MLB News and Rumors

The Los Angeles Dodgers will have to make a decision soon on Ted Lilly but for now it appears that the left hander will be asked to make an additional rehab start.
On Wednesday Lilly allowed six runs over six innings of work while pitching at Triple-A Albuquerque.
In the outing Lilly gave eight hits and a walk while striking out five. The 37-year-old struggled in his first rehab outing last week as well when he allowed three home runs.
Even should the Dodgers recall Lilly it is unclear what his role would be. Even with the trade of Aaron Harang the Dodgers have more starting pitchers then rotation spots. The team could use Lilly in the bullpen initially.
Thus far there have been no concerns about the health of Lilly’s left shoulder. Since 2009 Lilly has had a sup-4 ERA and a WHIP below 1.16.

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MINNEOLIS The Minnesota Twins will have several decisions to make this offseason as they try to build a starting rotation for 2013. Among those decisions is whether or not to pick up the club option on right-hander Scott Baker’s contract, a decision that general manager Terry Ryan said needs to be made around November.For a pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery, that 9.25 million price tag on the option will probably be too steep for the Twins. If that’s the case, Baker will be a free agent this winter which means he could be leaving behind the only professional organization he’s been a part of.”I’d like to be back (in Minnesota),” Baker said late last month. “I mean, I know there’s other great organizations out there, but this is all I know. I’ve been here, and I’ve enjoyed my time here, my family likes it here. There haven’t been any talks yet, but I’ve let them know that I’m definitely open to hearing what they have to say.”The Twins took Baker out of Oklahoma State in the second round of the 2003 draft with the 58th overall pick. He made his major league debut in May of 2005 and spent seven years with the Twins in the majors.But after experiencing elbow issues during spring training earlier this year, Baker was shut down for the season after having Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. After not throwing a single pitch in 2012, Baker’s future remains a mystery.For now, Baker is continuing to recover from the major elbow surgery, which typically involves a yearlong recovery profess and a tedious rehab regimen. The procedure is becoming increasingly common in baseball. Some of Baker’s current and former Minnesota teammates have successfully bounced back from Tommy John surgery, including current Rangers reliever Joe Nathan and White Sox lefty Francisco Liriano. Twins minor league pitchers Kyle Gibson and Alex Wimmers have also both had the surgery within the last year or so.Baker, who had the procedure done in April, has been playing catch from 120 feet and plans to eventually ramp that distance up to 180 feet. He’ll begin his mound progressions in late December or early January, he said, with the hopes of being ready by spring training.Whether that will be at the Twins’ complex in Fort Myers or elsewhere remains to be seen, though. “I’m not going to sit here and promise anybody it’s going to work out that way, but that’s what I’m shooting for,” Baker said of pitching in spring training. “I definitely think that’s an attainable goal of mine, to be ready for spring training, and then just jump into what the guys want me to do for spring training as far as the bullpens, the live BPs, and then the game progressions.”Added Ryan: “He’s on schedule. He’s doing everything that he’s supposed to do with the type of surgery that he has. We’ve been through this enough with enough people that we kind of have an idea of what the timeframe is. He’ll be ready to go sometime next March or April.”During the Twins’ 99-loss season in 2011, Baker was the team’s best starting pitcher. He went 8-6 with a 3.14 ERA in 21 starts including 7-5 with a 3.01 ERA before the All-Star break. But he missed time with a right flexor strain that landed him on the disabled list twice. Even with his injury concerns last year, the Twins had hoped that Baker could help solidify an otherwise unstable starting rotation in 2012. But the 31-year-old right-hander never threw a pitch this season, and Minnesota’s rotation was shaky from Opening Day to the last game of the year.Baker stayed in Minnesota to do his rehab work at the state-of-the-art training facilities at three-year-old Target Field. As he watched first-hand as the Twins stumbled to their second straight 90-loss season, Baker grew frustrated that he couldn’t be out on the mound to do his part to help.”I knew it was going to be a long season for me,” he said. “It’s tough. It’s tough watching your teammates not do as well as we wanted to or as well as we were capable of doing. It’s frustrating, and I guess I got to see that rehabbing here the whole time.”As Baker continues his rehab work, he also has to play the waiting game to see if the Twins want to keep him around. It’s unlikely they will for 9.25 million, but Minnesota could always bring him back for less money.”Whether they choose to pick up the option or not, that’s up to them,” Baker said. “It’s something that I’d definitely be interested in at least listening to what they have to say for sure.”

Follow Tyler Mason on Twitter.

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MINNEOLIS The Minnesota Twins will have several decisions to make this offseason as they try to build a starting rotation for 2013. Among those decisions is whether or not to pick up the club option on right-hander Scott Baker’s contract, a decision that general manager Terry Ryan said needs to be made around November.For a pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery, that 9.25 million price tag on the option will probably be too steep for the Twins. If that’s the case, Baker will be a free agent this winter which means he could be leaving behind the only professional organization he’s been a part of.”I’d like to be back (in Minnesota),” Baker said late last month. “I mean, I know there’s other great organizations out there, but this is all I know. I’ve been here, and I’ve enjoyed my time here, my family likes it here. There haven’t been any talks yet, but I’ve let them know that I’m definitely open to hearing what they have to say.”The Twins took Baker out of Oklahoma State in the second round of the 2003 draft with the 58th overall pick. He made his major league debut in May of 2005 and spent seven years with the Twins in the majors.But after experiencing elbow issues during spring training earlier this year, Baker was shut down for the season after having Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. After not throwing a single pitch in 2012, Baker’s future remains a mystery.For now, Baker is continuing to recover from the major elbow surgery, which typically involves a yearlong recovery profess and a tedious rehab regimen. The procedure is becoming increasingly common in baseball. Some of Baker’s current and former Minnesota teammates have successfully bounced back from Tommy John surgery, including current Rangers reliever Joe Nathan and White Sox lefty Francisco Liriano. Twins minor league pitchers Kyle Gibson and Alex Wimmers have also both had the surgery within the last year or so.Baker, who had the procedure done in April, has been playing catch from 120 feet and plans to eventually ramp that distance up to 180 feet. He’ll begin his mound progressions in late December or early January, he said, with the hopes of being ready by spring training.Whether that will be at the Twins’ complex in Fort Myers or elsewhere remains to be seen, though. “I’m not going to sit here and promise anybody it’s going to work out that way, but that’s what I’m shooting for,” Baker said of pitching in spring training. “I definitely think that’s an attainable goal of mine, to be ready for spring training, and then just jump into what the guys want me to do for spring training as far as the bullpens, the live BPs, and then the game progressions.”Added Ryan: “He’s on schedule. He’s doing everything that he’s supposed to do with the type of surgery that he has. We’ve been through this enough with enough people that we kind of have an idea of what the timeframe is. He’ll be ready to go sometime next March or April.”During the Twins’ 99-loss season in 2011, Baker was the team’s best starting pitcher. He went 8-6 with a 3.14 ERA in 21 starts including 7-5 with a 3.01 ERA before the All-Star break. But he missed time with a right flexor strain that landed him on the disabled list twice. Even with his injury concerns last year, the Twins had hoped that Baker could help solidify an otherwise unstable starting rotation in 2012. But the 31-year-old right-hander never threw a pitch this season, and Minnesota’s rotation was shaky from Opening Day to the last game of the year.Baker stayed in Minnesota to do his rehab work at the state-of-the-art training facilities at three-year-old Target Field. As he watched first-hand as the Twins stumbled to their second straight 90-loss season, Baker grew frustrated that he couldn’t be out on the mound to do his part to help.”I knew it was going to be a long season for me,” he said. “It’s tough. It’s tough watching your teammates not do as well as we wanted to or as well as we were capable of doing. It’s frustrating, and I guess I got to see that rehabbing here the whole time.”As Baker continues his rehab work, he also has to play the waiting game to see if the Twins want to keep him around. It’s unlikely they will for 9.25 million, but Minnesota could always bring him back for less money.”Whether they choose to pick up the option or not, that’s up to them,” Baker said. “It’s something that I’d definitely be interested in at least listening to what they have to say for sure.”

Follow Tyler Mason on Twitter.

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LOS ANGELES The Los Angeles Dodgers today reinstated right-handed pitcher Matt Guerrier from the 60-day disabled list and optioned right-handed pitcher Josh Wall to Triple-A Albuquerque. Wall made two relief appearances since being recalled from Albuquerque on Monday, allowing three runs over 1.1 innings.

Guerrier, who has not appeared in a game since April 18, is 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA (2 ER6.2 IP) overall in seven games this season. The 34-year-old made five rehab appearances at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, posting a 3.60 ERA (2 ER5.0 IP) with five strikeouts and no walks.

Shortstop Dee Gordon was transferred to the 60-day disabled list and is eligible to be reinstated on September 3.

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ARLINGTON, Texas Texas catcher Mike Napoli is eligible to come off the disabled list Sunday but it’s not going to happen.

Napoli, who is on the DL with a strained left quad, still isn’t running the bases. Texas manager Ron Washington is hoping to have Napoli available around Sept. 1, which is also when the rosters expand.

“We won’t write that in stone,” Texas manager Ron Washington said. “We hope to have him back by then. He might be playing somewhere by then, but I don’t expect him back here.”

Napoli is hitting and throwing but his running has been limited to the treadmill. Before the Rangers will send him on a rehab assignment, they want to see him run the bases as well as squat behind the plate. That’s where Napoli felt the pain.

Napoli said the quad is feeling better but it’s still not 100 percent. He’s visiting with team doctor Keith Meister Friday.

“I don’t think I’m far away out but I’m not going to be there when I’m ready to come off the DL when my time’s up,” said Napoli, who went on the DL Aug. 11. “I won’t be ready. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow. I had a pretty tough day in the gym and we’ll see how I respond.”

Napoli’s hitting .223 in 92 games this season with 17 home runs and 40 RBI. Geovany Soto has picked up the slack with Napoli out. He went into Thursday’s game riding a four-game hitting streak that’s included a homer, double and five RBIs.

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MILWAUKEE Shaun Marcum’s return a long-awaited moment for the Milwaukee Brewers rotation will be pushed back again, according to Brewers manager Ron Roenicke.

Marcum threw a bullpen session on Friday that didn’t necessarily go poorly, Roenicke said, but when talking about the return with Marcum and pitching coach Rick Kranitz, they decided that it would be a better plan to allow him another rehab start on Monday with Class-A Wisconsin to round into form.

“We talked about it and felt it was better for him to do that other start,” Roenicke said. “Really when you think about it, Shaun wants to be back here pitching, but he was out for a long time. And to only give him two rehab starts, probably not the best way to do it. I think after talking with Shaun, he realized it’s probably better to go for a little bit more.”

Originally expected to just miss a start or two when he was scratched from the lineup with elbow tightness, Marcum hasn’t been on the mound since June 14 in a Brewers uniform. Prior to his injury, Marcum was 5-3 with a 3. ERA.

Marcum has already started two games with the Timber Rattlers in Appleton, but didn’t record a decision in either game. In 6.2 innings of action in his first two rehab starts, Marcum allowed three runs and struck out seven batters.

Roenicke said after Friday’s win over the Phillies that the rotation will remain in the same order until Marcum returns.

“We’ll just go along with our rotation, and they’ll stay in line,” Roenicke said. Hopefully he can get up close to 75 pitches, and he’ll be ready to go with us.”

Follow Ryan Kartje on Twitter.

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MINNEOLIS Second baseman Tsuyoshi Nishioka’s return to the majors was short-lived.

The Minnesota Twins optioned Nishioka back to Triple-A Rochester on Monday to make room on the roster for third baseman Trevor Plouffe. The Twins activated Plouffe from the 15-day disabled list. He was placed on the DL on July 27 (retroactive to July 21) with a bruised right thumb.

Nishioka appeared in just three games in his return, going 0-for-14 with an RBI at the plate in a three-game series against Cleveland. He also committed three errors in three games at second base, including two in one game.

Plouffe played in two games during a rehab assignment with Rochester. He went 0-for-4 in his first rehab game Saturday against Pawtucket. He had to face knuckleballer Steven Wright, who got the start for the Red Sox.

“I said I wanted him to face some velocity and he faces a knuckleballer,” Gardenhire joked before the Twins’ game Sunday.

In Sunday’s game against Lehigh Valley, Plouffe was 0-for-4 with a walk. He was batting .259 with 19 homers and 38 RBI in 74 games prior to landing on the DL.

Follow Tyler Mason on Twitter.

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ST. LOUIS Cardinals manager Mike Matheny didn’t have much of a decision to make when it came to writing out a lineup Wednesday night.

With Allen Craig, Skip Schumaker and Rafael Furcal all out with various illinesses, the lineup pretty much wrote itself for the Cardinals third game of a four-game set with the San Francisco Giants.

“We’ve got a pretty banged up squad,” Matheny said. “I think we got nine guys left.”

Furcal received an epidural injection to ease persistent pain in his lower back and was completely unavailable Wednesday. The Cardinals hope he can play on Thursday afternoon.

Craig woke with chest pain Wednesday morning and after alerting head trainer Greg Hauck, went to have the area examined. X-rays came back negative and he was available to pinch-hit Wednesday night.

The issue apparently stemmed from a play in Cincinnati three weeks ago when he fell into the stands while trying to catch a pop fly. The issue was described by general manager John Mozeliak as a bone bruise near his upper ribs.

The power-hitting Craig, who hit two home runs Tuesday night, is expected to be back in the starting lineup Thursday as well.

Schumaker left Tuesday night’s game after being hit by a pitch on the wrist while swinging. He was still sore Wednesday but felt much better and was available off the Cardinals bench.

And there was news Wednesday on Lance Berkman, who is already on the disabled list with right knee inflammation. He recently experienced pain in the other knee (left) and how that changes his timetable is unknown.

“I know he’s got some issues in the other knee now,” Matheny said. “Just one of those uphill battles he’s got. Hopefully he can gain strength to the point where he can get back in baseball shape.

“The guy can’t catch a break.”

Said Mozeliak, “He was experiencing some things there, so we did run some studies and they came back negative. We’ll see how it goes. All a long we knew those knees were tricky.

“I think we just have to be more patient on his rehab and then we may actually give him some at-bats at some points in the minor leagues.”

Rehabbing starter Jaime Garcia will make his injury rehab start Thursday night. He is expected to throw about 80 pitches for Double-A Springfield, which is playing on the road in San Antonio.

Garcia had hoped that would be his final appearance before returning to the big league club but it appears he may have to make a fourth start before being activated.

“I think we’ll just see how things go but I could anticipate one more (after Thursday),” Mozeliak said. “Clearly when we bring him back we want him to be ready to go and be able to pitch a full game.”

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