Padres righty Chris Young was involved in one of the more horrific plays of the season’s first half when he was hit in the face on May 21 by a line drive off Albert Pujols’ bat. He’s been on the DL since with a skull fracture and had surgery on June 30 to repair his septum so he could breath normally again.

The good news for Young is that his arm was never injured, so his recovery could be speedy. He actually threw some bullpen sessions before his surgery. Young had his first rehab start Wednesday night and saw positive results. He gave up one run in 3.2 innings and had four strikeouts for Class A Lake Elsinor. Read more »

If this were a typical Tampa Bay season, we’d be right at the point when the Rays get labeled as “sellers,” trade away what little established veteran talent they have, and try to build for the future. Likewise, this is also the time when they would call up their blue chip prospects in an attempt to get them some big league experience.

So, if the Rays’ 2008 season was similar to any other season in team history, this would be right around the time that Evan Longoria gets the call. But, the Rays, perhaps sensing that this could be their long-awaited turnaround season, Longoria got called up on April 12, and the 22-year-old rookie has already established himself as an indispensible piece of the team’s lineup. Read more »

Richie Sexson is clearly not the same hitter that averaged 39 home runs and 117 RBIs from 2001 to 2003, but even a fraction of that production should help a New York Yankees lineup that, other than Alex Rodriguez, is devoid of right-handed power.

The lefty dominant Yanks, including Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Jason Giambi, have predictably struggled against lefthanders this season. Giambi and his mustache have managed only a .229 average against southpaws, while Bobby Abreu and Robinson Cano are the best of the bunch. Abreu is hitting .296 and Cano .294, but only 5 of their combined 16 home runs have come against left-handed pitchers. Read more »

Seems Boston Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez has torn a page out of Brett Favre’s book on self-entitlement. Ramirez told the Boston Herald this week that he had “earned that respect, for a team to sit down with me and tell me this is what we want.”

Manny wants to know what his future is with the team, and management simply is not ready to tell him. There are still a lot of facts to be considered in Manny’s case, none more important than his performance and behavior and how deep the team plays into the postseason. Read more »

At least one difficult decision lies ahead for Minnesota Twins management as it prepares to call up left-hander Francisco Liriano from Triple-A Rochester. With the success the Twins’ rotation has had so far, Liriano’s promotion is no longer just about timing. It is a juggling act to try and keep a handful of deserving pitchers happy.

As this St. Paul Pioneer-Press story points out, the organization is in a tight spot and must decide how to make the promotion work.

Of course, with Liriano rounding back into shape following 2006 Tommy John surgery, he simply must be on the big league roster. If a spot in the rotation does not open up for him naturally, the Twins are bouncing around the idea of recalling him as a reliever. Liriano has nothing else to prove in Rochester, so he might as well help Minnesota’s push towards a playoff berth. Read more »