Lowell activated; Youkilis on DL  —  UPDATE, 4:50 p.m.: Terry Francona just met with the media.  Youkilis had a MRI at Mass General this morning and was found to have a torn muscle in his thumb that could require surgery.  —  Doctors are uncertain about the extent of the injury …

Tribe's Santana injures left leg in collision  —  Catcher heading back to Cleveland to undergo MRI on Tuesday  —  BOSTON — Catcher Carlos Santana will undergo an MRI on his left knee in Cleveland on Tuesday after he was involved in a violent collision at home plate in the Indians' 6-5 victory …

In debut, Hellickson vaults Rays into first  —  Righty sent back to Triple-A after hurling seven strong innings  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Using Jeremy Hellickson on Monday night felt like uncorking a vintage bottle of wine, then being able to put it back in your wine cellar to season further.

News Corp. decides not to bid on Texas Rangers' sale  —  News Corp. will not bid for the Rangers, according to Randy Freer, president of Fox Sports Networks.  —  The Rangers, who will be sold in an auction Wednesday in Fort Worth, Texas, have three known bidders — Pittsburgh sports attorney …

Torii Hunter agrees to give up center field for Angels  —  Acknowledging that “we need to do something different,” the Angels' Torii Hunter has agreed to let prospect Peter Bourjos take over in center field, with Hunter moving to right field for the opening game of a series against Baltimore.

Waiver trade candidates  —  Some highly paid, underperforming players could be on the move in August  —  Running through the list of August trade candidates is the equivalent of sweeping up the peanut shells and other debris after the circus has left town.

Sources: Washington Nationals put Adam Dunn on waivers  —  The Washington Nationals placed slugger Adam Dunn on waivers on Tuesday afternoon, as part of the standard procedure that involves almost all players this time of the baseball season, according to sources.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia gets new start … PAWTUCKET, R.I. — For the past few years, Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein has been cultivating a plan to acquire catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.  —  When the catching prospect's value was high, Epstein was unable to trade for him without surrendering …

Say It Ain'T So, Sergeant Joe  —  Army docs criticized DiMaggio's “defective attitude toward the service” … Despite having been aloof, irascible, and miserly, Joe DiMaggio remains one of history's most beloved athletes, the Yankee Clipper who played on nine World Series champions …

Trevor Cahill tosses 3-hitter in A's win  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — The last time Trevor Cahill tossed a complete game, he had just committed to Dartmouth and was still a few credits short of his high school diploma.  —  These days, he'd have been the odd man out if he didn't finish the game.

Future Shock Blog  —  Minor League Update: Games of August 2  —  Of Betances' 11 starts this year, eight of them could arguably be described as dominant, with none more so than last night's when Betances retired the last 14 batters he faced, nine via the strikeout.

Howard seems increasingly likely to hit DL  —  Slugger to fly to Philly to have sprained left ankle examined  —  PHILADELPHIA — It sounded Sunday like Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard might miss just a few days because of a sprained left ankle.  —  It sounded Monday like it could be much longer.

Chris Coghlan starting rehab, John Baker progressing  —  The Marlins hope to have a better idea as to Chris Coghlan's status after they get results from his doctor's appointment today.  —  Coghlan is on the 15-day DL after tearing the meniscus in his left knee nine days ago during a post-game celebration.

Ludwick frustrated before trade  —  Hours before his inclusion in a three-team trade that brought Cleveland Indians pitcher Jake Westbrook to St. Louis, right fielder Ryan Ludwick voiced concerns over his choppy playing time during a terse meeting with manager Tony La Russa, club sources confirmed Monday.

New York Mets won't try to send Oliver Perez back to minors, and they won't cut lefty, either  —  Luis Castillo drops the ball after forcing out Atlanta's Jason Heyward at second base.  Castillo bobbles the throw from David Wright and isn't able to complete the double play.  —  ATLANTA - What to do with Oliver Perez.

This situation at critical mass  —  It's impossible and unfair to measure another man's pain.  Some professional ballplayers play hurt, while others wait until they are 100 percent before they step on the field.  Jacoby Ellsbury broke five ribs back in April and he's the only person who knows the extent of his pain at this hour.