Reds Put Casey on 15-Day DL

The Cincinnati Reds put first baseman Sean Casey on the 15-day disabled list Sunday, giving one of the National League’s top hitters more time to recover from a strained right calf.

The move was made after Casey sat out his sixth consecutive game Sunday, a 5-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians. The Reds plan to call up catcher Corky Miller from triple-A Louisville today.

Casey, named to the All-Star team as a reserve, strained his calf while running out a single on June 27. He was hitting .352, tied with Barry Bonds for the batting lead at the time.

The Reds hoped he could get better without going on the disabled list, but he wasn’t making enough improvement to play.

“I’ll probably go through the All-Star break and come back at the end of that,” Casey said. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to take that time and get ready to roll.”

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Oakland Athletic third baseman Eric Chavez will begin a rehabilitation assignment today, a little more than a month after he broke his right hand when hit by a pitch.

Chavez will join triple-A Sacramento for a game at Fresno, and he will be the designated hitter. He is in good shape, so the club isn’t worried about his conditioning or fielding as much as his hitting and the pressure it will put on the hand.

When Chavez was hurt June 1 on a pitch by the Chicago White Sox’s Damaso Marte, he was expected to sit out at least six weeks. Whether he will rejoin the A’s before the All-Star break is uncertain.

“We’ll see how he performs,” trainer Larry Davis said. “It’s going to be 50-50 -- 50% how he feels and 50% how he does.”

Chavez was batting .246 with a team-leading 13 home runs and 35 runs batted in before the injury.

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The Milwaukee Brewers put second baseman Junior Spivey, who has a sore left shoulder, on the 15-day disabled list and purchased infielder Chris Magruder’s contract from triple-A Indianapolis.

Spivey was injured diving into first base during the Brewer-Pittsburgh Pirate doubleheader Friday night.

Manager Ned Yost plans to use Keith Ginter and Bill Hall at second until Spivey returns.