Braves News World

Outfielder Jeff Francoeur, infielder Scott Thorman and pitcher Anthony Lerew of the AA Mississippi Braves team have been selected to represent the South Division team in the Southern League All-Star Game. The game will take place July 13th in Mobile, Alabama.

7/9 Update: Left-handed pitcher Chuck James will go to the Southern League All-Star Game now. James and Scott Thorman will be Mississippi’s only representatives in the game now that original picks Jeff Francoeur and Anthony Lerew have been promoted.

For the 2nd week in a row, the Braves are home to the winner(s) of the NL Player of the Week award. This week Andruw Jones and John Smoltz share the honor. Jones hit 5 home runs in 6 games last week to take the major league lead in the category with 24. He hit .450 with 11 RBIs during the week. Smoltz boasted a 0.50 ERA in two complete game five-hitters during the week. With Kelly Johnson garnering NL Player of the Week honors last week, this is the first time since 1993 that the Braves have had players win the award in consecutive weeks. Steve Avery and Tom Glavine turned the trick in that year.

The Good: Andruw Jones (oops, I mean the Braves) swept the Orioles right out of first place. It had been a month since the last Braves sweep but it sure seemed a lot longer than that! Andruw Jones homered in each of the games and drove in 5 runs in the series. His 24 home runs leads the majors and his average is now up to a respectable .278. Can you say “All-Star"? For that matter, throw in “Player of the Week” and even “Player of the Month” as well! … John Smoltz is cruising as well. He gave up only 1 run, struck out 7, allowed 5 hits and walked none in notching his 8th victory Sunday. It was his 50th career complete game. … Wilson Betemit continued to hit well, going 5-for-11 with 3 runs scored and an RBI against the Orioles. … Ryan Langerhans was 4-for-8 with 3 runs scored and an RBI in the series. … Brian McCann continues to shine offensively when given the chance to play. He was 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs and a run scored on Sunday (not to mention the 2nd straight complete game he caught from Smoltz).

The Bad: After being nearly automatic in the closer’s role this month, Chris Reitsma blew the Braves’ 3-run lead Saturday, giving up 5 hits and a walk in the 9th inning. Jorge Vasquez put out the fire and who else but Andruw bailed him out with a walk-off home run leading off the bottom of the 9th. … Kelly Johnson was 2-for-12 but he did score a couple runs in the set. His 11-game hitting streak ended Sunday. Somehow I think he’ll be able to pick up the pieces and move on.

The Ugly: After posting a .200 average in 35 at-bats the Braves sent highly-touted third baseman Andy Marte back to Richmond. He was never really given the chance to play every day, as was expected, due to the solid play of Wilson Betemit. The Braves are now having to make due with only one reserve middle infielder (Pete Orr) until the All-Star break. Many believe Marte will return later this year if Chipper doesn’t recover from his injury and Furcal is traded (Furcal is a free agent this offseason and the Braves have no shortage of infield talent).

The Braves surprised many when they sent much-heralded third base prospect Andy Marte back to Richmond to make room for pitcher Roman Colon. Colon was tapped for the starting gig after posting a 0.93 ERA in 3 starts at Richmond. The consensus seemed to be that Jorge Vasquez would be demoted so that Colon could start against the Orioles Saturday afternoon. The Braves have 20 games in the next 20 days and lots of question marks surrounding their current starting rotation so they have decided to carry 13 pitchers at least until the All-Star break. It’s all for the best as Marte will now get to continue his development by playing every day, which he was not able to do in Atlanta, and the Braves can now find out if Wilson Betemit has what it takes to be an everyday player at the major league level. Of course, none of this would be a problem and the Braves would have a much more potent offense if the Braves would just put Rafael Furcal and his bum shoulder on the disabled list so both Betemit and Marte could play regularly.

The Good: The Braves won their 2nd consecutive series for the first time since May 3rd. … With rookies like Kelly Johnson, Wilson Betemit, and Pete Orr hitting their strides, the Braves just 3 1/2 games out of 1st place, and key starting pitchers close to returning, the Braves just might be able to pull out another division title in their most impressive fashion ever. … Andruw Jones is looking like the player who led all major-leaguers in home runs during Spring Training. He took 2 more deep in the series, including his league-leading 21st homer (which was his 10th in his last 12 games) Wednesday. He tallied 6 RBIs in the series. … Kelly Johnson was 5-for-11 in the series and extended his hitting streak to 9 games Thursday night. … John Smoltz just keeps getting better and better. He hurled his first complete game shutout since April 30th, 1999. He gave up only 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6.

The Bad: Dan Kolb continues his consistent work. Consistently bad that is. Another inning, another run allowed. But that’s nothing compared to Adam Bernero who is suddenly giving Kolb a run for his money for relieving incompetence. After giving up 3 runs in one inning of work against the Reds on Sunday, Bernero allowed 4 runs on 5 hits in 2/3 of an inning. He was very efficient as it took him only 21 pitches to give up those 4 runs! … Johnny Estrada was 0-for-6 in the series. … Wilson Betemit had 1 hit in 8 at-bats during the 3 games.

The Ugly: The depletion of the Braves’ starting staff to injuries is reaching comic proportions! Horacio Ramirez had to leave Wednesday’s game after 5 innings (shutout innings no less) when he strained his groin running out a double. It is questionable whether he will be able to make his next start. That might leave Smoltz as the sole survivor of the Fab 5 starters the Braves began the season with. After transitioning from the bullpen to the starting rotation, wasn’t Smoltz purported to be the most susceptible to an injury? Thank heavens that hasn’t been the case. Where would the Braves be without their workhorse? I don’t want to know.

Braves prospect Jeff Francoeur will be the Braves’ representative on the U.S. Team at this year’s Futures Game, an All-Star exhibition of the baseball’s top minor leaguers. The game is part of the major league All-Star Game festivities and will be held July 10th at Detroit’s Comerica Park. Francoeur is currently hitting .267 with 10 home runs and 53 RBIs for Double-A Mississippi this year.

7/1 Update: Starting pitcher Anthony Lerew has been added to U.S. team’s roster for this year’s Futures Game. Lerew was promoted to the Triple-A Richmond Braves on June 24th. He has compiled a 3.66 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 16 starts this year between Mississippi and Richmond.

7/6 Update: Jeff Francoeur has been called up to the major leagues so Anthony Lerew will be the Braves’ sole representative in the Futures Game.

The latest Brave to participate in the team’s monthly online chat was Phil Niekro. News of note is the fact Knucksie and his brother, Joe Niekro, will be managing a Hall of Fame Fantasy Camp in Cooperstown in October. Lou Brock, among others, will participate. The chat transcript is now available.

Braves rookie outfielder Kelly Johnson has won National League Player of the Week honors for his play this past week. During games played June 13th to 19th he batted .417 with 3 home runs and a league-leading 11 RBIs. He accumulated 2 of those homers and 4 RBIs (only the 4th Braves rookie to do so) in Friday night’s game. With the Braves tallying a NL-leading 44 runs last week, Braves hitters Wilson Betemit, Julio Franco and Andruw Jones were also in the running for the award (each hit at least .350 with 2 or more homers last week).

The Good: Nothing like a little Cincy pitching to cure the offense. The Braves have now scored 63 runs in their last 8 games. … John Smoltz continues to be the only starter the Braves can count on these days. For the third straight game, Smoltz walked none on Thursday. He allowed 2 runs on only 4 hits and struck out 9 in winning his 6th game. It’s a 2-man race between Smoltz and Andruw Jones to be the Braves’ sole representative at the All-Star Game this year. … Marcus Giles went was 7-for-18 with 5 runs scored and an RBI. … Andruw raised his average 10 points to .265 and leads the NL with 19 home runs after taking 3 out in the series. … Kelly Johnson is heating up and has officially eclipsed the Mendoza Line. He was 5-for-11 in the series and blasted 2 homers and drove in 6 runs Friday night! … Like Johnson, Wilson Betemit was 5-for-11 with a couple homers. … Julio Franco was 4-for-9 and hit 2 homers Saturday night (becoming the oldest player to hit 2 in game) before being taken out of the game with a virus and high fever.

The Bad: The starting pitching continues to be shaky for the most part. Jorge Sosa was again effective but Bobby Cox keeps him on a hard pitch count so the bullpen still ends up logging many innings in his games. … Horacio Ramirez still isn’t fooling anyone. He gave up 5 runs on 8 hits and struckout only 1. … Kyle Davies was rocked again for 5 runs on 9 hits Sunday afternoon. He was pitching on 3 days rest but it was more like 3 1/2 since he only lasted 2 1/3 innings in his prior start.

The Ugly: Just when we thought the bullpen was getting on track… They had thrown 8 2/3 scoreless innings in the series until Sunday. Then all hell broke lose! 3 times the Braves came from behind to tie the ballgame. 3 times the bullpen blew it. Dan Kolb, John Foster, and Adam Bernero each got in on the action, giving up 1, 2, and 3 runs respectively. I guess a sweep was too much to ask for given the state of the team, even if we were playing the lowly Reds! All we can do is keep winning series and hope the Nationals return to their legacy of losing.

Richmond Braves outfielder Esix Snead was suspended for 10 games for starting a brawl during a game against Syracuse last Monday. His manager, Pat Kelly, was suspended for 1 game. Snead, Kelly and 20 other Richmond players for their roles in the brawl. After Syracuse pitcher David Bush threw a pitch between his legs during the 2nd inning Snead charged the mound and then the benches cleared. Snead, Richmond first baseman James Jurries and one Syracuse player were ejected from the game at that time.

The Good: The draft replenished the Braves’ minor league rosters which have lost all of their decent players to the major league club. … Kelly Johnson is finally finding his groove and should cruise past the Mendoza Line any day now. He was 5-for-13 with 3 runs and 3 RBIs in the series. … Woo hoo! Bobby Cox finally sat the injured and struggling Rafael Furcal in favor of Wilson Betemit for most of the series. Up to now it seemed the better Betemit hit the less playing time he got. He had 3 hits, 2 runs and 2 RBIs during the 3 games. … Jorge Sosa did a great job holding the Rangers at bay in his first start of the year. He allowed 2 runs on 5 hits in 5 innings pitched. He struck 7 and walked none. We can only hope he can continue producing quality starts while the suffering starters heal.

The Bad: Another of the Braves’ patented Loss-Win-Loss series accounted for the 5th series in a row they have lost. … Kyle Davies fell to pieces again. He was rocked for 6 runs in 2 1/3 innings. He gave up 8 hits and walked 4 in his worst major league outing. … Someone needs to tell Andy Marte its alright to have more than one hit in a game. He’s working on a 5-game hitting streak with 5 hits during that span. Of course he’ll eventually settle in and put up some nice numbers this year (perhaps nice enough to push Chipper Jones to first base when he returns in the 2nd half of the season). He’s been putting the bat on the ball but hasn’t found many gaps yet. It’s just hard to be patient after the big build-up.

The Ugly: Oh, the humanity! Tim Hudson is now the 3rd Braves starting pitcher to bite the dust. It was apparent something wasn’t right with him Monday when he walked 5 and was pummeled for 5 runs on 5 hits (2 homers) in 2 2/3 innings. That means Sosa, who has not fared well as a starter in the past, will become the 4th starter and even Cox may not yet know who will occupy the 5th spot when necessary! This is really getting ridiculous.

The carnage continues! The Braves will have to endure yet another injury as Tim Hudson has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique muscle. This is the same injury that caused him to be on the DL from June 23rd until August 7th last year. Jorge Sosa will start in place of Hudson against the Reds on Saturday on 3 days rest. Now over half of the Braves’ starting rotation is on the DL as Hudson joins Mike Hampton and John Thomson on the bench. When you consider also that John Smoltz is likely still nowhere near 100% due to nagging injuries, the Braves really have an uphill battle in their quest to win a 14th straight division title.

Jim Brower to the rescue… Well, not exactly. But he was about the only experienced reliever available that the Braves could afford. Brower has signed with the Braves through the rest of the 2005 season. He made 32 relief appearances with the Giants this year, compiling a 2-1 record and an unimpressive 6.53 ERA, before being released by the Giants on June 13th.

The Good: With the starting staff in shambles, the elder statesmen John Smoltz keeps showing the kids how to get the job done. In his first complete game since 1999, Smoltz held the A’s to 3 runs on 5 hits. He struck out 4 and walked 3. His record is now even at 5-5 and his ERA is down to 3.22 (excluding his horrible first start, his ERA is 2.68!). … The bullpen cleanup continues with overdue demotion of Roman Colon. … Andruw Jones is on one of his hot streaks, going 5-for-11 with 3 home runs and 6 RBIs in the series. Imagine what he could do if Furcal and Giles would get on base in front of him! … Adam LaRoche was 4-for-8 with 3 runs scored in 2 games. … Brian McCann started his major league career 3-for-7 with a homer and 2 RBIs. Those numbers and his impressive game-calling abilities persuaded the Braves to retain his services and instead send Brayan Pena back to the minors when Johnny Estrada recovered from his injuries.

The Bad: So the Braves now find themselves tied for last place in the NL East (though they are still 2 games above .500). This is the 5th straight series the Braves have lost and they fell to the A’s, the team with the 2nd worst road record in the American League! … Rafael Furcal was 1-for-10 in the series and is now batting .222 on the season. Mr. Cox, there’s a guy on your team by the name of Betemit I’d like to introduce you to. … Marcus Giles was 3-for-14.

The Ugly: Adam Bernero did his best Dan Kolb impression Sunday afternoon (at least in terms of hits and runs – Bernero prefers the home run method of allowing runs rather than via walks). He self-destructed in giving up 6 earned runs on 5 hits (2 of them home runs) to the last-place A’s. Just what we what we didn’t need from what had heretofore been one of the Braves’ most dependable relievers. Hopefully, like Smoltz’s first start, it’s just one of those fluky things.

The search for reliable relievers continues as the Braves recalled Jorge Vasquez from Double-A Mississippi (the third straight call-up from Double-A). Vasquez has mowed down Southern League hitters all season long while compiling a 1-1 record, 10 saves and a 1.17 ERA in 24 games. Vasquez was acquired from the Royals during the offseason in the Eli Marrero trade. The arrival of this Jorge enables the Braves to move Jorge Sosa, who is one of their most effective relief pitchers and has a horrible record as a starting pitcher, to the 5th starter’s spot. Figure that one out!

Catcher Bryan Pena was sent to Triple-A Richmond to make room for Vasquez. That move was somewhat surprising considering Pena was thought to be ahead of catcher Brian McCann on the organizational depth chart. But with Pena off to a slow start and McCann making the most of his early major league at-bats, the Braves chose to go with the hot hand as Johnny Estrada’s backup. The Braves need all of the offense they can get these days!

The situation is so dire that the Braves are now raiding the Mississippi Braves team in search of warm bodies for the major league club. First it was catcher Brian McCann (who has certainly warmed up to hitting in Atlanta in the short time he has been up). Now right-handed pitcher Blaine Boyer has been recalled from Mississippi to join the major league club. But it doesn’t even stop there – more on that in a future post…

Boyer hasn’t pitched particularly well this year (2-4 with a 5.03 ERA) but he can’t be any worse than homer-happy Roman Colon (0-3 with an 18.50 ERA this season), who was sent down to Mississippi to make room for Boyer. After struggling in a starting role this season, Boyer was recently converted to a relief pitcher. Many believed he would be groomed to be a closer for the big league club. The role change was an indication he was being fast-tracked to the show but few believed his progression would occur this fast (he made only 6 relief appearances before being called up)!

Though Chris Reitsma has been reliable in the closer’s role (when the Braves have actually had a save opportunity) of late, there may be open auditions for the position later this season. Despite Colon’s ineffectiveness thus far, after making a few starts at Double-A Mississippi the Braves plan to have him close games at Triple-A Richmond. Boyer and darkhorse candidate Joey Devine, who was the Braves’ first round draft pick this year, may get some save opportunities in Atlanta as well. Like Boyer, many believe Devine might be “fast-tracked” to Atlanta late this year. One thing’s for sure, with John Schuerholz’s hands tied financially by parent company Time Warner and regular players dropping like flies, the track from AA to the majors has never been faster.

Braves scout Paul Snyder and Boston Beaneater player Herman Long are slated to be inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame on August 19th, 2005. The Braves will also welcome members of the 1995 World Series Championship team back in commemoration of the 10-year anniversary of their title.

Paul Snyder has been involved with the Braves franchise the past 48 years. He was a player in the Braves farm system from 1957 to 1963. Since then his assinments have included early stints as manager of the Greenville, West Palm Beach, and Greenwood minor league teams. He has also served as Director of Stadium Operations, a scout (starting in 1967), Bill Lucas’ Assistant Minor League Administrator, Director of Scouting, and Assistant Vice President of Scouting. Most recently, Snyder was Director of Scouting and Player Development for the Braves and, in 2000, a Special Assistant to the General Manager.

Herman Long, also known as the “Flying Dutchman,” started at shortstop for the Boston Beaneaters from 1890-1902. Between the years 1891 and 1898, the Beaneaters won five pennants with Long as their everyday shortstop. He also led NL shortstops in fielding percentage twice, led the league in runs scored in 1893 and led the league in home runs with 12 in 1900. He is the only shortstop aside from Ernie Banks to lead the National League in home runs!

To reserve tickets for the Braves Hall of Fame luncheon and induction ceremony call (404) 614-2310.

The Good: Horacio Ramirez may finally be returning to his 2003 form as he outdueled former Brave Paul Byrd on Tuesday to salvage one game from the Angels series. He allowed just 5 hits and 2 runs in 8 innings. He struck out 3 and walked 2 in evening his record at 4-4. … Adam LaRoche and Rafael Furcal were each 4-for-12 with 2 runs scored in the series. LaRoche also had 3 RBIs. … Ryan Langerhans went 4-for-11 with 2 RBIs

The Bad: It’s the 4th straight series that the Braves have lost and the injuries keep mounting. Tim Hudson left Wednesday’s game early due to cramping brought on by the humid conditions but he should not miss a start. He allowed 4 runs on 6 hits in only 4 innings before exiting. He walked 3 and registered only 1 strikeout. … Aside from Langerhans and Wilson Betemit, our rookies are really struggling. Here’s a stat for you: Kelly Johnson, Brayan Pena, and Andy Marte were a collective 0-for-22 in the series. … Andruw Jones was 1-for-9 during the set.

The Ugly: Darin Erstad decided to go Ronnie Lott on Johnny Estrada at the plate on Monday night. Estrada was diagnosed at the hospital with a concussion and is expected to be out until at least the finale of the upcoming A’s series. With Brian McCann behind the plate and Kyle Davies on the mound Friday, if Brian Jordan is benched the Braves must be fielding one of the youngest starting lineups ever! The bright side is the worst has to be over and thank heavens we’re still just a couple games out of first!

Here is a rundown of all the players drafted by the Braves in the 2005 MLB draft. By Wednesday night, the club had signed 7 of their top 10 selections, including their first 5 picks, headlined by the hard-throwing closer Joey Devine. The other signed players included Beau Jones, Yunel Escobar (a shortstop who may soon be ready to fill Rafael Furcal’s shoes if Furcal opts for free agency after this season), Jeffrey Lyman, Jordan Schafer, Brandon Monk, and Kyle Cofield. In all, the Braves used 35 of their 52 picks on pitchers!

1st Round (#27): Joseph Devine, RHR, North Carolina State
Sandwich Pick for Type A Players (for Type A Jaret Wright - #41): Beau Jones, LHP, Destrehan HS, Louisiana
2nd Round (#75): Yunel Escobar, SS, NO SCHOOL, Miami, Florida
2nd Round (#77): Jeffrey Lyman, RHS, Monte Vista HS, Alamo, California
3rd Round (#107): Jordan Schafer, CF, Winter Haven HS, Haines City, Florida.
4th Round (#137): Michael Broadway, RHS, Pope County HS, Golconda, Illinois
5th Round (#167): William Startup, LHS, Georgia
6th Round (#197): Tyler Bullock, RHS, Baylor
7th Round (#227): Brandon Monk, 2B, La Grange HS, Georgia
8th Round (#257): Kyle Cofield, RHS, Southside HS, Rainbow City, Alabama
9th Round (#287): Steven Garcia, C, Temecula Valley HS, California
10th Round (#317): Colin Carter, LHS, Grayson County College
11th Round (#347): Michael Nix, RHS, Auburn
12th Round (#377): Rudolph Quinonez, RHS, Fresno St.
13th Round (#407): Quentin Davis, CF, Francis Marion
14th Round (#437): Jose Cabrera, LF, Los Angeles Pierce JC
15th Round (#467): Mason Tobin, RHS, Kentridge HS, Renton, Washington
16th Round (#497): Jerome Chapman, RHS, A. Crawford Mosley HS, Lynn Haven, Florida
17th Round (#527): Clayton Caulfield, RHS, Pensacola JC
18th Round (#557): Zachary Oliver, LHS, Midway HS, Hewitt, Texas
19th Round (#587): Cole Miles, SS, Viewmont HS, Centerville, Utah
20th Round (#617): Andrew Cashner, RHS, Conroe HS, Montgomery, Texas
21st Round (#647): Kristopher Cichoski, RHS, Durango HS, Las Vegas, Nevada
22nd Round (#677): Thomas Hanson, RHS, Riverside CC
23rd Round (#707): Brian O’Dell, RHS, Osceola Senior HS, Kissimmee, Florida
24th Round (#737): Justin Reynolds, OF, Central HS, Independence, Oregon
25th Round (#767): Matthew Miller, OF, Redmond HS, Kirkland, Washington
26th Round (#797): Michael Ryan, RHR, Lake City CC
27th Round (#827): Kyle Miller, 3B, Terry Parker HS, Jacksonville, Florida
28th Round (#857): Harold Coleman, RHS, Pillow Academy HS, Schlater, Mississippi
29th Round (#887): Tyler Musselwhite, RHR, Gainesville HS, Georgia
30th Round (#917): Brett Wiggins, LHS, Cross Creek HS, Augusta, Georgia
31st Round (#947): Cole McCurry, LHS, Surry CC
32nd Round (#977): Brad Schwarzenbach, RHS, Cerritos College
33rd Round (#1007): Tyler Flowers, 1B, Chipola JC
34th Round (#1037): Blake Holt, CF-LF, Belton HS, Salado, Texas
35th Round (#1067): Blake M. Guthrie, C, Dan River HS, Ringgold, Virginia
36th Round (#1097): Dwain Green, RHS, Logan HS, Madison, West Virginia
37th Round (#1127): David Williams, RHR, Surry CC
38th Round (#1157): Brett Scarpetta, RHS, Madison Area Tech College
39th Round (#1186): Austin Fleet, RHS, Edmond Santa Fe HS, Oklahoma
40th Round (#1215): James Curtis, RHS, Manatee JC
41st Round (#1244): Michael Robbins, LHS, Meridian CC
42nd Round (#1273): Thomas Alexander, C, Santa Barbara CC
43rd Round (#1302): Ryan Littlejohn, OF, Verdigris HS, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
44th Round (#1331): Benjamin Jeffers, RHS, Madison County HS, Danielsville, Georgia
45th Round (#1360): Mikey Griffith, RHS, Issaquah HS, Washington
46th Round (#1389): Luis Sanchez, SS, Lake City CC
47th Round (#1417): Aaron Brady, RHR, CC Southern Nevada
48th Round (#1445): Nathan Weidenaar, OF, Bozeman Sr HS, Montana
49th Round (#1472): Jesse Simpson, RHS, Zachary HS, Louisiana
50th Round (#1499): Derick Himpsl, LHR, Johnstown HS, New York

Partial Legend:
RHS - Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
RHR - Right-Handed Relief Pitcher
LHS - Left-Handed Starting Pitcher
LHR - Left-Handed Relief Pitcher

Respect   Determination   Tradition   Pride

These are four fundamental concepts that symbolize the Atlanta Braves organization. Accordingly, the Atlanta Braves Foundation, the team’s non-profit arm that raises funds to support charities and other worthy organizations in the city’s community, has chosen to introduce four different “Braves Bands” bracelets featuring those words on them. The white collectible wristbands will be sold at the Clubhouse Stores in CNN Center and Turner Field. “Livestrong” wrist bands are so 2004!

It was one and done for Eddie Perez Tuesday night. After being activated from the 15-day disabled list for Tuesday night’s game, Eddie Perez returned to the DL today with continued weakness in his shoulder. In the Braves’ continuing quest to sport the youngest roster ever, left-handed-hitting catcher Brian McCann was called up from Double-A Mississippi where the 21-year-old was hitting .265 with 6 home runs and 26 RBIs this season. Brayan Pena will likely start at catcher most games until Johnny Estrada’s bell stops ringing after his violent collision with Darin Erstad Monday night. Estrada is expected to recover from his concussion and return to the lineup early next week. Anyone know the record for most roster moves in a season?