MLB notebook: Kershaw back with Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers ace left-hander Clayton Kershaw was activated from the disabled list to start Saturday night's game against the New York Mets.

Kershaw, who is returning from a back injury, was initially scheduled to make a rehab start Saturday for Triple-A Oklahoma City. But Kershaw lobbied to skip the minor league assignment, and expected rain for the contest in Omaha, Neb., helped lead to the decision to have the three-time Cy Young Award winner start against the Mets.

Kershaw, 1-4 with a 2.76 ERA in eight starts this season, had made just one big league start since May 1. He went on the DL with biceps tendinitis and returned on May 31, but left after five innings against the Philadelphia Phillies due to a strained lower back.

Los Angeles sent left-hander Adam Liberatore to Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 31-year-old is 2-1 with a 2.77 ERA in 17 appearances for the Dodgers.

--Edwin Jackson is on the verge becoming one of baseball's greatest vagabonds.

The 34-year-old right-hander will be called up by the Oakland Athletics for a Monday start against the Tigers in Detroit, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Most notable about the pending transaction is that Jackson would appear for a 13th major league club, tying the record set by former reliever Octavio Dotel.

Jackson signed a minor league deal with the A's on June 6 after opening the season with the Washington Nationals' Triple-A Syracuse affiliate. Between Syracuse and Oakland's Triple-A Nashville affiliate, Jackson is 4-3 with a 3.53 ERA in 13 starts this year.

--Texas Rangers slugger Joey Gallo departed an afternoon game against the Minnesota Twins due to left hamstring tightness, the team said.

Gallo apparently was injured while running out a double in the top of the third inning. He departed prior to the bottom of the inning and was replaced at first base by Ronald Guzman.

Gallo has smacked 18 homers with 42 RBIs but is batting just .194. He has struck out 109 times, most in the majors.

--Injuries knocked both starters out of a day game between the Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox.

A's right-hander Daniel Mengden was the first to go, leaving after two innings because of a sprained right foot. He was replaced by right-handed reliever Emilio Pagan before the start of the third inning. Mengden allowed five runs on four hits in two innings.

Two innings later, White Sox right-hander Dylan Covey was forced to leave the game because of right hip soreness. He walked slowly off the field with a trainer and was replaced by veteran right-hander Chris Volstad. In four innings, Covey was tagged for four runs on two hits, four walks and a strikeout.

--The Toronto Blue Jays activated right-hander Marcus Stroman from the disabled list and will send him to the mound against the Los Angeles Angels. They also brought up left-handed reliever Tim Mayza.

Toronto sent two starting pitchers, right-hander Aaron Sanchez and left-hander Jaime Garcia, to the 10-day disabled list. Sanchez has a right index finger contusion and Garcia has soreness in his pitching shoulder. Sanchez is 3-5 with a 4.52 ERA in 15 starts this season. Garcia, 2-6 with a 6.16 ERA, has lost his last six decisions.

Stroman last pitched May 8, struggling to an 0-5 start with a 7.71 ERA before being sidelined due to shoulder fatigue. He has allowed 46 hits and 18 walks in 37 1/3 innings. He was 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA last season.

--Nick Senzel, the Cincinnati Reds' top-ranked prospect and a top-10 prospect in all of baseball by most outlets, tore a tendon in his right index finger on Friday and will undergo season-ending surgery next week. Senzel also missed nearly a month this season with vertigo.

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Senzel suffered the injury in the first inning of Triple-A Louisville's game against Norfolk after fielding a ground ball at second base and making a throw home.

He was batting .310 with six home runs, 25 RBIs and stolen bases in 10 chances in 44 games this season.

--The Pittsburgh Pirates activated left fielder Corey Dickerson from the family medical emergency list prior to their game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Dickerson was placed on the list Wednesday.

Pittsburgh optioned second baseman/outfielder Adam Frazier to Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move. Frazier, 26, is batting .239 with three homers and eight RBIs for the Pirates in 58 games this season.

Dickerson, 29, is batting .302 with five homers and 32 RBIs and is in the mix to earn a spot on the National League All-Star team. He made the American League All-Star team last year as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.

--Thirteen days after acquiring infielder Brad Miller from the Tampa Bay Rays, the Milwaukee Brewers called him up from Triple-A Colorado Springs.

The Brewers acquired Miller in a swap for first baseman/outfielder Ji-Man Choi on June 10. Miller was plugged in at second base for the team's game against the St. Louis Cardinals and was batting sixth. To make room for Miller, struggling outfielder Domingo Santana was optioned to Colorado Springs.

Santana hit .278 with 30 home runs last season, but was mired in a prolonged slump this season, hitting .249 with just three home runs. Miller was batting .256 with five homers and 21 RBIs this season. He is a career .240 hitter with 73 homers and 260 RBIs in 653 games.

--The San Francisco Giants optioned outfielder Mac Williamson to Triple-A Sacramento and recalled Austin Slater from the same club to take his place.

Williamson has struggled since returning from a concussion on May 25, hitting just .187 in 75 at-bats. He hit three home runs in his first five games with the club before hurting himself running into an outfield wall.

Slater, meanwhile, has been on fire at Sacramento. In 52 games, he's hitting .344 with five home runs, 24 doubles, 32 runs and 32 RBIs. The 25-year-old Slater has three hits in 11 at-bats in spot duty with the Giants this season.

--The Oakland Athletics recalled outfielder Nick Martini from Triple-A Nashville in time for their game against the Chicago White Sox, allowing the Crystal Lake, Ill., native the chance to play near his hometown.

Oakland sent a pair of pitchers down to Nashville, right-handed starter Chris Bassitt and left-handed reliever Danny Coulombe. Bassitt gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits and a walk with four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings in Oakland's 6-4 loss to Chicago in the second game of a doubleheader Friday. Bassitt, 29, is 0-3 with a 3.86 ERA, 13 strikeouts and three walks this season.

Martini, who turns 28 on Wednesday, was hitting .360 with four home runs, 23 RBIs and a .437 on-base percentage in his last 34 games with Nashville. He made his major league debut with the A's on June 6.

--Field Level Media