Sammy Sosa hit the disabled list for the first time since 1996 on May 10th. After struggling for a month while treatments were unable to heal an infected and mangled big toe on his right foot, Sosa finally succumbed to surgery to remove the toenail of the affected toe. Due to the numerous nerve endings in the area, his foot is now extremely sore, preventing him from resuming baseball activities. Chicago also doesn't want to risk damaging the toe further, so they will wait until he's been fully cleared by doctors before reinstating him. However, he is expected to come off the disabled list within a few days of the 26th when he is first eligible to return.

This toe problem is responsible for zapping some of the sluggers' power in the first month of the season. He may need a week or two to relocate his rhythm, but with the weather warming up while he heals, we can expect Sosa to be in full swing by the All-Star break. Resting now may also allow him to stay fresh through September, preventing his typical slight late season fate.

Rather than call up a position player to replace OF-R Sosa on the roster, the Cubs felt comfortable promoting a 12th pitcher and relying on their current bench players to cover the newly available playing time. OF-L Troy O'Leary will start in right field while Sosa is out. RHP Todd Wellemeyer took Sosa's roster spot, though the 24-year-old did not make an appearance until the Cubs' May 15th game in Milwaukee. Making his major league debut in relief of RHP Kyle Farnsworth in the 17th inning, Wellemeyer retired C-R Eddie Perez, SS-R Royce Clayton, and RHP/OF-L Brooks Kieschnick on swinging strikeouts to earn a save.

Chicago drafted Wellemeyer out of Bellarmine University with their fourth round pick of the 2000 draft. After spending the remainder of the 2000 season pitching in the Short-Season Northwest League, he spent all of 2001 at A Lansing in the Midwest League. Wellemeyer pitched for A+ Daytona in the Florida State League for most of 2002 before advancing to AA West Tennessee in the Southern League. He began the 2003 season back at AA West Tennessee, where his 5.48 ERA over four starts did not reflect his 34:10 K:BB with 19 H and 1 HR allowed in 21.1 IP at the time of his promotion to AAA Iowa in the Pacific Coast League. Over 3 AAA starts before his jump to the majors, Wellemeyer compiled a 14:6 K:BB with 9 H and 1 HR allowed in 13 IP for a 2.77 ERA.

Wellemeyer's struggled with his control at various points during his minor league career, but he's struck out in excess of a batter per inning at every level. I generally like to see pitchers make longer stops in the upper minors, but moving from starting to relief should allow him to pitch effectively in the majors. However, I suspect Wellemeyer will return to AAA in about a week when the Cubs activate Dave Veres, who is set to begin a rehab assignment, from the disabled list.

Yesterday, Chicago placed LHP Mark Guthrie on the disabled list and called up LHP Phil Norton to replace him on the roster and in the bullpen. Guthrie reported tendinitis in his forearm early last week and hoped to treat it with medication and a few days rest. However, after he thought the elbow tendinitis had cleared up on Friday, it flared up again on Saturday, leading to this DL trip. He isn't expected to stay on the DL for much more than a minimum stint, which would put him back in the majors around May 29th, as the move was retroactive to the 13th. Nonetheless, nonspecific soreness often develops into more severe problems.

The Cubs originally drafted Norton out of Texarkana Junior College with their 10th round pick of the 1996 draft. He worked his way through the system, making his major league debut in 2000. However, Tommy John surgery prevented him from pitching last year. He's struggled with his control in the past, but provided he's healthy, he should be able to perform acceptably as a lefty reliever while Guthrie is out. At the time of his call-up, he had compiled a 14:8 K:BB with 18 H and 2 HR allowed in 19.1 IP for a 4.19 ERA over 13 appearances, including one start.

Earlier in the month, Chicago designated RHP Alan Benes for assignment in order to open a roster spot for RHP Antonio Alfonseca's return from the DL. During Alfonseca's time on the disabled list, RHP Joe Borowski established himself as the Cubs' closer and Dusty Baker isn't inclined to remove Borowski from that role until Borowski experiences difficulties or Alfonseca proves he can do a better job.

Recent reports indicate Borowski has the support of Manager Dusty Baker's four-year-old son Darren, though that wouldn't likely stop Dusty from making a move if Borowski unexpectedly began pitching badly. On a side note: Darren has received a lot of media attention since his World Series appearance, and I have to say I don't remember the last time I encountered a child of his age as well-mannered. Accounts of his knowledge of the game are impressive, and he obviously devotes a lot of time to study and practice. I'll be interested to see in several years if he develops the physical gifts to play himself or if he moves into front office or field management, though he could of course choose a non-baseball related profession and simply remain an intelligent fan of the game.

Rather than losing Benes on waivers, the Cubs were able to deal him to the Rangers for a player to be named later. Benes immediately stepped into the Texas rotation, though his performances over his first two starts might get him kicked out. Texas is still working on stretching out Benes' arm, since he's been working out of the pen for a while now.