Kevin Youkilis (3B, BOS) was due to sit out his fourth consecutive game with back problems on Wednesday, and word out of Boston was that his back pains were "only intensifying, not abating." Then, he was placed on the DL and prospect Will Middlebrooks was called up from AAA-Pawtucket and made the start Wednesday night.

Evan Longoria (3B, TAM) has been diagnosed with a partial tear of his left hamstring, and is expected to miss the next six to eight weeks. There is no clear cut replacement for him at the present time, but Elliot Johnson (SS, TAM) got the first start at third base in his absence. With a .566 career OPS in 201 at-bats, he is a significant drop-off from Longoria, and very unlikely to grab a full-time role, even temporarily. Another option would involve Sean Rodriguez (SS, TAM) sliding over there, with the recently recalled Will Rhymes (2B, TAM) plenty of the work at shortstop.

The Tampa Bay Rays' Evan Longoria suffered a serious hamstring injury and may miss a significant amount of time.

Johnny Damon re-starts his career in CLE beginning today, while the Padres consider their rotation with the pending return of Tim Stauffer ...

The Yankees are making a change in their starting rotation; meanwhile, a few understudies behind incumbent closers finished games successfully. But who will get the ball in the ninth going forward, and how might they fare?

The injury week in review: Sergio Santos lands on the DL and it will put a dent in his saves totals. Two rock dependable starters the past few seasons, Mark Pelrey of the Mets and the Brewers’ Chris Narveson left their owners scrambling for starting pitching.

This NL Midweek Series Matchup column previews eight three-game series, five of which begin on Tuesday, 5/1.

This AL Midweek Series Matchup column previews one four-game series between Seattle and Tampa Bay, and six three-game series.

One day after it was announced that uber-prospect Bryce Harper was being called up by WAS, LAA decided to promote a top prospect of its own, 20-year-old Mike Trout (OF, LAA). Unlike Harper, Trout already has a taste of MLB experience, posting a .256 xBA, 116 PX and 96 Spd in 123 ABs in 2011, laying the seeds for would could become a potentially lethal power/speed combo.

As frustrating as it is losing players to unsuspected injuries, players with long injury histories can frustrate us too. There is a lesson here that we fail to remember sometimes: players with long histories should not be rostered unless absolutely necessary. The two latest pieces of evidence are Freddy Sanchez and Dustin McGowan.

Shoulder soreness will reportedly land Ryan Zimmerman (3B, WAS) on the 15-day DL Saturday, with WAS recalling Bryce Harper (OF, WAS) from Triple-A Syracuse. Zimmerman has been sidelined since April 21, and is seeing a specialist for further examination and treatment. No timetable is yet set for his return. Chad Tracy (3B/1B, WAS), Steve Lombardozzi (IF, WAS) and Mark DeRosa (3B/OF, WAS) are likely to continue sharing 3B PT in Zimmerman's absence.