Valdez DFA's, Kuo recalled ... and some other stuff

Tomko's all-too-short outing last night finally forced the club to call up a 12th pitcher. And truthfully, you always knew Valdez would eventually be designated. For the uninitiated, a player who is designated for assignment is automatically removed from the 40-man roster, and the club has 10 days to trade him, release him or outright him to the minors. But before he can be released or outrighted, he has to clear waivers (that means he is on the waiver wire for three full business days without being claimed by another club). With this type of waivers, if another club claims him, the Dodgers lose him and don't have the option of pulling him back. The Dodgers did NOT need to clear a 40-man spot for Kuo, who was already on it. The reason Valdez had to be DFA's is because he was out of minor-league options. ... Right-hander Joe Mays, a veteran major leaguer who didn't make the club out of spring training and was 1-2 with a 4.91 ERA in seven starts at Triple-A Las Vegas, exercised the escape clause in his contract today and became a free agent. ... To answer the Scott Elbert question that was posted on another thread, the club's top pitching prospect has been sent to extended spring training in Vero Beach to rehab what essentially is tendinitis in the front of his left shoulder. The injury is an annoyance, and Elbert reportedly is champing at the bit to pitch again, but it isn't serious. He underwent an MRI a couple of weeks ago that showed no structural damage to either the rotator cuff or the labrum, so for now, it's basically a waiting game. He'll rejoin Double-A Jacksonville, where he made three starts earlier this season, as soon as he is deemed physically ready to resume pitching. ... After issuing consecutive, two-out walks to Kent and Gonzo to load the bases, the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright just plunked Russell Martin on the right shoulder with a 3-2 pitch, forcing in a run. Dodgers 1, Cardinals 0, bottom 1