Philadelphia placed RHP Ryan Madson on the disabled list yesterday. Madson sprained the pinkie finger on his right hand while shagging fly balls prior to the Phillies' July 25th game against the Cubs. The club has not indicated how long they expect Madson to be out, but he seems likely to rejoin the team before late August. He's developed into a staple of Philadelphia's pen and is eager to return to help with the team's push for the playoffs.

The Phillies called up RHP Josh Hancock to replace Madson on the roster. While Hancock made spot starts in during both of his call-ups earlier this season, he will work in relief this time. As a competent starter, I expect him to pitch well out of the bullpen provided he keeps his homer rate down. The 26-year-old's last stretch in the majors began June 3rd when he came up to make a spot start early in Vicente Padilla's stay on the DL and ended June 6th after a disappointing performance. Placido Polanco returned from the disabled list to fill Hancock's roster spot. Now that Polanco has recovered from his quadriceps injury his production has return to his career norms.