Player updates

BY Aaron Gleeman



Dodgers to place Furcal on 15-day DL Manager Ned Yost stripped Eric Gagne of ninth-inning duties Sunday and said Monday that he wouldn't be getting the closer job back for a while, yet there he was Tuesday night being asked to close out a two-run lead. Gagne gave up a leadoff single and then walked a batter after recording two outs, at which point Yost had southpaw Brian Shouse warming up in the bullpen. He stuck with Gagne, who got left-hander Juan Pierre to pop out on the first pitch he saw for save No. 10.Earlier this week my guess was that Gagne would resume closing eventually, but Yost rethinking his decision 48 hours later is still a surprise. Gagne has struggled dating back to the middle of last year ! and is merely a shell of the guy who electrified Dodger Stadium with each appearance from 2002-2004, but still has plenty of fantasy value if only because Guillermo Mota, Salomon Torres, and Shouse aren't exactly inspiring as ninth-inning options.While everyone remembers to be very skeptical of any Yost proclamations in the future, here are some other notes from around baseball .* Jeff Keppinger's outstanding minor-league track record convinced me to select him as one of my NL-only hitting sleepers heading into this season despite the fact that he didn't have a clear spot in the Reds' lineup. That all changed when Alex Gonzalez went down with a knee injury and Keppinger has taken full advantage, hitting .324 while leading the team with 21 RBIs. Sadly, his breakout season is now on hold after Keppinger suffered a knee injury of his own Tuesday.After singling in the first inning, Keppinger fouled a ball off his leg in the second inning. He stayed in the game and actually coaxed a walk out of the plate appearance, but eventually exited two innings later. He's been diagnosed with a fractured kneecap and has an MRI scheduled for Wednesday, with a trip to the disabled list almost certainly in his future. With both Keppinger and Gonzalez out the Reds figure to turn to Jerry Hairston Jr. as their unlikely regular shortstop.Not only did Hairston begin this year at Triple-A after hitting just .206 and .189 in the majors over! the past two seasons, he was primarily an outfielder during that time. In fact, prior to this year he played a grand total of 17 innings at shortstop during a decade in the majors. Another option is calling up 25-year-old prospect Paul Janish, who has actually played shortstop regularly and is hitting .294/.341/.445 in 33 games at Triple-A. For now at least, Hairston is the NL-only pickup.* Perhaps even more so than Keppinger, Ryan Doumit has been one of the breakout fantasy stars of the young season. After beating out Ronny Paulino for the bulk of the playing time behind the plate in Pittsburgh, Doumit has hit .350 with five homers, 15 RBIs, and 21 runs. Sadly, like Keppinger he's ! now headed to the sidelines. Doumit fractured the tip of his ! left thu mb Tuesday and manager John Russell suggested afterward that he's likely to miss 2-3 weeks.Paulino has fallen out of favor with the Pirates after logging nearly 1,000 plate appearances and over 2,100 innings behind the plate over the past two years, starting just 14 of the team's first 39 games. He has plenty of faults, including shaky defense and little power, but is a .282/.336/.385 career hitter. That may not look like much, but the average MLB catcher has hit .268/.337/.397 this season, giving Paulino solid value in NL-only leagues as long as Doumit is out.* With his comeback from a strained left calf apparently hitting a snag, Nomar Garciaparra said Tuesday that he's not yet ready to begin a minor-league rehab assignment. "I did push it to the ceiling, but I still need some time," Garciaparra said. "There's no need to go backward." While Mr. Hamm tries ! to make it back, Andy LaRoche is doing his best to beat him to the third-base job. Rehabbing from a thumb injury of his own, LaRoche is feasting on minor-league pitching.LaRoche went 2-for-2 with a homer and four walks Sunday and then drew three more free passes Monday, giving him a .316/.480/.544 hitting line in 19 games. He batted .309/.399/.589 with 18 homers in 73 games at Triple-A last season and was in line for a shot at the starting gig prior to the injury, so the 24-year-old LaRoche deserves a chance to claim the job before Garciaparra returns. Of course, given the Dodgers' preference for veterans, that's probably wishful thinking.AL Quick Hits: After working out at the Yankees' minor-league complex Tuesday, Alex Rodriguez (quadriceps) said that he's ai! ming to come back early next week . Hank Blalock (hamstring) fielded ground balls and ran the bases Tuesday, signaling that he could return as soon as this weekend . J.D. Drew left Tuesday's game with an ugly looking wrist injury, but is considered day-to-day after X-rays came back negative . Coco Crisp exited Tuesday's game with an upset stomach, and with Drew already out the Red Sox moved Kevin Youkilis to right field . Jose Vidro was scratched from Tuesday's lineup wiith back spasms, giving ! Miguel Cairo another undeserved start at first base . Maicer Izturis (back) returned from the disabled list Tuesday and will start at second base until Howie Kendrick (hamstring) comes off the shelf . Rocco Baldelli (leg) took batting practice Tuesday and said afterward that he's still hoping to play this season, but there's no timetable for his return . Jason Kubel delivered a pinch-hit homer off the bench Tuesday and is trying to avoid a "Brooks Was Here" moment in Minnesota.NL Quick Hits:! After giving some thought to calling up Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers have opted against the 20-year-old southpaw making his big-league debut Saturday . Brad Lidge allowed an earned run Tuesday for the first time this year, but still converted his 10th save . Barry Zito's streak of consecutive starts with a loss ended at seven Monday, as he picked up a no-decision by allowing three runs over six innings versus the Astros . As expected, the Dodgers placed Rafael Furcal (back) on the disabled list Tuesday and handed Chin-Lung Hu the starting job . Reports out of Chicago suggest tha! t the Cubs will go after Jim Edmonds as soon as he clears waivers Wednesday, meaning that Felix Pie's days in the majors are numbered . Jay Bruce went 5-for-7 with a homer and two doubles in a doubleheader Monday at Triple-A and is hitting .348/.375/.609 on the year . Ray Durham (hamstring) was in the starting lineup Tuesday for the first time in 11 days . Mark Prior underwent an MRI on his surgically repaired right shoulder Monday and is scheduled to be examined by Dr. James Andrews.