Hideo Nomo was sent outright to the minors by the New York Mets, which might open the door for them to enter the bidding for Orel Hershiser.
"It's a difficult decision because it involves a player of his stature and given what he's done in his career," Mets general manager Steve Phillips said Wednesday after deciding to cut the 1995 NL Rookie of the Year -- apparently against the wishes of manager Bobby Valentine."But I've got to make a judgment in what I can do to have us win as many games as we can, and this starts the process," Phillips said in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Valentine appeared to be uspet at the demotion, saying he had told his players not to worry about their performance in the spring.
"Things have kind of changed, I guess," Valentine said. "It's regretful. I said it wasn't a tryout camp and that they should work on things they needed to work on."
Nomo, 30, joined the Dodgers in 1995 and won 45 games in Los Angeles but struggled last season and was traded to the Mets in June. He went 4-5 with a 4.82 ERA in 17 games with New York and was ineffective this spring, going 0-2 with a 7.62 ERA in four appearances.
The Cincinnati Reds put Denny Neagle and two other pitchers on the disabled list Wednesday and temporarily dropped Pete Harnisch from the rotation because of back spasms.
Neagle has been slowed this spring by pulled leg muscles and weakness in his shoulder. Harnisch had his outing on Sunday cut short by spasms on the left side of his back and will rest for a few days before trying to throw again.
"I'm getting to the point where I feel better and better," Neagle said in Sarasota, Fla. "My velocity is back."
The Reds also put reliever Stan Belinda and starter Scott Winchester on the 15-day disabled list. Belinda has biceps tendinitis, a problem unrelated to his multiple sclerosis. Winchester is making a comeback from shoulder surgery last August.
At Fort Myers, Fla., the Boston Red Sox said Nomar Garciaparra's ailing right elbow should heal completely and he should resume playing shortstop soon. Garciaparra, the 1997 AL Rookie of the Year, hasn't played shortstop in the team's last 11 exhibition games, although he has been a designated hitter in some of them.
"Don't panic," Boston team physician Dr. Arthur Pappas said. "I think Nomar will be fine, and we'll have him back in the lineup, and he'll play the way he always plays, very well."
At Tempe, Ariz., Ken Griffey Jr. homered twice and drove in four runs, and Jay Buhner and Russ Davis also homered off knuckleballer Steve Sparks in the third and fifth innings of Seattle's 9-3 win over Anaheim.
Davis has six homers this spring, while Griffey has five and Buhner four.
"I felt great today," Sparks said. "Except for four or five pitches, I was locked in. But that's part of the game. I have to make those pitches. They were hitting the ball hard. I needed to keep the ball down."
In other games:
YANKEES 8, RANGERS 6: At Port Charlotte, Fla., Darryl Strawberry hit a tiebreaking single in the ninth inning and drove in three runs.
BLUE JAYS 4, PHILLIES 3 (10): At Dunedin, Fla., Kevin Witt drove in the winning run with a two-out single in the 10th, then was optioned to Triple-A.
INDIANS 10, DODGERS 2: At Vero Beach, Fla., Jim Thome, Travis Fryman and rookie Alex Ramirez homered in Cleveland's first visit to Dodgertown.
REDS 5, DEVIL RAYS 4: At Sarasota, Steve Avery gave up homers to Randy Winn, Joe Oliver and Bubba Trammell, but Norm Charlton's three walks helped Cincinnati rally.
CARDINALS 5, EXPOS 3: At Jupiter, Fla., Joe McEwing hit a two-run homer, helping send Montreal to its sixth straight loss.
MARLINS 7, ASTROS 1: At Kissimmee, Fla., Todd Dunwoody hit a three-run homer, and Brian Meadows combined with three relievers on a five-hitter.
GIANTS 4, BREWERS 3: At Phoenix, Barry Bonds hit fourth homer of the spring, a two-run shot in the fifth off Bill Pulsipher.
ATHLETICS 4, ROCKIES 1: At Tucson, Ariz., pitcher Mark Mulder, in his first professional at-bat, broke an eight-inning tie with a solo homer.
PADRES 7, DIAMONDBACKS 6: At Peoria, Ariz., Sterling Hitchcock allowed one run and four hits in five innings, and Dave Magadan hit a two-run, two-out double off Jason Crews in a four-run 12th.
ORIOLES 5, METS 4 (10): At Fort Lauderdale, Masato Yoshii had another rocky outing, allowing four runs and 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings.
RED SOX 5, TWINS 4: At Fort Myers, Fla., Damon Buford singled in the winning run in the ninth as Boston won its fifth straight, sending Minnesota to its fifth consecutive loss.
CUBS 16, WHITE SOX 5: At Tucson, Henry Rodriguez homered twice, Scott Stahoviak went 5-for-5, and Mark Grace drove in four runs.