David Ortiz had surgery to remove a bone chip from his left knee on Thursday. After he reportedly jammed the knee rounding first base in a game on April 18th, he was sidelined for almost a week before the Twins decided to place him on the DL retroactive to the 19th. The lingering soreness in the joint caused them to order the Wednesday MRI that revealed the bone chip.

Doctors think the bone chip was probably in the knee for some time, but that it only recently moved to an area that was painful for Ortiz. While there were no complications during the surgery, the designated hitter will need two to three weeks to recover. Then he will likely spend a week or two on a minor league rehab assignment before rejoining the team.

When Minnesota placed Ortiz on the DL, they called up Matt LeCroy to take his roster spot. LeCroy spent the majority of last season in AAA aside from a short time in the majors. The 26-year-old was selected with the 50th overall pick in the first round of the 1997 and the Twins have been impatient to get him to the majors. He split most of the 1998 season with Minnesota's A-ball clubs at Fort Wayne and Fort Myers but also spent 3 games in AAA. After starting the next season at Fort Myers, he joined AAA Salt Lake mid-season with no AA time. He broke camp with the Twins in 2000 but was sent down to AA in June, though he was recalled later in the season. Last season, he was able to spend the majority of the year in AAA before a September call-up.

During his rapid promotion through the minor league system, LeCroy didn't have time to develop his plate discipline, which seemed to show promise at the lower levels. His offensive skills also might have suffered while he focused on his defense. LeCroy was drafted as a catcher and has worked hard to improve his defense at that position, but despite noticeable progress he has been unable to please the Twins in that respect. Following Minnesota's selection of C Joe Mauer with the first overall pick of the 2001 draft, LeCroy's only chance at playing time behind the plate for the Twins seems to be on a part-time basis.

Considering the general high opinion the organization holds of his offensive potential, which includes good power upside even if his plate discipline has decreased, the Twins would probably like him to be in the lineup more frequently than the typical reserve catcher. Also, teams generally prefer that their second catcher own good defensive skills. However, he doesn't play the outfield, so that limits him to 1B and DH where Minnesota is quite happy with Doug Mientkiewicz and Ortiz, not to mention top prospect Justin Morneau.

LeCroy will split time at DH while Ortiz is out. He also picked up a couple games at first when Mientkiewicz was day-to-day with a minor back strain last week. Brian Buchanan will share time with LeCroy at DH, which may give Dustan Mohr additional right field at-bats.

San Diego placed Ron Gant on the DL Friday. He reportedly fractured his right pinky finger last Saturday making a diving catch. The move was made retroactive to the 24th, but he's expected to be out until mid-May.

Gant was beginning to challenge Ray Lankford for playing time before the injury. Lankford has not been successful this season. He's only managed a .584 OPS in 42 at-bats and without even one RBI. He's picked things up a bit recently, as five of his nine hits came in the last week, but now has to guard his job from Bubba Trammell.

The Padres called up Cesar Crespo to take Gant's place on the roster. The 22-year-old switch-hitting utilityman has not been rushed through either the San Diego or Florida organizations. He's had a full-season each of A-, A, and AA, and spent most of last season at AAA with mid and late-season major league call-ups. His plate discipline has generally shown some potential despite little improvement in the past two years. He also has very good speed and appears to be an intelligent baserunner with some minor power. However, he would probably benefit from another season at AAA to refine his strike zone judgment, especially since he could easily develop into a quality full-time player rather than merely a good reserve.

Kevin Jarvis also went on the DL Friday. Jarvis left his April 17th start in the fifth inning after reporting elbow soreness in the second. He was diagnosed with a strained flexor tendon the next day, but as there was no ligament damage, the team thought he might be able to pitch after missing only one start.

Although he's suffered no setbacks, the club decided to place him on the DL as a precaution. He's already throwing off flat ground and should be ready to rejoin the team as soon as he's eligible to come off the DL.

The Padres didn't hesitate to give Jarvis the extra time because they had an available replacement for the rotation in Ben Howard. Howard was called up from AA to replace Jarvis on the roster. The 23-year-old split last season between A+ Lake Elsinore and AA Mobile. He's struck out over a batter an inning the last two seasons in the minors and doesn't allow a lot of hits. However, Howard has had some control problems, which he was able to correct in the first half of last season when repeating A+ but which recurred when he was promoted to AA.

San Diego's minors are teeming with quality pitching prospects. Howard was pitching well so far in AA, but he was likely chosen over other candidates because he was already on the 40-man roster, unlike Jake Peavy. He probably needs at least a partial season at AA and close to a full year of AAA before he's truly ready to stay in the majors.

Brian Tollberg has struggled to start the season and could easily be demoted when Jarvis returns from the DL. Despite a win in Pittsburgh yesterday with a 5:2 K:BB in 6 IP with 7 H, 1 HR, and a 7-7 G-F ratio, his 8.19 ERA remains more than double that of any other Padres' starter. Howard would likely remain in the rotation if Tollberg were demoted.