Updated: May 21, 2005, 12:58 AM ET

Weaver to pitch for independent squad

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Associated Press

Los Angeles Angels: Jered Weaver, the first-round pick of the Angels in last year's amateur draft, signed to pitch for the Camden Riversharks, the independent Atlantic League team said Friday.

Weaver, a 6-foot-7 right-hander, was 15-1 with a 1.62 ERA for Long Beach State in 2004 and 37-9 in three college seasons. He had 213 strikeouts in 144 innings last year.

Weaver joins fellow 2004 first-rounder Stephen Drew, who is also playing for Camden. Drew, 22, an infielder, never came to terms with the Arizona Diamondbacks and signed with Camden in April.

Their brothers, Jeff Weaver and J.D. Drew, are teammates on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Weaver arrived Thursday and will be with the team for its weekend series against Somerset, the Riversharks said.

San Francisco Giants: The team placed outfielder Marquis Grissom on the 15-day disabled list with a bruised right knee, the latest setback for the club's injury-plagued veteran outfield.

Grissom's designation is retroactive to Wednesday. San Francisco also transferred Barry Bonds to the 60-day disabled list, though his troublesome right knee probably will keep him out until well after the All-Star break.

But the Giants finally got a bit of good injury news when ace right-hander Jason Schmidt pronounced himself ready to return Tuesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Giants also purchased the contract of infielder Brian Dallimore from Triple-A Fresno to fill a roster spot.

Grissom has struggled this season, batting .202 with two homers and 13 RBI despite consistent playing time in center field. He was injured last week, apparently when he fell on a staircase, and hasn't played since Tuesday in Colorado, when his slump extended to 8-for-67.

Schmidt went on the disabled list May 10 with a strained right shoulder, but he looked strong Friday in his second throwing session off a mound since the injury. Throwing 42 pitches and using everything in his repertoire, Schmidt thought the slight rest was just what he needed.

Seattle Mariners: Former World Series MVP Pat Borders was back in Seattle's clubhouse, where he's become an off-and-on presence in recent years.

The 42-year-old veteran catcher rejoined the Mariners earlier this week in a trade with Milwaukee for cash. Seattle purchased his contract Friday from Triple-A Tacoma and optioned backup catcher Rene Rivera to Double-A San Antonio.

In another move, left-hander Bobby Madritsch was transferred from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL. He went on the DL on April 9, retroactive to April 7, with a strained throwing shoulder.

Seattle needed Borders because two other catchers, Dan Wilson and Wiki Gonzalez, are out with injuries. Wilson was lost for the season with a torn knee ligament May 4, and Gonzalez went on the 15-day DL last weekend with a strained left hamstring.

Wilson has surgery: Wilson had surgery to reconstruct the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Doctors also discovered and repaired a small tear of the meniscus.

Rehabilitation is expected to take six to eight months. The 36-year-old Wilson was hurt May 4 while returning to first base after a fly ball against the Los Angeles Angels and went on the 60-day disabled list May 6.

A career .251 hitter coming into this season, Wilson was batting .185 with two RBI in 10 games playing behind Miguel Olivo. The veteran has played in parts of 14 seasons, including 12 in Seattle.

Chicago Cubs: The team activated reliever Joe Borowski from the 15-day disabled list and sent infielder Michael Fontenot to Triple-A Iowa.

Borowski went on the DL March 25 after he broke a bone in his right forearm fielding a comebacker during a spring game. He made seven relief appearances during a minor league rehab assignment at Iowa.

Borowski saved 33 games for the Cubs in 2003 but appeared in just 22 games last year after partially tearing his rotator cuff. Eschewing surgery, he spent the offseason in extensive rehab before having his comeback derailed by the wrist injury.

"I'm anxious to get out there. I'm right where I need to be," Borowski said Friday. "I'm fine. Everything feels good."

Fontenot was 0-for-2 in seven games. He was in his second stint with the Cubs.

Boston Red Sox: The club placed Doug Mirabelli on the 15-day disabled list and called up Shawn Wooten to replace him as backup catcher.

The Red Sox also moved outfielder Adam Stern from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man roster for Wooten, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Pawtucket.

Mirabelli, who rarely starts unless knuckleballer Tim Wakefield is pitching, was put on the disabled list retroactive to Thursday. He sprained his left wrist while swinging in his last at-bat Wednesday in Boston's 13-6 loss at Oakland. He said he used David Ortiz's bat, which is heavier than his own.

In 13 games, Mirabelli is batting .194 with two homers and six RBI.

Wooten, who signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox on Feb. 1, hit .225 with seven homers and 27 RBI in 39 games with Pawtucket. He played from 2000-03 with the Angels, where he caught knuckleballer Steve Sparks. Wooten also caught two knuckleball pitchers at Pawtucket.

Wakefield is scheduled to pitch Saturday night against Atlanta, but starting catcher Jason Varitek could start that game.

New York Yankees: Designated hitter Ruben Sierra was activated from the 15-day disabled list before the team's game against the crosstown rival Mets.

To make room for Sierra on the roster, the Yankees sent first baseman Andy Phillips to Triple-A Columbus.

Sierra partially tore his right biceps while swinging at a changeup against Toronto on April 20. He played four extended spring training games against minor leaguers while on a rehabilitation assignment at the Yankees' spring training complex in Tampa, Fla.

The switch-hitting Sierra, who was batting .269 with two homers and eight RBI for the Yankees this season, provides manager Joe Torre with another option off the bench, which is already crowded with Bernie Williams and Jason Giambi not in the starting lineup on a regular basis.

Williams has been displaced in center field by Hideki Matsui. Giambi, 8-for-25 with six RBI in the last six games, had lost playing time to Tino Martinez when he fell into a deep slump as Martinez hit 10 home runs in first 15 days of May.

Phillips was hitting .156 (5-for-32) with a home run and four RBI for New York.

Philadelphia Phillies: The team activated outfielder Kenny Lofton from the disabled list and designated utility man Jose Offerman for assignment to clear room on the roster.

Lofton, out since April 30 because of a right hamstring strain, was hitting .373 (19-for-51) with one home run, four RBI and one stolen base.

Offerman made the Phillies out of spring training after being signed as a minor league free agent on Jan. 19, but he only batted .182 (6-for-33) with one homer and three RBI. Philadelphia has 10 days to trade him, release him or send him outright to the minor leagues.

Offerman's home run was a pinch-hit shot off St. Louis' Julian Taveras on Thursday, the first pinch homer of his 16-year major league career.

Atlanta Braves: The club placed catcher Eddie Perez on the 15-day disabled list with tendinitis in his right shoulder and called up catcher Brayan Pena from Triple-A Richmond.

Perez, the backup to Johnny Estrada, had started regularly when Mike Hampton pitched. Pena now could draw those assignments.

Pena was hitting .417 with nine RBI for Richmond. He signed with the Braves in 2000 and hit .314 for Double-A Greenville last season. Perez is hitting .216 with two homers and six RBI for Atlanta. He will have an MRI on his shoulder Monday in Atlanta.

Estrada started Friday night against Boston.

The Braves are expected to call up another Richmond player, pitcher Kyle Davies, before Saturday's game. The 21-year-old Davies is needed to start Saturday because pitcher John Thomson is out for two to three months with a finger injury and Hampton's scheduled start Friday night was pushed back due to tightness in his left forearm.

The Braves purchased Pena's contract from Richmond, and sent infielder Jason Bourgeois outright to Richmond to make room on the 40-man roster.

Colorado Rockies: Reliever Chin-hui Tsao will have arthroscopic surgery for inflammation on his right shoulder, the team said Friday.

The surgery will be Wednesday in Denver. The Rockies did not set a date for his return to the team.

Tsao, a right-hander, is 1-0 with three saves and a 6.55 ERA.

His shoulder kept him sidelined until April 12. He appeared in 10 games before he was placed on the disabled list on May 13.

Cleveland Indians: The Indians recalled right-hander reliever Matt Miller from Triple-A Buffalo and sent down inconsistent right-hander Jason Davis.

Miller started the season with the Indians and didn't allow a run in four appearances. He was sent to Buffalo on April 16 when starter C.C. Sabathia was activated from the disabled list.

Miller had three saves and a 0.87 ERA in nine relief appearances at Buffalo.

Davis, who will join the rotation in Buffalo, spent most of the year in the bullpen. He was 2-1 with a 5.56 ERA in eight games, seven in relief.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays: The D-Rays activated first baseman Travis Lee from the disabled list and designated outfielder Chris Singleton for assignment.

Lee was hitting .308 with two RBI when he was placed on the disabled list May 2 with a strained right groin. He missed 16 games.

Singleton was hitting .276 with four RBI. Tampa Bay has 10 days to release Singleton, trade him or send him outright to the minors.

Florida Marlins: The team recalled right-hander Logan Kensing from Double-A Carolina.

Kensing was 0-3 with a 9.88 ERA in three starts and two relief appearances with the Marlins last season, his first in the major leagues. At Carolina this season, he was 4-1 with a 3.18 ERA in seven starts.

Florida had optioned right-hander Travis Smith to Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday to open a roster spot for Kensing.

Minor-league suspensions
Los Angeles pitchers Heath Totten and Tom Farmer and Arizona pitcher Chad Scarbery were suspended for 15 games Friday for violating baseball's minor league steroids policy.

There have been 66 players penalized under the minor league program and five players suspended under the major league policy.

Totten, Farmer and Scarbery are all right-handers and have spent their entire careers in the minors.

Totten, 26, was 5-2 with a 4.97 ERA in eight starts for Triple-A Las Vegas. Farmer, 25, was 1-1 with a 14.58 ERA in 15 games for Las Vegas.

Scarbery, 24, was 2-2 with a 4.08 ERA at Class A Lancaster.


Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press