Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez left Sunday's game against the Dodgers with lower back stiffness. Ramirez called the back injury the "worse pain I've ever had in my life, in my career." He wasn't in the lineup on Monday and says he's day-to-day. "It's going to be day to day," Ramirez said. "I'm getting tingles in my [left] leg, so that's not a good sign. That's what we're worried about right now."

Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome has enjoyed a good season thus far, hitting .315 with a .440 on-base percentage. He'll be a free agent at the end of the season and is making $13.5 million in 2011 with Chicago. "He gets on base and makes contact, and it seems at the expense of some pop, but could fill a role in Seattle, San Francisco, Atlanta or Los Angeles -- both the Dodgers and Angels -- if he's willing to waive his no-trade clause," writes ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill.

Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron can add an honorary degree from Princeton University to his trophy case. He was awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities for making America a better place with his "imperishable example of grace under pressure." The university cited how he kept his cool while pursuing Babe Ruth's home run record nearly 40 years ago.

The Cubs have placed left fielder Alfonso Soriano on the disabled list. He left Monday's game with a left quad strain and underwent an MRI. Soriano injured himself after trying to beat out an infield grounder.

Dodgers owner Frank McCourt was able to meet the team's payroll Tuesday with cash advances drawn on the team's corporate sponsorship deals, according to three sources. Since McCourt has been unable to secure traditional loans to fund the cash-strapped Dodgers, front office executives in charge of revenue were charged with finding more creative ways to help float the troubled franchise for two more weeks.

Boston Red Sox left fielder Carl Crawford and Cincinnati Reds right fielder Jay Bruce have been named the American League and National League Players of the Week, respectively, for the period ending May 29th. In seven games last week, Crawford batted .423 (11-for-26) with two doubles, two triples, three home runs and eight RBI to help lead Boston to a 5-2 record against A.L. Central powers Cleveland and Detroit. The Reds slugger led the Majors with 13 RBI and 25 total bases, and was tied for first with four home runs last week while hitting .353 (12-for-34) in seven games. His 12 hits ranked second among National Leaguers while his .735 slugging percentage was fifth and his six runs scored were sixth-best.

Nine-time National League All-Star Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals, who led the National League in All-Star voting in 2010, is the N.L.'s leading vote-getter in the first N.L. balloting figures for the 82nd All-Star Game, to be played on Tuesday, July 12th at Chase Field. Pujols, a three-time N.L. MVP and five-time fan-elected starter, has started at first base in each of the previous two Midsummer Classics, and has received 988,784 votes, ahead of the N.L.'s reigning MVP, Joey Votto (806,346) of the Cincinnati Reds. Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado Rockies leads the way at shortstop, ranking second overall in the N.L. with 975,777 votes. Tulowitzki, who was selected to his first All-Star Game in 2010, ranks ahead of Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins (454,782). At second base, Brandon Phillips (837,778) of the Reds, who is seeking his second All-Star selection and first as a starter, ranks ahead of Milwaukee's Rickie Weeks (562,071). Rounding out the infield at third base is Placido Polanco (724,724) of the Philadelphia Phillies, who holds a lead over Atlanta's Chipper Jones (540,168). Behind the plate, San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (785,314) leads 2010 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Brian McCann (633,987) of the Braves. The N.L. outfield is led by Milwaukee's Ryan Braun, who has totaled 971,809 votes, slightly behind Pujols and Tulowitzki for the N.L. lead. Braun, who has started in the N.L. outfield in each of the last three seasons, is joined by Cardinals teammates Matt Holliday (927,778) and Lance Berkman (872,434), who rank second and third among outfielders, respectively. Holliday, a four-time All-Star, is seeking his first All-Star start while Berkman, the N.L. starting first baseman at the 2008 Midsummer Classic, has represented the N.L. five times during his career. Andre Ethier of the Los Angeles Dodgers, a fan-elected starter in 2010, ranks fourth among outfielders with 776,971 votes, followed by his teammate Matt Kemp (549,215) and Jason Heyward (484,291) of the Braves.

Logan Morrison says at first he thought Twitter was lame, although he uses a more colorful adjective because he’s a 23-year-old ballplayer who’s a fan of Dave Chappelle, and he talks like one. Morrison gradually became hooked on Twitter and now has more than 26,000 followers. But the left fielder known as LoMo may lead the league in Web wisecracks. Few athletes are wittier on Twitter. “It’s amazing how many people take you seriously,” he says. “I don’t take it seriously at all.” That’s what worries team president David Samson. The Marlins monitor tweets by all of their employees, and Samson says he has warned Morrison that his R-rated material could carry negative repercussions.

ESPN.com's Keith Law revealed his second mock draft on Monday night and he rates UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole as the top prospect. The Pirates hold the first overall pick in next week's MLB First-Year Player Draft. "The Pirates are still seriously on Danny Hultzen and Bubba Starling, and I wouldn't rule Anthony Rendon out entirely, but my gut tells me right now they'll find Cole's raw stuff -- he hit 101 for me on Friday night and touched 100 many times, including in the eighth inning -- too good to pass up," Law writes.

Rangers outfielder David Murphy could be a hot trade chip as the July 31 deadline approaches, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Left fielders have struggled offensively this season and Murphy has become a fourth outfielder thanks to the return of Josh Hamilton. "It's hard to think about numbers right now because I'm struggling," Murphy said. "You don't even want to think about numbers, you just want to go out and play well. You don't need to look at the scoreboard. You get a feel if you are hitting the ball well or not. The numbers will take care of themselves."