New batting helmet required in minors in 2010

NEW YORK -- David Wright, who hopes to return to the New York Mets lineup on Tuesday after a beanball sent him to the hospital two weeks ago, won't be alone in wearing Rawlings' bulky, new S100 batting helmet.

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Courtesy of RawlingsThe Rawlings S100 Helmet offers thicker protection that its makers say will withstand a pitch thrown up to 100 miles per hour.

Minor League Baseball and St. Louis-based Rawlings announced Monday that the S100 will be required in the minors beginning next season. Six S100 helmets are being sent to each major league team for its players to try out for the rest of this year.

Wright is one of those six -- if the helmet arrives in time for the Mets' game against Colorado at Coors Field.

"I imagine they got some pretty smart people that designed them so I'm sure it works pretty good," the Mets' All-Star third baseman said. "If it provides more safety, then I'm all for it."

The helmet has drawn some barbs. Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster wore it and said it felt like "my own bobblehead day."

The thicker protection features a composite insert and an expanded liner made of Polypropylene, a hard, supportive material also used in some industrial and bicycle helmets. It faced extensive testing over the last two years that included an air cannon firing major league balls to ensure it would hold up.

"We're confident that it will withstand a pitch up to 100 miles per hour," said Mike Thompson, Rawlings senior vice president for sports marketing and business development.

Several major league players could have used that extra protection in August.

Wright was hit by a 94 mph heater from San Francisco's Matt Cain, and Reds third baseman Scott Rolen also landed on the DL with a concussion. Blue Jays shortstop Marco Scutaro returned to the lineup Sunday for the first time since he was hit in the head by a pitch from Red Sox right-hander Josh Beckett on Friday night.

Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler was lucky. He was upset but OK after a fastball from Boston reliever Fernando Cabrera bounced off his shoulder and struck him in the batting helmet.

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"It's one of those things that happens," Rolen said. "Nobody's out there trying to throw at guys' heads -- that's the idea. We'll go out there and compete. I mean, we drive home every day, too, and that's not real safe."

There also was a scary play in July, when Padres infielder Edgar Gonzalez was hit in the head by Colorado's Jason Hammel. The impact was so severe that Gonzalez thought the pitch didn't hit his helmet and said he "felt my brain move backward."

Even with the inherent danger on the field, Rawlings' heavier helmet could be slow to catch on. Major leaguers are very attached to their equipment, preferring a specific weight and feel for everything they use so they're certain of their balance at the plate and on defense.

"I understand the need for it, and Rawlings is coming out trying to make the product, and I have an appreciation for that as well," Rolen said. "It will filter through, and we'll see if it works. Everybody has their own thing and their own way of going about things."

Mets outfielder Jeff Francoeur examined the new helmet and said it's too bulky and uncomfortable. He also questioned its effectiveness against a high-and-tight fastball from one of the majors' top pitchers.

"You get hit with a 94, 95 in the head like that it's going to hurt -- no matter what you're wearing, I think," he said. "You can say all you want that it's all protective, but at the same time it doesn't seem like anything can fully protect you, you know?"

Pitchers were hit by comebackers in two of the most brutal plays this season. On the same day Wright and Kinsler were struck, Dodgers right-hander Hiroki Kuroda crumpled to the ground after taking a liner off the right side of his head. Kuroda, like Wright, spent the night in the hospital and said he felt lucky to be alive.

Giants right-hander Joe Martinez was sidelined with a concussion and three hairline fractures in his skull after he was hit in the head by a line drive by Milwaukee's Mike Cameron on April 9.

"You just pray every day that you can stay safe and nothing ever happens," Yankees reliever Phil Hughes said.

Dempster tried Rawlings' new helmet in Chicago's 11-4 victory over New York on Saturday. He went 0 for 2 with a walk.

"I don't really think the fear of me getting pitched inside is too great," he said. "I just thought I'd try it out to see how it felt. It felt like my own bobblehead day today. I have a big enough head as it is. They could probably see that from the top of the Sears Tower."

While the majors may be slow to adopt the new helmet, Monday's announcement means baseball's top prospects will have to get used to the sturdier protection.

Rawlings already is the majors' official helmet provider and Thompson said the company didn't expect major leaguers to "do cartwheels" over its newest product.

"Our position is we're providing a helmet that is safer than any other helmet on the market and it's up to the player whether they want to wear it," he said. "If they want to wear it, great. If they want to stay with their current model, that's great too."

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Chicago White Sox right-hander Jake Peavy will meet team in Minnesota to get elbow examined

The Chicago White Sox said on Sunday that right-handed pitcher Jake Peavy will travel to Minnesota to meet the team on Monday, and he'll have his pitching elbow evaluated by the training staff and get an X-ray.

Peavy

Peavy came out of his start for Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday after experiencing soreness in the fourth inning. His goal was to throw 100 pitches, but he lasted just 3 1/3 innings, throwing 68 pitches.

Peavy took a liner off his pitching elbow during a rehab start on Aug. 24 and had swelling and soreness.

Peavy made only 13 starts for the Padres this year before an ankle injury landed him on the disabled list. The White Sox acquired him at the trade deadline, and he had been on track for his Chicago debut last week before being hit by the line drive.

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New York Yankees will start Joba Chamberlain on regular rest for remainder of season

After a series of erratic outings by Joba Chamberlain, the Yankees have adjusted their plans for the right-hander -- but they haven't adjusted the "Joba Rules."

Chamberlain came into this season with a prescribed ceiling on the number of innings he will throw during the regular season, which is believed to be in the range of 160, in order to protect the 23-year-old pitcher as he develops. Chamberlain has 130.1 innings so far, and as he has drawn closer to that ceiling, the Yankees have staggered his starts.

Chamberlain

He had eight days between starts before facing the Red Sox on Aug. 6, and after pitching against Seattle on Aug. 16, he didn't throw again until Aug. 25. In his last outing, Chamberlain struggled badly with his command, and allowed seven runs, nine hits and four walks in four innings.

So rather than give Chamberlain extensive rest between outings, the Yankees will now pitch him once every fifth day -- but in order to keep his innings down, some of his starts might last only a few innings.

It's likely that Chamberlain will make shorter starts the next couple of times he takes the mound, and then make longer starts as the Yankees begin to prepare for the playoffs.

"It's the results. The bottom line is for us to win games and get the best out of players," manager Joe Girardi said before the Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox 5-2 in 10 innings on Friday night. "So in evaluating what happened, it looked like it was working great. He came out of the break, was lights out, but we think that a change needed to be made."

Girardi talked to pitching coach Dave Eiland and general manager Brian Cashman about the situation after Chamberlain was hit hard in Tuesday night's 10-9 loss to the Texas Rangers, allowing seven runs and nine hits over four innings to drop to 1-2 with an 8.55 ERA in his last four starts.

"He looked like he couldn't command anything he was throwing," said one talent evaluator who saw the outing.

After sleeping on it for a couple of days and more talks, Girardi called Chamberlain into his office before the series opener against the White Sox and told him about the new plan.

"He said he's running out of erasers but that's all right," Chamberlain said. "At least I'm always on his mind."

Chamberlain pitched only 88 1/3 innings in the minors before he joined the Yankees in August 2007, arriving with a set of guidelines -- the Joba Rules -- designed to protect the prized right-hander.

"The Joba Rules are still going strong," Chamberlain said with a grin. "I still see the T-shirts every once in a while."

Chamberlain went eight days between starts over the All-Star break and responded with 6 2/3 sparkling innings in a win against Detroit on July 19. He worked on regular rest in each of his next two outings, allowing just one run over 15 innings in victories over Oakland and Tampa Bay.

Then came a shaky outing against Boston on seven days' rest, starting his rough stretch. He had eight days off before facing the Rangers.

"We thought it was working and then we decided, you know what, we're going to keep him on a routine," Girardi said. "Routine is important and we had discussions with Joba and we changed it."

It also will affect how Girardi uses his bullpen, but the Yankees could add some relievers when rosters expand on Tuesday to lessen the strain.

"The important thing is to make sure by the end of the month that he is extremely ready to go, the end of September," Girardi said.

Chamberlain, 8-4 with a 4.34 ERA in 24 starts this season, acknowledged Friday he had been frustrated with the staggered rest even though he understood the reasoning. He also praised Girardi and Eiland, saying they did a great job of communicating with him about the schedule and how it was working out.

"It's going to be something that's going to be good for all of us," Chamberlain said. "The wins are going to come. I'm not worried about that. But at the end we need to win a World Series."

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Chicago Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano to have MRI on knee, cortisone possible

Chicago Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano went for an MRI on his achy left knee Saturday after having problems in left field Friday.

Soriano

Soriano, who had been hoping to put off the MRI until after the weekend, will most likely get a cortisone shot to relieve the pain if he doesn't have a tear or other damage to the knee.

"It's something that needed to be done, so the quicker the better," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said.

Piniella said if Soriano gets a cortisone shot Saturday, he could be ready to play again by Tuesday. But Piniella said he didn't want to put Soriano in left field when his movement is limited.

Soriano hit a three-run shot Friday for his first homer since July 29, lifting the Cubs to a 5-2 victory over the Mets.

After the game, Soriano said the pain in his knee had worsened. He struggled defensively in the win and dropped a fly, leading to boos at Wrigley Field.

"I want to play, but it's very tough," he said. "I don't get a very good jump because I cannot put weight on my knee."

Soriano, who signed an eight-year, $136 million deal before the 2007 season, is batting .243 this year. Friday's blast gave him at least 20 home runs in eight straight seasons.

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Trevor Hoffman unlikely to leave Milwaukee Brewers via waivers

Dozens of players have been pulled back from waivers after being claimed this month. In all likelihood, all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman will be another on that list.

Hoffman

Hoffman was claimed by the San Francisco Giants, who may have made the claim partly for themselves and partly to impede the division rivals they are chasing, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Colorado Rockies, from getting him.

Hoffman has posted a 1.85 ERA for the Milwaukee Brewers this season, with 27 saves in 29 chances, and he has allowed just 29 hits and one homer in 39 innings.

The Brewers are 12 games out in the NL Central, behind the St. Louis Cardinals, and would have to go on a historic run to climb back into the race. They likely would not get much in return for Hoffman in a trade and might prefer, instead, to keep the veteran closer in an effort to finish strongly.

In response to a general question about whether he anticipated making a move that would compromise the Brewers' bullpen in the days ahead, Brewers GM Doug Melvin replied in an e-mail, "Probably not."

Executives are prohibited, by rule, from speaking about players on waivers.

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Chicago White Sox right-hander Jake Peavy will throw a side session Thursday

Chicago White Sox right-handed pitcher Jake Peavy will try to throw a side session on Thursday in Boston, according to a White Sox source.

Peavy

Depending on the results, Peavy could make another minor-league start on Sunday or Monday for Triple-A Charlotte.

It was decided after Peavy was hit in his pitching elbow with a line drive in his Monday start for Charlotte in the International League that he should make one more rehab start.

If Peavy is able to get his pitch count up between 80-90 he could start against the Boston Red Sox at U.S. Cellular Field during the Sept. 4-7 series.

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Washington Nationals' Stephen Strasburg to pitch in Arizona Fall League

PHOENIX -- Just days after he signed a record-breaking contract, Stephen Strasburg is going to work for the Washington Nationals.

Well, sort of.

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Strasburg was one of four 2009 first-round draft choices selected to play in the Arizona Fall League. Rosters were announced Tuesday.

A 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander with a fastball that can reach 100 mph, Strasburg -- the top pick in the June amateur draft -- agreed last week to a contract with the Nationals that guarantees him $15.1 million over four years.

Strasburg will be joined in Arizona on the Phoenix Desert Dogs roster with Drew Soren, a right-hander who was the 10th overall pick of the June amateur draft. No. 2 pick Dustin Ackley of the Seattle Mariners and No. 7 pick Mike Minor of the Atlanta Braves also will play in Arizona.

Strasburg pitched for San Diego State but has essentially been idle since the end of the college season in the spring.

His major league debut is expected at some point in 2010.

"The big things is not to rush things," Strasburg said last week at his introductory news conference at Nationals Park. "It's their decision, and I understand it completely."

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