The Indians designated Joe Borowski for assignment today.
It's crazy how baseball management works. Two weeks ago Borowski is good enough for the most important job in the bullpen and today he isn't worth a spot at all. He has been so bad this year that it is hard to imagine a team picking him up, but you never know. If he is willing to take a minor league deal someone might add him for depth for a playoff run.
Hoping rest will help get his knees ready for the second half of the season, the NY Mets placed 2B Luis Castillo on the disabled list
Damion Easley should get the bulk of the work at 2B while Castillo is out.
In an effort to get his swing back to where it needs to be, the Atlanta Braves optioned OF Jeff Francoeur to AA Mississippi.
Francoeur will hopefully be back after the All Star break, so make plans to adjust your lineup for the next week+,
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Joe Borowski will be removed from the closer role.
This is hardly a shock and it had become a matter of when and not if Borowski would be removed. Masa Kobayashi , Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez are all candidates to close, with Kobayashi having the best odds. Pick up Kobayashi and/or Betancourt if you have room on the bench and then see who saves a game this weekend.
Hideki Matsui will sit out until the All-Star break with a swollen left knee.
There is a good chance that the injury will bother Matsui for the rest of the season, although he will probably be able to play through it. Owners with Matsui should look to deal him if he can string together a couple healthy weeks in July. Brett Gardner will have AL-Only value while Matsui is out.
The Mariners expect Felix Hernandez to start one game before the All-Star break.
No word yet on when that game will be, but owners in weekly leagues can strongly consider using Hernandez next week and getting one start out of him.
The Orioles have been scouting David Eckstein in their attempt to solve their problems at SS.
The team will get a longer look at Eckstein when they play against him next week. Eckstein is only signed for one year and wouldn't cost much in a trade, so he is a good target. This is one rumor that actually makes sense for both teams.