Rocco Baldelli is playing baseball again and is hoping to return to the Rays at some point, according to The Associated Press. He played in his second-consecutive extended spring training game on Saturday, going hitless in five at-bats. Baldelli has been sidelined since May 2007 because of lingering hamstring problems and a chronic fatigue issue. Tampa placed him on the 60-day disabled list in spring training. "I'm happy with how things have gone," said Baldelli. "Trying to get some timing at the plate right now and just the fact I can get out there and run around and swing. There's not much more I can ask for at this point." He was selected sixth overall in the 2000 draft.

Yankees' catcher Jorge Posada could return to the team next week, according to The New York Post. Posada has been out since April 26 because of rotator-cuff tendinitis and could be in the lineup as early as Tuesday. "I am not anticipating it, but I am not 100 percent ruling it out of my mind," Manager Joe Girardi said. He has continued to look good during his rehab stint in Tampa.

Pitcher Joba Chamberlain has a spot in the Yankees' rotation and a date for his first start: Tuesday night against the Blue Jays. Manager Joe Girardi said the 22-year-old will be limited to 65 or 70 pitches when he takes the mound at Yankee Stadium, according to an Associated Press report on Friday.

Somehow, those involved lost track of their triple-play ball. John Bowker entrusted the souvenir ball to bullpen catcher Taira Uematsu, also the translator for Keiichi Yabu. But, as it turns out, Uematsu had no idea that ball was the special one and he played catch with it, thus the ball got mixed up with all the others. ?I tried,? Bowker said with a grin. This one will have to stay in their memories and on the highlight reels. The Giants turned a triple play in the eighth inning of their 7-3, 13-inning loss to the Padres on Friday night, as reported by the Associated Press.

Cardinals' pitcher Mark Mulder would rather retire than undergo yet another surgery on his injured left shoulder, according to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He's already had two surgeries, and team doctor George Paletta doesn't believe a third is necessary. "I told (Paletta) later, 'If you would have said something was torn, I would have got up and I would have walked out,'" Mulder said. "Then I would have left. ... I wouldn't do it. I'll take it to the house before that happens. I'm done. There's no way they're going back in there."

The New York Mets are reportedly interested in first baseman Kevin Millar and outfielders Jason Bay and Xavier Nady, according to The Philadelphia Daily News. General Manager Omar Minaya is interested in fortifying the team's roster with first baseman, leftfielders and righthanded relieve pitchers.

The St. Louis Cardinals optioned Chris Duncan to Triple-A Memphis and recalled outfielder Joe Mather on Friday, according to The Associated Press. Duncan is batting .213 this month and .252 with four home runs for the season. He hit 21 home runs last year and 22 the year before.

A liaison between Major League Baseball and its umpires claims that instant replay is coming to MLB parks, according to a report on ESPN.com. "Replay is coming," Rich Rieker wrote in a chat with the Houston Chronicle's web site. "If done properly, we have an opportunity to set the gold standard in replay, learning from pros and cons from other sports. But we must do so in a fashion that will not delay the game further." The league has tentative plans to use replay in the Arizona Fall League and at next March's World Baseball Classic.

Just hours after an outburst in the clubhouse, Royals' outfielder Jose Guillen claims he's ready to step up and lead the young team, according to The Kansas City Star. "This (stuff) has to stop, man," he complained after the team's tenth-straight loss on Wednesday. "It can?t go on like this." Maybe, after years of being the immature one in the clubhouse, Guillen is ready to lead. "I learned the hard way," Guillen says. "I?m not trying to point fingers at anybody, but this is not going to happen here. I signed a big deal here. I?m supposed to be one of the leaders. I?ve got a big responsibility to carry some of these young guys, and we need to play hard, so what?s wrong with getting on some guys?"

Mets' starter Pedro Martinez appears ready to pitch for the team on Tuesday against the Giants, according to The New York Daily News. He threw 63 of his 82 pitches for strikes on Wednesday night, allowing just two runs and striking out six in an appearance against Tampa Bay's farm team. He has been out of the team's rotation since April 1 with a hamstring injury.