Content provided in partnership with

Yankee stars rehabbing in Tampa

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), May 8, 2008 by Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Phil Hughes are expected to travel to the New York Yankees' spring-training facility in Florida on Thursday to continue rehabbing their injuries.

Rodriguez (strained right quadriceps) ran in the outfield before New York's 3-0 loss to the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday night. The third baseman also played catch, fielded grounders and took batting practice.

Rodriguez, a three-time AL MVP, is expected to continue with a similar routine over the next few days. Manager Joe Girardi said he will have an MRI early next week and will not play a rehab game until he has the exam.

Most Popular Articles in News: The Ten Best Laptop bags; Tata plans cheapest-ever car for Indian market; GLOBALIZATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT OF THE THIRD WORLD; Corn is good for you; Corn is not only a tasty treat, but also a cereal that ...; THE 50 BEST STYLISH HANDBAGS TO CARRY; More »

"If he had the MRI Monday morning and it came back clean, you're probably still looking at Thursday or Friday," Girardi said about Rodriguez's return.

The Yankees begin a four-game series at Tampa Bay on Monday and Rodriguez is eligible to come off the DL next Thursday.

Girardi also said Posada could take batting practice on Friday. The catcher went on the disabled list April 28 with right rotator cuff tendinitis.

Hughes has a stress fracture in one of his ribs, and the right- hander isn't expected back before July.

In other news, Girardi said the team hasn't heard anything about Kyle Farnsworth's appeal of his three-game suspension. The reliever was suspended for throwing a fastball behind the neck of Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez last month, and had a hearing Tuesday.

SWISHER, DANKS, HALL GO PINK FOR A CAUSE: Nick Swisher wasted no time making his mark on the Chicago White Sox. On Wednesday, he added a pink twist.

Swisher, pitcher John Danks and backup catcher Toby Hall dyed their facial hair hot pink in an effort to raise awareness for breast cancer and pay tribute to Mothers Day.

"Obviously, mothers are huge in our lives and cancer affects a lot of us," said Swisher, acquired in an offseason trade with Oakland.

A group of children from Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation, a national support group for those affected by pediatric cancer, watched as Swisher, Hall and Danks took the pink plunge while seated on top of the White Sox's dugout on Wednesday afternoon. The players also made a donation on behalf of their teammates.

The enthusiastic Swisher quickly endeared himself to teammates and the White Sox's fans. He and several players dyed their facial hair blond at the start of the season in a bonding ritual. Now, they're doing it for a different cause.

Some of the children helped with the hair coloring. And Swisher painted a pink stripe down 9-year-old Jeremy Campus' chin, giving the boy a goatee just like his own.

Swisher said the players will keep the pink dye in place through at least Sunday -- maybe longer if they get hot.

"I guarantee it'll stay (then)," he said.

TWINS CALL UP SLOWEY, PLACE BAKER ON DL: The Minnesota Twins placed right-handed pitcher Scott Baker on the disabled list with a strained right groin Wednesday, and called up righty Kevin Slowey from a rehab stint with Triple-A Rochester.

Slowey, who was rehabbing a right biceps strain, is scheduled to start Thursday against the White Sox.

"It's just exciting to be back and even more it's exciting to be healthy," Slowey said. "This was the first time in my abbreviated baseball career that I've ever not felt 100 percent. It's a miserable feeling."

Pitching coach Rick Anderson said Slowey, 0-1 with an 8.10 ERA, wouldn't be on a limited pitch count.

Baker, 2-0 with a 4.09 ERA, was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 4.

BASEBALL CALLS BLOWUP OVER DOLLS TEAM ISSUE: Major League Baseball considers the blow up over blowup dolls in the Chicago White Sox clubhouse a team issue, not a league issue.

Executive vice president for labor relations Rob Manfred said the league had discussions with the team after a player placed two nude blowup dolls in the clubhouse at Toronto, but called it "fundamentally a club issue."

An unidentified player positioned the dolls with bats of the players fanning out around them -- a ritual of sorts to try and get the team out of its slump -- before Sunday's game, a shrine that some found offensive.

Manager Ozzie Guillen said it was just a joke.

Guillen reiterated Wednesday he sees no reason to apologize, saying, "I don't think we did anything illegal. It was just a funny doll."

The Association for Women in Sports Media voiced its concerns about the White Sox's antics in an e-mail to the Chicago Sun-Times .

"The presence of those dolls creates an uncomfortable situation for any female journalist who enters the White Sox locker room simply trying to do her job," Jenni Carlson, the group's president, wrote this week.

GIANTS SEND DOWN STRUGGLING HENNESSEY, CALL UP SADLER: Right- hander Brad Hennessey was optioned by the San Francisco Giants to Triple-A Fresno on Wednesday and replaced by right-hander Billy Sadler.

The 26-year-old Sadler, who pitched in five games with San Francisco in 2006, was 0-0 with a 1.13 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 16 innings at Fresno.

Yankee stars rehabbing in Tampa

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), May 8, 2008 by Associated Press

Find Research Guides for:

Find Featured Titles for: Reference

Most Popular Articles in News

Most Popular Publications in News