Padres Acquire Mariners’ Aurilia

The San Diego Padres added some infield depth, getting Rich Aurilia from the Seattle Mariners on Monday for a player to be named or cash.

“He’s got a lot of experience and played with winning teams with the Giants,” Padre Manager Bruce Bochy said. “The guy gives us a proven veteran. We always liked him and felt he would strengthen our bench. He will be a utility player here.”

Signed as a free agent in January, Aurilia slumped this season. He hit .241 with four home runs and 28 runs batted in in his first year in the American League.

Aurilia has played shortstop for nearly his entire career, and the Padres already have Khalil Greene at that spot.

Greene has been impressive in his rookie year but might need a backup toward the end of his first full season. The Padres are 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Dodgers in the NL West.

Aurilia, 32, hit 37 home runs with 97 RBIs in 2001 with San Francisco. He led the NL in homers and RBIs by a shortstop in three consecutive seasons (1999-2001).

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Arizona slugger Luis Gonzalez will have season-ending ligament replacement surgery in early August but is expected to return to the Diamondbacks by next spring.

The left fielder will miss a chance at his sixth straight season with 100 RBIs.

He has played all season with a partially torn ligament in his right elbow, feeling pain on every throw to the infield. The ligament connects bones in the upper and lower arm.

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Chicago Cub right-hander Mark Prior will skip his scheduled start today and instead throw a simulated game to test his tender elbow.

“I feel good and I would love to pitch [today], but I think given the circumstances they want to make sure that I’m healthy and I can get through the course of a game,” Prior said.

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Toronto Blue Jay right-hander Roy Halladay will sit out at least four weeks because of a tired arm.

The American League Cy Young award winner was examined by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., and Toronto General Manager J.P. Ricciardi said there was no serious structural damage to Halladay’s shoulder.

“In layman’s terms, he’s got a fatigued shoulder,” Ricciardi said. “No tears. Nothing surgically that needs to be done. The MRI results were negative.”

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Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer was put on the 15-day disabled list because of a sore left knee. Catcher Rob Bowen was recalled from double-A New Britain.... The New York Mets traded outfielder Karim Garcia to Baltimore for reliever Mike DeJean.... Colorado recalled right-hander Travis Driskill from triple-A Colorado Springs.... The Cubs activated shortstop Alex Gonzalez from the disabled list and designated Rey Ordonez for assignment.... Montreal recalled outfielder Ron Calloway from triple-A Edmonton to replace Carl Everett, traded Sunday to the Chicago White Sox.... Texas activated right-hander R.A. Dickey from the 15-day disabled list, purchased the contract of outfielder Chad Allen from triple-A Oklahoma and designated infielder Manny Alexander and outfielder Jason Conti for assignment.... The Pittsburgh Pirates will play host to the 2006 All-Star game at PNC Park, according to sources close to the team. Commissioner Bud Selig will make the formal announcement at a news conference today.