Philadelphia placed Marlon Byrd on the disabled list after Sunday's game in Cincinnati. Byrd sustained a laceration below his left knee during a collision at the plate in the third inning of the game. He was sliding into home when his knee came in contact with the shin guard of Reds' catcher Jason LaRue. Byrd needed an unspecified number of stitches to close the wound, however the Phillies are confident he will be ready to rejoin the team when he is eligible to leave the 15-day disabled list. After a week of rest and another week on a rehab assignment, he should be fully prepared to return to centerfield. He might have a little less range in the outfield for a few weeks and may not attempt to steal a base until mid-May, but I don't anticipate any significant lasting affects.

Jason Michaels left his rehabilitation assignment early to replace Byrd on the roster. Michaels probably would have spent at least another week returning slowly from his strained right oblique with A+ Clearwater in the Florida State League if the Phillies hadn't wanted him now. Consequently, he'll likely spend most of the next week on the bench and be more readily available in the second half of Byrd's DL stint. I see little point in activating a still rehabbing Michaels from the disabled list when Eric Valent, McKay Christensen, and Wendell Magee were available at AAA.

Neither Christensen nor Magee are on the 40-man roster, but the Phillies appear to have an opening or two, so that shouldn't have been an impediment to their promotion. Philadelphia seemingly traded Mike Fyhrie to Cleveland in order to have Magee available in situations like this one. Magee's plate discipline when in the majors prevents him from holding a steady job, but his skills aren't so far behind Michaels' abilities that Philadelphia gains more from rostering the recovering player. The same can be said of Valent and Christensen.

With Michaels replacing Byrd, no one will challenge Ricky Ledee for centerfield playing time. Ledee displayed solid plate discipline and increased power last year, though his days of stealing bases appear behind him. Byrd should compete for Rookie of the Year votes. However, while his plate discipline shows promise, if his strike zone judgment doesn't improve Byrd will be open to slumps. If the 29-year-old Ledee provides the Phillies with steady production over the next two weeks, he'll be in a position to steal playing time from Byrd.

Turk Wendell returned from the disabled list yesterday. His rehab assignment went well, but his elbow is still in a position to suffer a relapse. The Phillies know they will need to go easy on him for a month or two, but they want him available now. Wendell is unlikely to pitch on consecutive days until late May or June, and the team probably will hesitate to use him in cold or wet weather for much of the season.

Philadelphia pushed back Brandon Duckworth's return from the disabled list as they don't want him limited to a pitch count of 75-80 pitches when he rejoins the team. He's now scheduled to start in Atlanta on Easter Sunday. Nevertheless, Eric Junge's stay with the team ended this week, as he returned to the minors to make room for Wendell on the roster. Consequently, Philadelphia will need to demote another pitcher when they activate Duckworth.

Reportedly, Joe Roa and Rheal Cormier are the leading candidates. The Phillies dislike the decision as Roa is out of options and Cormier is owed a sizeable salary. I was inclined to support attempting to send Roa through waivers, as I believe he has a decent chance of reaching the minors without anyone claiming him. However, Cormier clearly pitched worse last season, so I would not object if they decide to eat his contract.

Hector Mercado's name has also been mentioned, but he clearly possesses skill and promise the other two lack. The 28-year-old would almost certainly be claimed on waivers, as he is also out of options, and the Phillies would be ill-advised to allow that to happen.

Days before the start of the regular season, Philadelphia signed a trio of right-handed pitchers to minor league deals, including Jose Cabrera, Wayne Gomes, and Julio Santana. When Cabrera and Mike Fetters signed a minor league deal with the Twins, we believed Fetters would likely make the team over Cabrera. Once that occurred, Cabrera opted for free agency and signed with a team that could easily have an opening for him during the season. I wouldn't recommend they continue Milwaukee's experiment of using Cabrera as a starter, however he has displayed solid skills as a reliever. The 34-year-old should provide the Phillies with quality injury insurance for their pen.

Detroit evidently couldn't make up their mind about Julio Santana. The Tigers non-tendered the pitcher and then re-signed him a month later, only to release him the week before Opening Day. His 2002 season ended in August when Detroit discovered a small ligament tear in his elbow, and although the elbow is not currently bothering him, the injury is something that could lead to Tommy John in the near future. Until then, he's someone who could substitute for an injured reliever without costing the Phillies much.

Gomes is a less promising acquisition as he hasn't demonstrated quality skills in the majors recently. He also has a history of control problems.