Vote for Rookie of the Month in June

The rookie class continues to shine in Major League Baseball and it's time for fans to help decide who deserves to be at the top of the list for June.

Beginning on Thursday, voting for the June Rookie of the Month award presented by Gillette will begin for both the American League and National League. The AL nominees are Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria, Detroit pitcher Armando Galarraga, Kansas City shortstop Mike Aviles and White Sox second baseman Alexei Ramirez. In the NL, the nominees are Atlanta pitcher Jair Jurrjens, San Francisco first baseman John Bowker, San Diego second baseman Edgar Gonzalez and St. Louis pitcher Mitchell Boggs.

Fans can cast their Rookie of the Month votes through Tuesday, July 8, at mlb.com/gillette.

Geovany Soto of the Cubs and David Murphy of the Rangers won rookie honors in April, followed by Aaron Laffey of the Indians and Blake DeWitt of the Dodgers in May. Now it's time for two more rookies to receive recognition based on their body of work in June.

Longoria has established himself as a big part of Tampa Bay's attack, as the Rays continue to rank as one of the big success stories in baseball this year. Longoria hit .300 in June with eight homers and 19 RBIs.

Galarraga was 3-0 with a 3.34 earned run average in June as a starter for the resurgent Tigers, who have been making up ground in the AL Central after a slow start.

Aviles, who began the season at Triple-A Omaha, has been giving the Kansas City offense a major boost since taking over as the starting shortstop. Aviles hit .330 in June with three homers, 30 hits and 15 RBIs.

Ramirez set the tone for his .355 batting average last month with four three-hit games in the opening week of June. He had three homers in 17 RBIs for the month.

The NL nominees posted some equally impressive numbers in June.

Jurrjens was 3-0 with a 1.63 earned run average in June. Jurrjens didn't allow an earned run in three of his four starts during the month.

Bowker has been a key cog in the San Francisco offense, as the Giants continue to rebuild. Bowker hit .325 in June with four homers and 15 RBIS.

Gonzalez made big contributions to the San Diego offense in June with a .300 batting average. He finished the second with nine doubles and 11 RBIs.

Boggs has helped to stabilize an injury-challenged St. Louis pitching staff. He was 3-0 with a 4.37 ERA in June. The best outing of the month for Boggs came on June 28 when he worked six innings and allowed just four hits and one run in a 5-1 win over Kansas City.

Gillette will present the award winners with a Rookie of the Month trophy following the announcement and make a donation to a charitable organization in the award recipient's name. The online fan vote will represent 20 percent of the overall vote, with the remaining votes coming from team baseball writers and club broadcasters.

Gillette continues to make significant media commitments to national Major League Baseball rightsholders, This Week in Baseball presented by Aquafina, produced by Emmy Award-winning Major League Baseball Productions, and to MLB Jewel Event publications created by MLB Properties. Gillette is also a participating sponsor of DHL All-Star FanFest, the interactive baseball theme park that opens Major League Baseball All-Star Week. This year, DHL All-Star Fanfest will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York from Friday, July 11-15, and during that week, Gillette will unveil the brand-new MLB-themed All-Star Shower & Shave attraction.

Gathright out for Royals' series finale

BALTIMORE -- Center fielder Joey Gathright pulled his left shoulder out of place so Royals manager Trey Hillman had him out of the lineup on Thursday night.

Gathright's shoulder went out briefly as he tried for an over-the-fence catch during a 5-2 loss to Baltimore on Wednesday night. He dropped the ball because his hand went numb as his shoulder went out. However, he stayed in the game.

"Any time Joey extends that left arm when he dives or when he goes over [the fence], he's got some laxity in there," Hillman said. "He could have played today, but I thought it was a good time to give him a day off."

David DeJesus, who returned to the lineup on Wednesday night after two days off with a rib cage injury, was moved from left to center field. Jose Guillen went from designated hitter to left field and Billy Butler was back at DH.

Catcher John Buck, who took a foul tip to the groin and also stayed in the game, was also out of the lineup.

"The worst pain I felt was from the clubhouse to the bus right after icing it," Buck said. "But once I laid down and put ice on it, it started to go away."

Buck declared he was ready to play in the series finale.

"When a guy's been catching as long as he has says that's the worst shot he's taken in that area of his body, anytime, anywhere, then that's a pretty big statement," Hillman said. "He's in a lot of pain."

Rookie shortstop Mike Aviles also was out of the lineup for the first time in 24 games. He was hitless in his last two games and made a couple of mental mistakes defensively on Tuesday night.

"I don't want his confidence level to go too low," Hillman said. "I think he's just two for his last 15 or 16. Of course, the last hit he got was a huge hit -- it ended up plating the winning run for us in that extra-inning opening day win here."

He cited Aviles' recent tendency to chase high pitches as a factor.

Tony Pena, who had not played in six straight games, started at shortstop.

"It'll be a good opportunity for TJ to get back in the mix," Hillman said. "Hopefully, he can do some productively offensively; he almost always does defensively."

Padres land bevy of international talent

DENVER -- Randy Smith, the Padres director of international scouting, said the process of securing some of the top young talent in the international market was something akin to letter of intent day for college sports in America.

"Signing guys in Latin America is like recruiting guys in college football and in college basketball," Smith said last week. "Things change. It's a fluid situation. It's a lot about building relationships. It's a different ballgame."

In other words, don't get too excited until players sign on the dotted line.

But on Wednesday, the Padres pulled off the equivalent of a major recruiting haul when they signed four players from Latin America and one from Australia on the first day of the international signing period.

The Padres signed shortstop Alvaro Aristy (Dominican Republic), right-handed pitchers Adis Portillo (Venezuela) and Elvin Tavarez (Dominican Republic), outfielder Luis Domoromo (Venezuela) and infielder/outfielder Corey Adamson (Australia).

"With today's signings we feel we have secured the best group of international players available," Smith said in a release. "The recent opening of the club's state-of-the-art facility in the Dominican Republic along with today's commitments have changed the perception of the Padres internationally."

According to ESPN.com, Portillo was rated the third-best Latino prospect. Domoromo ranked fifth on the list, Aristy sixth and Tavarez ranked 10th.

No other Major League team signed as many top players on Wednesday as the Padres, who aren't just paying lip service to being active in Latin America.

The Padres built what is considered a state-of-the-art training facility for $8.5 million in the Dominican Republic that opened in April.

A look at the five players the Padres signed on Wednesday:

• Adamson, 16, is from Perth, Australia. He helped the Western Australia Under 16 team to the National Championship in January. He led all tournament batters with two home runs, 17 RBIs, 12 runs scored, 26 total bases, a 1.040 slugging percentage and a .618 on-base percentage. Adamson hit at a .520 clip, third-best among tournament leaders.

"Corey is one of the best athletes to come out of Australia in recent history," Smith said. "He is a five-tool player with plus speed."

• Aristy, 16, is a native of Bani, Dominican Republic.

"We see Alvaro as the best pure shortstop in Latin America, both with his defensive ability along with his consistency at the plate," Smith said.

•Domoromo, 16, is a 6-foot-1, 170-pound outfielder from Portuguesa, Venezuela.

"Luis is one of the most complete position players available. He has a sound approach at the plate and the ability to hit the ball to all fields," Smith said.

•Portillo, 16, is a 6-2, 192-pound right-hander from Maracaibo, Venezuela.

"One of the most complete pitchers in Latin America, with a fastball that has reached 93, Adis has great mechanics with a strong mound presence and command of three pitches," Smith said.

•Tavarez, 16, is a 6-2, 170-pound right-handed pitcher from San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic.

"Elvin is a well-built right-hander with a fastball that reaches 90 [mph] and good rotation on his curve ball." Smith said.

Miner optioned to Triple-A by Tigers

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Tigers optioned pitcher Zach Miner to Triple-A Toledo and recalled Aquilino Lopez prior to Wednesday's game against the Twins. Lopez was in uniform for the contest.

"Zach is going to be back, there is no doubt in my mind," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "He has quality Major League stuff. He just has to believe in his stuff as much as we do."

Miner had a 4.23 ERA in 32 appearances this season. He walked four batters in Tuesday's 6-4 loss to Minnesota, drawing Leyland's ire. Miner has allowed 12 baserunners in his past three appearances.

Leyland said Miner has to work on his control. On Tuesday, Miner needed 49 pitches to complete two innings.

"You just can't do that," Leyland said.

Lopez allowed seven walks in 33 2/3 innings in his stint with Detroit earlier in the year.

"One thing we know about Lopez is he's a strike thrower," Leyland said.

Lopez was 2-1 with a 2.67 ERA in 23 appearances with the Tigers in 2008 before being sent down. He was optioned to Toledo on June 15 when reliever Fernando Rodney was activated from the disabled list.

Leyland said Lopez could pitch on Wednesday if needed. Both Lopez and left-hander Casey Fossum can spot start if the team is in a pinch, according to Leyland.

Miner, meanwhile, will start games at Toledo, which may help his command.

"When he is [throwing] 93-94, he's not as good as he is when he is 91-92," Leyland said. "I think sometimes when you start, you back off a little bit because you don't throw that same pace, and you become better -- you have better control."

Cabrera exits early with tight hip flexor

MINNEAPOLIS -- Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera was pulled from Monday's contest against Minnesota following the second inning.

Cabrera left the game with a tight left hip flexor and is day-to-day.

In the bottom of the second, Cabrera dropped a throw from third baseman Carlos Guillen following a Brendan Harris grounder.

In the top of the third, outfielder Clete Thomas pinch-hit for Cabrera.

Thomas remained in the game in left field while Marcus Thames was moved to first base.

Pierre to miss four to six weeks

HOUSTON -- Dodgers outfielder Juan Pierre has a sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee and will be sidelined four to six weeks.

"That's better than it could have been," said manager Joe Torre. "He was expecting worse than that."

Pierre was placed on the 15-day disabled list and was replaced on the Dodgers' roster by Jason Repko, who was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas. Repko was in the starting lineup on Monday night against the Astros, batting leadoff and playing center field.

Torre said Pierre is on crutches and will begin some form of exercise within a week. The injury is not expected to require surgery.

The 30-year-old Pierre had never been on the disabled list in a nine-year career, but he was injured in Sunday's game while making a headfirst dive while stealing second base in the sixth inning. Angels infielder Erick Aybar fell and landed on the bottom of Pierre's left leg, twisting the knee.

The MCL helps connect the thigh with the shin on the inside of the knee joint. When the leg is struck from the outside, the inside ligament stretches and tears. The injury is similar to what a football player might experience when hit low from the side.

The Dodgers now have 10 players on the disabled list -- Tony Abreu, Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Schmidt, Rafael Furcal, Gary Bennett, Andruw Jones, Hiroki Kuroda, Brad Penny, Scott Proctor and Pierre. Garciaparra, Schmidt, Furcal and Jones are currently on Minor League injury rehabilitation assignments. Furcal, Garciaparra and Penny could return within the week. Kuroda returns to the rotation Wednesday.

Repko, rebounding from two seasons of injuries, is hitting .277 with six home runs, 57 runs, 29 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. The 27-year-old spent most of the season batting below .230, but has a current six-game hitting streak during which he's batting .455 and earlier this month had a 14-game hitting streak, bringing his June average to .375.

"I started off the season thinking too much, trying to get a hit every at-bat, really pressing and all it did was put me in a tailspin," said Repko. "It wasn't until I simplified everything that I started to get comfortable playing every day."

Repko had missed most of the previous two seasons, including all of 2007 with a torn hamstring that required surgery. He said his hamstring is completely healed.

No decision from Phils on Myers' status

ARLINGTON -- Phillies manager Charlie Manuel wasn't ready to reveal any decision on Sunday about the status of starter Brett Myers, if he has made one regarding the struggling right-hander.

Myers remains in limbo for his next start, scheduled for Thursday in Atlanta, though he seems unlikely to take that turn.

"I'll have it by Tuesday, probably," Manuel said. "We'll talk about it [Monday]."

Manuel will have discussions with pitching coach Rich Dubee and general manager Pat Gillick, who said on Sunday's pregame show that the Phillies might make an "adjustment" to the rotation.

"Right now, that's the way we're leaning, but we'll think about it," Manuel said. "I'll talk to Doobs [on Monday] or on the plane tonight. We even might have something for you [Monday], but most likely Tuesday."

The likeliest scenario has reliever Chad Durbin starting on either Thursday or Friday, depending on how Manuel adjusts his rotation for Monday's off-day. Hamels could start Thursday, on regular rest, with Durbin sliding in Friday to give Jamie Moyer an extra day of rest. Moyer would then pitch on Saturday.

Another move would be to recall J.A. Happ from Triple-A or Carlos Carrasco from Double-A. Each would be well-rested and ready, but each would require the club to make a roster move, such as designating reliever Clay Condrey for assignment and risk losing him to another team.

Either way, Manuel feels that a mental break could help Myers. With a 3-9 record and a 5.84 ERA, he could likely use some time to clear his head.

"He's definitely kind of mentally spent right now," Manuel said. "I want to make sure we do what's right for the team and Brett. We'll talk about the guys we've got on our staff, things we can or want to do. I haven't made my mind up yet."

Like the Tigers recently did to struggling lefty Dontrelle Willis, the Phillies won't be sending him to Class A.

"That's not one of our options," Manuel said.