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Roundup Braves activate Weiss from DL, send Avery to Class A
Posted: Sunday May 21, 2000 04:02 PM
ATLANTA (AP) -- The Atlanta Braves activated shortstop Walt Weiss from the disabled list on Sunday and sent pitcher Steve Avery, struggling in his comeback from shoulder surgery, to Class A Myrtle Beach. Weiss had been on the DL since May 4 with a strained left hamstring. To make room on the 25-man roster, the Braves sent infielder Mark De Rosa to Triple-A Richmond of the International League. Plagued by injuries during his three seasons in Atlanta, Weiss was hitting .311 at the time of his latest setback. But his playing time may be limited by the emergence of 19-year-old Rafael Furcal. "He's a weapon like we haven't had in a while," said Weiss, 36 and in the final year of his contract. "I'm sure he'll be playing a lot." Both players were in the lineup Sunday against the San Diego Padres. Weiss started at shortstop and Furcal moved over to second to fill in for the injured Quilvio Veras, who missed his second straight game after being struck on the right knee by a pitch. Veras expects to return for Tuesday's game at Milwaukee. Avery, signed to a minor-league contract in spring training, has been pitching for Double-A Greenville and Class A Macon on injury rehab assignments since April 12. But a dismal outing Saturday night prompted the Braves to assign him to their Carolina League team. Pitching for Greenville, Avery allowed seven runs, nine hits and walked six in 5 1-3 innings against Carolina, dropping his Southern League record to 0-5 with an 8.69 ERA in six starts. He has pitched two games for Macon, going 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA. "Honestly, I was thinking I would be ready April 15," Avery said. "It's gone slower than I expected. Maybe I was being too positive and didn't know what it would be like." Avery, 30, came up through the Braves organization, pitching in Atlanta from 1990-96. He was a two-time 18-game winner and MVP of the NL championship series in 1991. But the left-hander has struggled with injuries in recent years, going 36-44 since 1994. His ERA has been above 5.00 every season since he left Atlanta, soaring to a career-high 6.42 with the Boston Red Sox in 1997. Last year, Avery was 6-7 with a 5.16 ERA in 19 games for the Cincinnati Reds. He had arthroscopic surgery to repair a slight tear in his left rotator cuff on Aug. 5 and missed the rest of the season. Doctors told him that the average recovery time for that kind of operation is 11 months. "There are times when I feel like I'm not too far away," Avery said. "Then there are times when I feel like there's no way I'm going to come back. I'm going through all that stuff." Avery believes it will be good to settle in with one team, rather than shuttling back and forth to Atlanta between rehab starts. He'll report to Myrtle Beach on Monday. "I will actually feel like part of a team," he said. "Right now, I don't feel like a part of either one." De Rosa, once considered among the top prospects in the Atlanta farm system, went 2-for-2 with three RBIs after being recalled to the majors. But he knew his time was limited. "The tough part is leaving," he said. "This where I want to be." De Rosa departs a first-place team in Atlanta to rejoin a last-place team at Triple-A. Richmond was 10-33 prior to Sunday's game, the worst record in the International League. With Furcal ahead of him at shortstop, De Rosa, 25, will likely have to go to another team to have a chance to stick in the majors. He has been up and down with Atlanta over the past three seasons, but was dropped from the 40-man roster prior to this season. "It's a tough situation," De Rosa said. "I'm behind one of the best defensive shortstops (Weiss) in the game and one of the best young shortstops (Furcal) to come down the pike in, well, probably forever." Mantei activated by DiamondbacksNEW YORK (AP) -- Reliever Matt Mantei, on the disabled list for most of the season, was activated Sunday by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mantei missed 30 of Arizona's first 42 games. The team's regular closer, he was on the DL from April 2-20 with right biceps tendinitis, then went back on May 5 with right shoulder soreness. The 24-year-old right-hander is 1-0 with an 8.10 ERA in four games this season, pitching 3 1-3 innings. Right-hander Vincente Padilla was optioned to Tucson of the Pacific Coast League. He was 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA in nine innings, pitching in five games. Jeter showing improvementTAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Derek Jeter has moved a step closer to rejoining the New York Yankees. Jeter, on the 15-day disabled list with a strained abdominal muscle, said he will resume swinging a bat Monday. "It's getting better," the shortstop said Sunday after completing his third day of workouts and treatment at the Yankees' player development center in Florida. Jeter is eligible to be activated Saturday, and did not rule out being ready when the Yankees play Boston next weekend. "When I'm ready, I'm out of here," Jeter said. Jeter was hitless (0-13) in his last four games before being pulled in the third inning May 11 against Tampa Bay. This is the second time Jeter, the AL's Rookie of the Year in 1996, has gone on the DL. He was sidelined with an abdominal strain in 1988. Rogers poked in eye, may not pitch WednesdayARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Texas Rangers pitcher Kenny Rogers is suffering a swollen left eye and probably will not return to the mound for his scheduled start at Kansas City. Rogers, who was already nursing a sore left shoulder, was accidentally poked in the eye Friday by his 3-year-old son. The pitcher wore sunglasses on Saturday and couldn't open the eye. Texas manager Johnny Oates said Mark Clark will probably pitch on Wednesday, and Rogers will wait until Saturday against the Minnesota Twins. If he isn't ready by Saturday, Rogers will go on the disabled list. Cubs considering curbing beer salesCHICAGO (AP) -- Chicago Cubs officials are considering changes in beer sales and stricter crowd management to curb rowdiness at Wrigley Field. Rowdy behavior at the ball park became a concern in the wake of a melee last Tuesday between Los Angeles Dodger players and fans. The brawl was sparked by a fan grabbing the cap of Dodger catcher Chad Kreuter. "We're reviewing whether we have enough people in place to enforce the policies we have," said Cubs vice president Mark McGuire. Besides increasing security, the team also is looking at imposing a stricter policy against buying several cups of beer at last call. Beer sales at Wrigley Field are cut off in the eighth inning of day games and in the seventh inning or 9:20 p.m., whichever comes first, during night games. "We're concerned that when we hit those times that we're getting people stockpiling," McGuire said. "We may take more appropriate measures to reduce that." The Cubs have already eliminated beer vendors in the bleachers, restricting sales there to concession stands under the bleachers, with a two-beer limit on all purchases. There is a family seating section at Wrigley Field where alcohol sales are prohibited. Patrons at sports bars around Wrigley Field voiced skepticism about the changes being considered. "It's not like people aren't drunk by that time anyway," said John Baxter, who describes himself as a lifelong Cubs fan. "It's just them trying to sound like they're doing something. So, next time if a fight happens, do you just not sell beer at all? It makes no sense." McGuire said the Cubs will continue to discuss any changes at the park with holders of season tickets.
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