Stephen Strasburg ‘probably’ needs Tommy John surgery, will miss 12 to 18 months  —  Rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg will “probably” miss at least one year and perhaps the entire 2011 baseball season after undergoing Tommy John surgery to replace the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, General Manager Mike Rizzo said.

White Sox Win Manny Ramirez Claim  —  Multiple teams claimed Manny Ramirez on waivers, but the White Sox won the claim, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (on Twitter).  Stark reports strong indications that the Rays claimed Manny and the Rangers also claimed the 38-year-old, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.

La Russa, Pujols will appear at Washington rally  —  WASHINGTON  • Cardinals first baseman and three-time NL Most Valuable Player Albert Pujols will be among several honorees at a highly publicized and potentially politically charged Saturday morning rally expected to draw more than 20,000 to The Mall.

Minor League Transactions: Aug. 19-25  —  Note that all the draft signings here occurred on the Aug. 16 deadline.  But at the time of our previous Minor League Transactions installment, many of the last-minute deals had not been approved by MLB or relayed to us from its eBIS transactions database.

Jays' Snider stays cool while awaiting his chance  —  PHOTOS ( 1 )  —  Toronto Blue Jays player Travis Snider (C) joins kids from Jays Care Rookie League and the Hospital for Sick Children to unveil Jays Care Community Clubhouse at the Rogers Centre.  —  TORONTO — For the third time in four days …

Kelly Johnson Clears Waivers  —  Kelly Johnson cleared waivers and can now be traded to any team, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  However, an Arizona executive told Morosi that it's “unlikely” that the D'Backs make a trade.  Johnson joins teammate Adam LaRoche on MLBTR's list of players to clear waivers.

Brewers ace Gallardo robbed at gunpoint  —  MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brewers pitcher Yovani Gallardo and a clubhouse attendant were robbed at gunpoint early Friday, hours after the Milwaukee ace pitched in a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.  —  Brewers spokesman Tyler Barnes confirmed that Gallardo …

Jose Reyes reaggravates injury, Marlins explode for seven runs in sixth, down New York Mets, 11-4  —  New York Mets pitcher Jonathon Niese ties a career-high with eight strikeouts but is pulled during a Marlins seven-run sixth inning.  Jose Reyes (b.) exits in the second inning due to injury.

Marlins execs funneled cash to themselves  —  Florida Marlins president David Samson has perfected the art of doublespeak.  Even after the mushroom cloud settled over the disclosure of financial statements that showed he and Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria are indeed duplicitous, Samson couldn't help himself.

Yankees' New Boss Determined to Carry On  —  Hank Steinbrenner brought to mind the image of the Boss as he barked at his players to get onto the stage for a news conference.  “Let's go!” he said.  —  Steinbrenner was not directing his major leaguers but rather Hank's Yanks, the 18-and-under team he sponsors.