Notes: Gambler close to return  —  Lefty Rogers optimistic after tossing simulated game  —  ARLINGTON — Left-hander Kenny Rogers felt good while pitching a two-inning simulated game on Tuesday, leaving both the pitcher and his manager optimistic he will rejoin the Tigers' rotation before the end of June.

Nationals armed, ready for Draft  —  Washington hopes to utilize extra scouts, extra picks effectively  —  WASHINGTON — The Nationals have never kept it a secret that they have a long way to go when it comes to having a very good farm system.  —  However, the system could get better in a hurry.

Mills set for draft party  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — The plan, at least, is that by the time the game between the Red Sox and A's starts this afternoon, Beau Mills will know his fate.  —  If that's the case, and just about everyone in the Red Sox dugout hopes it is, there will be quite …

Now, Mets are hurting for wins and players  —  Chavez injures hamstring as depleted Mets drop three in a row for first time this season  —  The Mets could handle losing players as long as they won games.  But now that the defeats are starting to stack up as rapidly as the body count …

Mock Draft  —  The Devil Rays will make Vanderbilt lefthander David Price the No. 1 overall selection in the 2007 draft, which begins today at 2 p.m. Eastern.  That's no surprise, as other clubs have said for weeks that they would have been surprised if Tampa Bay had gone in a different direction.

Premium Nats Tickets to Rise  —  At $400, New Stadium's Top Seats Among Priciest  —  Tickets for the top seats at the Washington Nationals' new stadium will cost as much as $400 per game, among the highest prices in Major League Baseball, the team announced yesterday.

In Case You Missed It . . .  With the draft and preparations for the 2007 Futures Game in San Francisco next month, things can get a little hairy around the Baseball America World Headquarters here in Durham, NC at this time of year.  —  So in case you might have missed it, here are some happenings around the minors:

MLB Amateur Draft: Pirates pick 4th, but they may have limited options  —  Rose Palmisano, The Orange County Register  —  Josh Vitters, a third baseman for Anaheim (Calif.) Cypress High School tops the Pirates' wish list.  —  The Pirates face a bunch of questions concerning …

Ring up No. 500  —  Hoffman raises his own career saves record to landmark level  —  The bells just keep ringing and ringing and ringing.  —  At this point, only a fool would predict when they will stop.  —  Trevor Hoffman fastened another save onto his all-time record last night, raising the total to a tidy 500.

Shuffle At The Top  —  Jim Callis, on his way to a Chicagoland studio to participate in ESPN's draft coverage, reports the Royals appear to have settled on Mike Moustakas with the No. 2 overall pick.  That would slide Josh Vitters to the Cubs at No. 3.  The Royals looked like they were on Vitters …

Video: Heckling the wild and crazy Julian Tavarez  —  It is well documented that not only is Julian Tavarez not the biggest student of the game, he's a bit... hmm... crazy?  —  It is interesting, then, that out of all the players on the Red Sox, the hecklers who shot this video below decided to pick Tavarez as their target.