Atlanta placed LHP Horacio Ramirez on the disabled list on May 30th. Ramirez's shoulder remained somewhat sore following his May 25th start in Montreal, and the Braves want to be cautious with the 24-year-old. An MRI taken yesterday failed to reveal any structural damage, so Ramirez will use his DL time to get some extra rest and work on strengthening his rotator cuff. He expects to be ready to rejoin the team when he is eligible to return from the disabled list on May 10th.

The Braves called up RHP Travis Smith to replace Ramirez on the roster and in the rotation. Smith, who spent last season in Korea, compiled a 44:13 K:BB with 47 H and 2 HR allowed in 50.2 IP for a 2.49 ERA over 9 starts at AAA Richmond prior to his promotion. He is not a dominant pitcher, but his control allows him to be effective. The 31-year-old pitched competently in his first start replacing Ramirez and should perform similarly twice more before returning to the minors. If Atlanta is satisfied with his performance, the Braves likely will turn to him again as a substitute starter.

Atlanta placed 1B-L Adam LaRoche on the disabled list following their May 28th game in Philadelphia. LaRoche suffered a Grade 2 separation of his left shoulder when he landed on the joint after catapulting over C-R Mike Lieberthal in an attempt to dislodge the ball from Lieberthal's glove and avoid being tagged out at home. The first baseman informed his doctors that he wants the injury treated as though he is a pitcher, since he pitched in college and may wish to return to the mound in the future. Someone might want to mention to LaRoche that pitchers typically do not place their arms in danger in mundane regular season game situations. He is lucky that he did not suffer any fractures and he will not need surgery. The Braves hope the 24-year-old will be able to return in six to eight weeks, but I doubt he will regain full strength in his shoulder before next spring.

In conjunction with placing LaRoche on the DL, the Braves demoted IF-S Wilson Betemit, recalled Michael Hessman, and activated Eli Marrero from the disabled list. With Nick Green at second base, Rafael Furcal at short, Mark DeRosa at third, and Jesse Garcia providing them with back-up off the bench, Betemit's at-bat opportunities were limited, so the club preferred the 22-year-old return to AAA where he will receive regular playing time. Green's proven himself a capable substitute at second base, exercising patience at the plate and providing solid power. His contact rate leaves me with some concerns about his batting average, but he should continue to play adequately until Marcus Giles returns. Current projections estimate Giles will not be back before late July or possibly early August.

Marrero reportedly lost around 15 pounds as a result of his upper respiratory infection, so the Braves sent him on a weeklong rehab assignment prior to his activation to help him shake the dust off his swing and work on regaining his strength. He's barely played this year and missed most of last season due to injury, so I do not expect the 30-year-old to really warm up until after the All-Star break, and after so much time off, he may not return to the promising form he displayed in 2002.

In late May, Atlanta received RHP Scott Sturkie from the Indians as the player to be named later from the Russell Branyan trade. Cleveland drafted Sturkie out of Coastal Carolina University with a 12th round pick in the 2001 draft. He is not a dominant pitcher and as he moves up through the minors his control is less effective. Before the trade, the 24-year-old compiled a 10:11 K:BB with 22 H and 1 HR allowed in 25.1 IP for a 1.78 ERA over 13 appearances, including one start at AA Akron in the Eastern League. He had not started since 2001 prior to the one time this year, and the Braves appear inclined to leave him in relief. Strukie may eventually reach the majors as a reliever, but he has yet to display extraordinary talent.