Pittsburgh placed Brian Giles on the disabled list with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee on April 11th. The injury is neither minor nor severe, falling in the mid-range of MCL tears. While he didn't leave the Pirates April 10th game early, he supposedly injured his knee when he attempted to stretch a single into a double in the fifth inning. The next morning he reported soreness and swelling in the joint.

I delayed discussing the injury while Giles considered seeking additional opinions on the knee. Everyone now seems to agree Giles is not a candidate for surgery. Once the swelling decreased, he began a rehab program and reports of his progress are positive. Giles appears on track to rejoin the team sometime between the 2nd and 9th of May.

Pittsburgh called up Adam Hyzdu to replace Giles on the roster. The 31-year-old has found a job as a AAAA reserve outfielder for the Pirates the last few years. He's able to play center and has displayed moderate power skills with acceptable plate discipline, making him a decent bench player. Given Pittsburgh's other outfield options, Hyzdu will work off the bench for the majority of Giles' stay on the DL, however he may receive an occasional start.

Matt Stairs should benefit most from an increase in playing time while Giles is out. Before the Pirates began signing other outfielders, he was set to start against right-handed pitchers. Unfortunately, a mild hamstring strain prevented him from immediately taking full advantage of the situation.

Elsewhere in the NL Central, Chicago placed Dave Veres on the disabled list retroactive to April 15th. Veres reportedly usually experiences some biceps tendinitis during the first few weeks of the season. However, when he began having trouble with his shoulder as well, the Cubs put him on the DL to rest and rebuild strength in the area. Chicago has a strong bullpen, so with Antonio Alfonseca set to return from his hamstring strain in early May, the Cubs likely won't hurry Veres' rehab. Consequently, I don't expect Veres back much before June.

The Cubs called up Alan Benes to replace Veres on the roster. While Juan Cruz can handle multi-inning stints, Benes provides Chicago with a pitcher they can send out for a couple of innings in a blowout and not miss the next day. Although Benes displayed solid skills over his seven starts with Chicago last season, the limited nature of that sample size and a lack of control in the remainder of his history make me wary of expecting he could repeat the performance.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee placed Jeffery Hammonds on the disabled list with a high right ankle sprain. A week earlier, the injury-prone outfielder was sidelined with an inflamed elbow. He's currently expected to miss a month, but this injury is one that he could easily aggravate so setbacks are possible. Hammonds shouldn't attempt any stolen bases when he returns, though the Brewers are aided by that development. His success rate the last few years makes it foolish for him to attempt to steal, but that fact hasn't stopped Milwaukee from letting him try.