Mark Wohlers underwent surgery last week to remove bone chips from his elbow. While pitchers are normally able to bounce back from the procedure in around six weeks, he's expected to spend the first two months of the season on the DL, as he'll need additional rehab time to compensate for missing most of Spring Training.

Although the Indians seemed to view Wohlers as a vital member of the pen, he's no longer a particularly effective reliever. Cleveland has numerous pitchers competing for limited bullpen positions, so they should have little difficulty finding a replacement.

Last week, Texas sent LHP Derrick Van Dusen to Cleveland in exchange for the unfettered rights to Rule 5 pick IF-R Marshall McDougall. As a result, the Rangers are now free to move McDougall around their organization with the same freedom they would move any other player. Oakland drafted McDougall out of Florida State University with their 9th round pick of the 2000 draft and traded him to Cleveland for Ricardo Rincon last July. Texas grabbed him in this off-season's Rule 5 draft and didn't want to return him, though they weren't prepared to keep him on the roster all season.

The 24-year-old has displayed promising plate discipline, developing power, and marginal speed skills in the minors. However, he spent most of last season at AA, so he needs additional development time. Although they've discussed moving Hank Blalock to second base, the Rangers aren't committed to a second baseman of the future. In addition to third base, where he's unlikely to find time in Texas, McDougall plays second and his skills suggest he has the capacity to produce sufficiently to eventually start at the position. McDougall should spend all of 2003 at AAA and Texas may want to give him more than a year there before having him spend any extended time in the majors, but he should at least grow into a solid bench player for the Rangers in the next couple years.

We discussed Van Dusen last August when the Rangers acquired him and Jermaine Clark from Seattle for Ismael Valdes. While he's clearly mastered A+, the 21-year-old needs to spend additional time at AA in 2003. Van Dusen shouldn't be considered a candidate for the Indians rotation this year and probably shouldn't be up until September of 2004. However, he's a nice addition to the Indians pipeline of pitching talent.

Elsewhere in the state of Texas, Houston signed Bruce Chen to a minor league deal, though he can demand his release if he is not on the Opening Day roster. If he makes the team, he'll reportedly earn $550,000 this season. I fully expect Chen to break camp with the Astros and believe this acquisition should work out quite well for Houston. The top of Houston's pen is strong, but the last couple of spots had some question marks.

Although the Astros have indicated they would not limit Chen to a specialist's role if he makes the team, he would be more available than closer Billy Wagner, the only left-handed reliever guaranteed a roster spot. Houston should give Chen an opportunity to display his skills, building interest for when he re-enters the market after the season. However, he'll likely only be allowed to showcase his proficiency as a reliever, because the Astros don't seem to consider him a top spot starting option.

The shoulder problem we reported Carlos Hernandez developing in January required surgery. Hernandez underwent a procedure to repair tears in his labrum and rotator cuff as well as to tighten his shoulder capsule in February. He will miss all of this season and may not be too strong in Spring Training next year. Luckily, the labrum tear was not yet very large, so he should not suffer the long-term effects associated with major labrum surgery.