Seattle placed Kazuhiro Sasaki on the disabled list with a strained lower back on Wednesday. Sasaki left the Mariners' Tuesday game against Cleveland when his back locked up while he was attempting to convert a save opportunity in the ninth inning. He'll reportedly spend at least the next week resting before gradually moving back to a mound. As he'll almost certainly spend a little time on a rehab assignment, I don't expect him to return before mid-May. Sasaki underwent surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow this off-season and was bothered by shoulder soreness for much of Spring Training, so 2003 has not been a good year for the 35-year-old physically.

Jeff Nelson and Arthur Rhodes will share the closer role in Sasaki's absence. However, as the left-handed Rhodes hasn't quite been himself this season, I believe the right-handed Nelson will probably receive the majority of the Seattle save opportunities.

Rafael Soriano has replaced Sasaki on the roster. Seattle sent Soriano to AAA Tacoma in the Pacific Coast League to start the season, so he would have an opportunity to work on his starting skills, since he skipped AAA on the way to the majors last year. Nevertheless, his past major league experience made him a target for early promotion this year in light of this injury. Unless the bullpen becomes fatigued, the Mariners may reserve Soriano for use in blowout situations, keeping his arm stretched, since he's first in line to replace any starter in the rotation in case of injury. In his four starts at AAA, Soriano compiled a 24:6 K:BB with 17 H and 1 HR allowed in 22 IP for a 3.68 ERA. With the exception of Sasaki, the Mariners' staff has pitched effectively so far this year, so I don't believe any of them should be worried about Soriano stealing their roster spot once Sasaki returns.

Mike Cameron left Seattle's Wednesday game against Cleveland in the eighth due to a groin strain supposedly sustained while catching a fly ball hit by Bill Selby for the last out of the inning. Fortunately, the strain is viewed as minor, so he's expected to return to the lineup after a few days on the bench. If he's not back following the Mariners' off-day on Monday, then Seattle might decide this problem is sufficiently serious to warrant a trip to the disabled list.

Elsewhere in the division, Doug Glanville will miss more time than expected when he first hit the disabled list. Glanville opted for surgery to repair his right hamstring tendon, which was ruptured rather than merely strained. The estimated recovery time for this procedure is between four and six weeks, so Glanville will probably rejoin the team in early June. I believe he made the right call in choosing surgery now rather than waiting to see if he could handle the problem with rehab. Given the movement required for him to play centerfield, he almost certainly would have aggravated the injury later in the season. Now once he returns, he should be okay for the rest of the year, barring a violent trauma.

Ismael Valdes hit the disabled list yesterday, though the move was retroactive to the 20th. Valdes left his last start in the fourth inning, complaining of shoulder pain. Texas wanted him to sit out his next start, so even though he's already reportedly feeling better, they sent him to the DL. An MRI displayed tendinitis in his right shoulder, but provided he doesn't suffer any set backs during his rehab, I expect him back when he's eligible to leave the disabled list on May 5th. This problem doesn't seem overly troublesome and the rest may give him a couple weeks relief from his persistent blister troubles.

The Rangers plan to call up Doug Davis to replace Valdes on the roster and in the rotation. As he has in the majority of his AAA starts, Davis has pitched well this spring, compiling an 18:1 K:BB with 29 H and 3 HR allowed in 27.2 IP for a 3.25 ERA over four starts. Unfortunately, his command normally suffers when he reaches the majors.

Texas may not even use Davis the entire time Valdes is on the DL, if he performs poorly in his Saturday start. However, he's also out of options and needs to pass through waivers and accept a minor league assignment to return to AAA. Consequently, if he does well, Davis might have a chance to steal the job of Ryan Drese, who has struggled this year and has an option remaining. Another possibility would be for Drese or Davis to move to the pen, while the Rangers demote one of their less effective relievers.

Once again, Texas' off-season spending on relief pitching has failed to provide them with an effective pen. They could have focused on securing a few solid AAAA relievers to bolster their relief staff in case of injury, but instead GM John Hart again invested big lumps of cash in a couple high profile pitchers. Jay Powell and Todd Van Poppel signed expensive multi-year contracts with Texas prior to 2002. Powell spent considerable time on the disabled list last year and is back on the DL again this season. Meanwhile, Van Poppel's fly ball tendencies did not mix well with the hitter-friendly environs of the Ballpark at Arlington as a reliever in 2002. Nonetheless, the Rangers' displeasure with their starting options has them fiddling around with turning Van Poppel into a starter while he's ostensibly on the DL with a strained groin. Jeff Zimmerman will be out another couple of months, because the Rangers dawdled when deciding whether he should have Tommy John last year. Luckily, Texas at least only committed themselves to one-year contracts when signing relievers this past off-season. Esteban Yan currently has a 6.075 ERA as a result of 18 H and 3 HR allowed, despite a decent 15:4 K:BB. Ugueth Urbina has pitched effectively so far, but I'm worried about his fly ball history.