Cubs Put Valdes on Disabled List
Chicago Cub pitcher Ismael Valdes, acquired in a trade with the Dodgers in December and expected to start the Cub season opener in Japan on March 29, was put on the disabled list Monday because of tendinitis in his right shoulder.
He’ll be eligible to come off April 5, and the Cubs could use him as soon as April 6 at St. Louis.
“I’m angry,” Valdes said. “I’m not happy with the decision, but there’s nothing I can do. I have to go with it. I don’t want to make an issue out of it. It’s what it is.”
Valdes has had a sore shoulder the past few days, and Baylor said over the weekend that Valdes might be done for the spring. Valdes started taking anti-inflammatories Sunday and the shoulder felt better by Monday morning.
But rather than take a chance with one of their top pitchers, Manager Don Baylor and General Manager Ed Lynch decided it was best to put him on the DL.
Jon Lieber will probably pitch the opener against the New York Mets and Kyle Farnsworth will start the second game. The Cubs then fly home, play at St. Louis on April 3 and have another day off before playing the Cardinals twice more.
Kerry Wood, the 1998 National League rookie of the year, also figures to start the season on the DL as he recovers from reconstructive elbow surgery. Wood, who pitched for the first time last weekend, is expected back later in April.
Outfielder Glenallen Hill also appears headed for the disabled list after pulling his left hamstring Sunday. Doctors have said it could be two to three weeks before Hill is ready to play.
Sammy Sosa, who banged up a knee in a collision with Colorado catcher Scott Servais on Saturday, sat out of the game Monday and will miss today’s as well.
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Major league baseball and the new World Umpires Assn. announced an interim labor agreement, ensuring that the season will start without disruption.
While the two sides will continue to negotiate for a complete collective bargaining agreement, provisions of the interim deal could lead to a uniform strike zone as well as long-term labor peace with the umpires.
Under the interim agreement, the office of Commissioner Bud Selig will assume responsibility for all major league umpiring rather than league presidents.
The former American and National League umpiring staffs will be combined and work games in both leagues this season. In the past, umpires generally worked games in one league or the other and each had its own version of the strike zone.
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Adrian “El Duquecito” Hernandez, a Cuban defector who worked out for major league scouts last week, scheduled another tryout today at Guatemala City.
Representatives from the Angels, Chicago Cubs, and Cleveland Indians will attend the workout, said Michelle Aguirre, the 25-year-old right-hander’s manager and girlfriend.
The three teams missed last Tuesday’s workout, attended by scouts from 20 clubs.
Hernandez is not related to fellow Cuban defector Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez of the New York Yankees.
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Atlanta reliever Kerry Ligtenberg is expected to pitch as scheduled today at Kissimmee, Fla., despite getting hit in the face by a batted ball in a game against Tampa Bay on Saturday night at Caracas, Venezuela.
Ligtenberg was struck by a Quinton McCracken shot and sustained a cut on his cheekbone and a bruise under his right eye.
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The New York Mets released veteran third baseman Charlie Hayes. . . . Outfielder Kevin Mitchell, 38, the 1989 National League most valuable player, was signed by the Sonoma County Crushers of the independent Western Baseball League. Former San Francisco Giant teammate Jeffrey Leonard is manager of the Crushers.