Ellsbury to rejoin Sox on Saturday  —  Terry Francona said after the game tonight that Jacoby Ellsbury will join the Red Sox in Philadelphia and “probably” be activated on Saturday.  —  Ellsbury played in three minor-league games, going 4 for 10 with two walks and a stolen base.

John Maine Removed From Start Due to Poor Mechanics  —  According to the Mets, while Maine was warming up in the bullpen before the start of tonight's game, pitching coach Dan Warthen noticed Maine's velocity was lower than normal and was concerned about his mechanics as he wasn't using his normal delivery …

The case against — and the small one for — Jesus Montero  —  I may have already told everyone this story, and if so, I apologize.  But a few years ago, I saved some money and took one of those online classes on baseball scouting.  Mostly, it was reading a bunch of books …

Twins to recall Trevor Plouffe  —  Jeff Manship optioned to Rochester  —  Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN — The Minnesota Twins announced after tonight's game that they will recall infielder Trevor Plouffe from Triple-A Rochester in time for Friday night's game vs. the Milwaukee Brewers at Target Field.

Mark Lerner's batting practice misadventure  —  Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner received stitches this evening after an unfortunate moment during today's batting practice.  —  Lerner, as he occasionally does, was shagging fly balls in full Nationals uniform alongside his team.

Jimenez mauls Astros, but leaves as precaution with leg cramps  —  HOUSTON — Ubaldo Jimenez has become a corny movie script.  Every game is a mismatch like John Rambo vs. Sheriff Will Teasle, or Celine Dion showing up at karaoke contest.  —  On a sweltering Thursday night deep in the heart of Texas …

Exclusive: Yankees Sign C Rene Rivera  —  I'm at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, NJ and can exclusively report that the Yankees have signed Camden Riversharks catcher and former big leaguer Rene Rivera to a contract.  He spent parts of 2004, 2005 and 2006 with the Seattle Mariners and spent …

Memo: MLB Players Have Been Detained at Canadian Border Due to Past Crimes  —  An urgent memo sent today by the MLB Players Association to all player agents warns those representing any non-Canadian players who have any past criminal record, that, “Under Canadian immigration laws …

Strained shoulder to send Zaun to DL  —  PITTSBURGH — Injuries keep biting Brewers veterans.  The latest to go down is catcher Gregg Zaun, who suffered a strained right shoulder in Thursday's win over the Pirates and will be placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday.

GM Williams needs to be honest about Sox' plight  —  Wednesday was just wrong in so many ways — the big ol' batch of Kool-Aid that White Sox general manager Ken Williams stirred with his hand, the way media members slurped it up.  —  The only thing missing was the juggling clown off to the side to distract from the obvious.

Minor League Transactions  —  Check out the Transactions Glossary for the key to deciphering the various inactive lists presented here.  —  An asterisk (*) denotes an instance of a player agreeing to terms on a minor league contract with an organization with which he already had a major league agreement.

Melvin backs Macha  —  Brewers general manager Doug Melvin spoke up Thursday in support of field manager Ken Macha, whose job security has been called into question during a losing streak that reached nine games with Wednesday's loss to the Pirates.  —  “I don't see any reason” …