Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb could be facing career threatening surgery to repair a torn labrum. Few pitchers fully recover from such a procedure, but advancements helped guys like Curt Schilling and Chris Carpenter make comebacks. "You can be the same guy you were before you got hurt," said Diamondbacks reliever Jon Rauch.

Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran reportedly got an encouraging second option on his troublesome right knee. The New York Daily News initially reported the story on Tuesday. Beltran went to Colorado to visit specialist Dr. Richard Steadman on Monday, and the doctor reportedly confirmed that the outfielder has a bone bruise in the knee. Assuming Beltran does have just a bruise, and doesn't need major surgery, he could return to the Mets after the All-Star break.

Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell will receive an injection of Synvisc in his right hip on Monday. Boston will have to wait to see how the injection works. "For some people, it's like a miracle," said manager Terry Francona. "For other people, it's not. I've had it done and it didn't do a thing for me. (Brad Mills) had the same shot, and two hours later, he felt like he was brand new. "The good news is if it doesn't work, (it won't be a setback). It's just a gel that can really coat that joint. We'll get that done (today) and see how he responds to that. He'll probably need a day after that before we can evaluate, but then we'll see. If he's good, that's good. If not, then we have to talk about the next step." If the injection doesn't work, Lowell could be headed to the disabled list. "I guess it could happen," Francona said. "I don't think we want to, and I don't think he wants to. But if he didn't respond to this, it's probably something we'd have to think about it. But I don't think that's our goal, for sure. ... Because there's a lot of season left to go, we'd rather try to let him take a deep breath or regroup. We just want him to be able to go out and play rather than drag it, or when he makes a move, feel it so much."

Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell is hoping to avoid the disabled list, and will have an injection to ease the pain in his troublesome hip. Lowell will receive the injection on Monday in Boston. After the injection, Lowell will be out of action for 24 hours. "We had talked about [the injection] briefly before, doing it on the offday," Lowell said. "But I think it was just so tight that it might be better to bump that up and see what happens." He has missed four of Boston's last six games.

Yankees outfielder Xavier Nady could be headed for season-ending Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. "It's the thing you try and avoid," New York general manager Brian Cashman said. "It could be the worst-case scenario ... obviously, it's just not a good sign." Nady, 32, will be a free agent at the end of the season and surgery could end his tenure with the Yankees.

Brandon Webb underwent his second MRI in the past week on Tuesday and met later in the day with team physician Dr. Michael Lee. Shoulder surgery is looking like a bigger option. "We met and discussed options," General Manager Josh Byrnes said. "Everyone wants to be sure he takes the right course of action."

Roy Halladay is scheduled to return to the mound for the Blue Jays on Monday. Halladay has been out since June 12 with a mild groin strain. The right-hander is tied with Minnesota's Kevin Slowey for the major league lead in wins (10), and has the AL's third lowest ERA (2.53).

The Rays could get second baseman Akinori Iwamura back much sooner than expected. He underwent surgery for a knee injury that was not as severe as Tampa Bay initially feared. Iwamura had only a partial tear in his left ACL, and underwent an arthroscopic procedure performed Monday instead of reconstructive surgery that would have ended his season. He could return in six to eight weeks.

CC Sabathia left his start against the Marlins on Sunday in the second inning with tightness in his left biceps. Sabathia said after the game that he didn't want to be pulled from the mound because the injury wasn't serious, but Yankees manager Joe Girardi took him out after throwing just 28 pitches. "It wasn't a sharp pain or anything," Sabathia said. "It just felt a little tight. It's something I felt before, between starts or something. It's nothing major." The left-hander expects to make his next start.

Roy Halladay is scheduled to throw off a mound on Tuesday, the first step in his return from a strained groin. He hasn't thrown downhill since testing his groin in Philadelphia on Wednesday. Toronto's ace is eligible to come off the disabled list on June 28, and he appears to be on pace to return by that date.