile all active. Once Smith gets righted, they'll have their five together and should be able to run at and easily surpass the Reds, unless hell is freezing over and Jose Rijo is going to last an entire season in the rotation.

SAN DIEGO PADRES
Activated C Wiki Gonzalez from the 15-day DL. Optioned C Javier Cardona to Triple-A Portland.

Gonzalez will be hugged by everyone and feel like a superstar now that he's ridding the Padres of the slumping Javier Cardona and old man Tom Lampkin behind the plate, though Lampkin will stick around to be what he's been for the last 13 seasons of his career: someone else's caddy. Cardona should eventually be better than Gonzalez is, and Lampkin is sort of a poor man's Greg Myers, providing some lefty pop off the bench, as well as the all-important Veteran Presence.

TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS
Optioned RHP Jesus Colome to Triple-A Durham. Recalled RHP Jason Standridge from Durham.

Colome did not make a good impression on Tuesday, getting roughed up and throwing all over the place and nearly starting a brawl with the Yankees (the D-Rays could probably take the Yankees in a fight unless Giambi's wild side came out and Ron Coomer clipped everyone's knees out), so he's back in Durham for Jason Standridge. The Devil Rays have lots of these guys, and they're all more or less the same. They're probably not closers (or in Standridge's case, major league starters), but they throw hard and have some potential.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Traded LHP Pedro Borbon to the Houston Astros for a player to be named.

This makes all the sense in the world for the Jays, because there is absolutely no need to carry Borbon, Felix Heredia, Dan Plesac AND Scott Eyre. There's really not any need to carry three of them, but they'll be there until someone else bites on Plesac or Eyre. Who would want Heredia? Borbon won't be missed at all, and if the Jays can turn this into a decent prospect of some kind, good for them.
posted by Scott Christ at 9:36 PM

FLORIDA MARLINS
Activated RHP Josh Beckett from the 15-day DL. Optioned RHP Gary Knotts to Triple-A Calgary.

Knotts was roughed up but good in his 18 relief appearances, posting a 6.00 ERA and allowing six homers in 18 innings of work. The bright side is he only gave up 13 hits overall.

Beckett's return gives Florida its regular five-man rotation (Dempster, Penny, Burnett, Beckett and Tavarez) back for the time being, and he pitched pretty well in his comeback effort at Colorado, giving up just three hits and two runs in six innings for his first win of the year. He gave up two homers (Todds Helton and Hollandsworth), but that's nothing to be ashamed of at Coors Field, even with the humidor junk going on at the moment. He wasn't overpowering (two strikeouts), but everything appears to be a-ok for Beckett.
posted by Scott Christ at 5:24 AM

DETROIT TIGERS
Activated 1B/3B/OF Dmitri Young from the 15-day DL. Optioned OF Craig Monroe to Triple-A Toledo.

Young still might need hernia surgery, but for now, the Tigers are going to try him out. He could end up moving to third base with Randall Simon hitting well and Craig Paquette being Craig Paquette, which would give the Tigers the worst left side defense in the entire league. But then, the Tigers have a lot of things to worry about, so who cares?

MINNESOTA TWINS
Placed RHP Brad Radke on the 15-day DL. Transferred RHP Joe Mays from the 15- to 60-day DL. Recalled RHP Mike Trombley from Triple-A Edmonton.

This is bad, bad news for the Twins, because Tony Fiore will take Radke's place in the rotation and Matt Kinney is apparently going to stick for a while, and putting those two in place of Radke and Mays just isn't a good thing for a team that doesn't have a ton of offense to fall back on. Eric Milton is now the de facto ace and Rick Reed will have to take on a bigger role in the rotation. The White Sox need to swoop in and take advantage of this immediately to get the upper-hand in the AL Central.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Activated RHP Esteban Loaiza from the 15-day DL. Optioned RHP Mike Smith to Triple-A Syracuse.

Buck Martinez's take: "(Smith) did okay."

Reality: Smith was 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA in three starts.

Buck Martinez's take: "...we got a guy that won 11 games for us back, and that's a big positive step."

Reality: Loaiza also lost 11 games, and posted a 5.02 ERA and 1.47 WHIP. So if this is a "big positive step", then the Blue Jays are even worse than I thought. The good thing about this is that Loaiza is basically around to showcase himself to contenders who might need a end-of-the-rotation starter down the stretch.
posted by Scott Christ at 8:21 PM

BOSTON RED SOX
Placed OF Manny Ramirez on the 15-day DL. Called up IF Bryan Nelson from Triple-A Pawtucket.

Of all the people to call up, you wouldn't think another infielder would be high on the list. Nelson is 28 and has hit .319 for the PawSox, but why do they need him with Rey Sanchez, Jose Offerman, Lou Merloni and Carlos Baerga? Offerman can play first and second, Sanchez second and short, Merloni any of them (and he worked in left field lat time he was with Pawtucket) and Baerga second and third. They've got enough flexibility to live without another infield guy that won't get to play at all.

But, if it's just a nifty roster management move, which you have to hope it is, then way to go, Sox. Manny should be out for four weeks, but at least he doesn't need surgery.

CLEVELAND INDIANS
Recalled OF Bruce Aven from Triple-A Buffalo. Optioned LHP Alex Herrera to Buffalo.

Herrera's a lefty kind of guy and Aven's a fifth outfielder kind of guy that can hit a little bit. With Milton Bradley out, the Indians have hilariously opted to go with Brady Anderson in center field, and he both can't field that position or hit, so Aven could end up being a pretty prominent pinch-hitter, if there really is such a thing.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Activated RHP Garrett Stephenson from the 15-day DL. Optioned RHP Travis Smith to Triple-A Memphis.

Smith gave up eight runs in one inning on Sunday, and he's 30 years old, so obviously that was enough of him. Stephenson will likely see one or two more stints on the DL this year, because he's simply come back too fast from Tommy John surgery, but he's better than minor league journeymen and Mike Timlin starting games, or so the hope goes.
posted by Scott Christ at 3:49 PM

COLORADO ROCKIES
Recalled RHP Denny Stark from Triple-A Colorado Springs. Placed OF Benny Agbayani on the 15-day DL.

Stark was a formality call-up with Shawn Chacon on the DL, and he'll take his spot. There's not likely to be a huge difference between the two; Stark has been pretty good at Colorado Springs in pretty much the same environment as he'll see at Coors Field and Chacon wasn't exactly blowing anyone away thus far, though he's pitched well enough to win about half the time.

Agbayani going on the DL means that the Rockies will have to rely solely on Todd Hollandsworth instead of the Agbayani/Hollandsworth Really Long Last Name Platoon that was lighting up opposing pitchers from the Hudson back to the Bay Area. It all makes you wonder how long they're really willing to put up with these two when they could have Jack Cust up crushing the ball behind Walker and Helton. Are Hollandsworth and Agbayani really that much better defensively?

MONTREAL EXPOS
Announced that OF Henry Rodriguez has elected to become a free agent.

Yeah, good luck with that, dude.

NEW YORK METS
Placed RHP Through Hellfire and Brimstone, It's Kane Davis on the 15-day DL. Recalled RHP Mark Corey from Triple-A Norfolk.

Kane Davis is a nice guy to have around because he's pretty decent and his name is Kane, but this is not exactly going to cripple the Mets' immediate future or anything. Corey has been really good for the Tides, and should be able to fill Davis' shoes for the next little while admirably.
posted by Scott Christ at 5:30 AM

CHICAGO CUBS
Placed SS Alex Gonzalez on the 15-day DL. Recalled RHP Pat Mahomes from Triple-A Iowa. Transferred LHP Donovan Osborne from the 15- to 60-day DL.

Pat Mahomes, huh. That doesn't sound too great. For one thing, he's got a 5.25 ERA at Iowa. For another thing, he's 31 years old and has never been anything better than serviceable, and even getting "serviceable" out of Pat Mahomes is rare. For ANOTHER thing, he's Pat Mahomes. The Cubs are losing for a reason, and it's reasons like this one. Donovan Osborne moves to the 60-day DL? Get out of town!

Gonzalez is a more serious matter for the Cubbies, although he should be okay when he's ready to come off the DL. Mark Bellhorn and Augie Ojeda can play shortstop, but when Bellhorn is the overwhelmingly better offensive option, that should tell you that carrying Augie Ojeda seems like a really bad idea.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Announced the retirement of DH Jose Canseco.

I don't mind saying that despite my increase of understanding good ballplayers and what they do as I've grown older, I've always liked Jose Canseco, and I still do. Canseco retires at age 37 with 462 career homers, 38 shy of 500 and 22nd all-time. Watching him get jerked around last year by the Angels, a team that desperately needed a power bat and would miss that very ingredient all season long, was somewhat painful. Say what you will about Canseco, and most of what you'll say is true, but he was something of an enigma for the last ten years of his career, and that made him tremendously interesting to me. Happy trails, Jose.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Activated LHP Brian Shouse from the 15-day DL. Designated 1B/DH Dave McCarty for assignment.

Shouse will return to the bullpen, where he pitched well in his first ten games of the season before going on the DL. McCarty is 32 years old and I think he either has friends in the Kansas City management or he just cowtows to the man a lot, but whatever it is, this is not the kind of team that needs to carry McCarty, who can be an effective bench player for a contender like the Mets or Twins.
posted by Scott Christ at 7:45 PM

DETROIT TIGERS
Placed C Brandon Inge on the 15-day DL. Recalled C Matt Walbeck from Triple-A Toledo.

Remember when the season started, and there was all the talk about how the Tigers had so much catching, maybe too much catching? Mitch Meluskey was healthy, Mike Rivera was hitting in spring training a year after tearing up Double-A, Brandon Inge was the gloveman, Javier Cardona was...expendable. So off goes Cardona in exchange for the Tigers' 19th utility man, Rivera and Meluskey stick with the team, and Inge heads to the minors.

And here we are in mid-May: Rivera was awarded the full-time job while his numbers looked respectable, but now he has pretty much decided that being terrible is a better option (.233-.273-.370). Meluskey was hurt nearly immediately after Rivera, which is just bad timing (or is it?), so once Rivera was really bad, in steps Inge, the Tigers Catcher Of The Future and Defensive Whiz. In his nine games, it almost looked like he had learned to hit with a .375 average and two homers.

Now Inge has joined Meluskey on the DL, Rivera is thrust back into a starting role after already winning and losing it within a three- or four-week timeframe, and Matt freaking Walbeck, who was hitting .213 at Toledo, is back in the major leagues. Even Cardona has been a flop in San Diego. The moral of the story is that you can have too much catching, especially if it all decides to be terrible.

MINNESOTA TWINS
Activated DH David Ortiz from the 15-day DL. Optioned DH/C/1B Matthew LeCroy to Triple-A Edmonton.

I think I'm somewhat fascinated with LeCroy, because he obviously can hit a ton, and in his short stints with the Twins, I've been more impressed with him than I ever have been with Ortiz, who continues to be highly-touted by Twins management and fans alike, only to disappoint. It's like they don't notice he's almost 27 years old and still scuffling along with frequent injuries and rather mediocre hitting when he's not injured. LeCroy is the exact same age, has beaten the crap out of the ball the last two years he's been up after struggling in Minnesota in 2000, and can even play in the field if it's absolutely necessary. I mean, at least he has /'s past "DH", right? Plus, he's nowhere near as ugly as David Ortiz, the ugliest man in the major leagues.
posted by Scott Christ at 2:47 PM

I have quickly found out that MLB.com is rather slow and crappy at updating transactions, so thanks to ESPN.com, I should stay on the right track. MLB.com sucks.

FLORIDA MARLINS
Activated RHP Julian Tavarez from the 15-day DL. Optioned RHP Blaine Neal to Triple-A Calgary.

Neal didn't get a chance to do anything, and Tavarez is a jerk and he sucks.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Activated OF Mark Quinn from the 15-day DL. Optioned RHP Brad Voyles to Triple-A Omaha.

Quinn is nothing to get terribly excited about unless he's suddenly learned how to take a walk, but he still has upside and could be a consistent 30-homer kind of guy for a decent career. Of course, the Royals are blah blah blah blah, so blah blah blah blah.

MONTREAL EXPOS
Signed UT Wil Cordero. Designated UT Lou Collier for assignment.

Unless the plan is to try and trick the Montreal population into thinking this is the 1994 team and hopefully spiking attendance with Cordero at short and cardboard cutouts of Pedro Martinez, Larry Walker, Moises Alou, etc., then I see no point in this. Collier isn't any good or anything, but he sure beats screwing around with Cordero, who flat-out blows and doesn't really have any position he can play anything resembling well, including DH.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Activated RHP Kris Benson from the 15-day DL. Optioned RHP Mike Lincoln to Triple-A Nashville.

Mike Lincoln had a great thing going by having a WHIP higher than his ERA (1.50 to 0.61), but outside of not giving up many runs, he wasn't doing anything terribly important, and having Kris Benson back on the roster is a good thing for the slipping Pirates. Ron Villone will head to the bullpen where he will hopefully not be as bad as he has been in the rotation.
posted by Scott Christ at 8:23 PM

ATLANTA BRAVES
Activated RHP Jason Marquis from the 15-day DL. Optioned RHP Tim Spooneybarger to Triple-A Richmond.

Marquis won his comeback against the Padres, going five innings and giving up one run on just three hits with five strikeouts. He even hit his first major league homer. The problem, though, is he threw 101 pitches right off the bat. He went on the DL a day after throwing 124 pitches, and he's 23 years old, which is still really young for a heavy workload. Look what it did to Kevin Millwood.

Spooneybarger, along with having that name, is a pretty decent pitcher but an unnecessary one for the Braves as Albie Lopez has been demoted to the bullpen to make way for Marquis and Damian Moss in the rotation. As soon as one of those two get overworked and head to the DL, Lopez will be starting again and Spooneybarger will be back from Richmond.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Placed LHP Terry Mulholland on the 15-day DL. Recalled LHP Jeff Williams from Triple-A Las Vegas.

The Dodgers got away with carrying both Mulholland Jesse Orosco this long, and seeing one on the DL with back spasms is hardly a surprise. I'm sure they were well-prepared for this devastating injury.

TEXAS RANGERS
Activated RHP Chan Ho Park from the 15-day DL. Optioned 3B Hank Blalock to Triple-A Oklahoma.

Park's return will give the Rangers the pitching help they desperately need, hopefully, but it could take him a few starts to get back into the swing of things. Blalock was hitting poorly and impressing no one, which goes a long way to say it's not spring training anymore, Toto. If the Rangers don't get absurdly stupid and trade him, his time at Oklahoma should serve to get him righted and he will likely be back up in July, at the latest.
posted by Scott Christ at 2:13 PM