Clemens’ son among familiar names on Day 2 of draft
NEW YORK » Another Rocket is headed to Toronto.
The Blue Jays selected University of Texas first baseman Kacy Clemens — son of Roger — in the eighth round of the Major League Baseball draft on Tuesday.
The younger Clemens hit .305 for the Longhorns this season, along with a teamleading 12 home runs and 49 RBIs. There could be another Clemens taken Wednesday when the draft wraps up with rounds 11-40: Kacy’s younger brother Kody, a redshirt-sophomore shortstop who hit .241 with five homers and 23 RBIs for Texas.
Roger Clemens was the No. 19 overall pick by Boston in 1983 and later pitched two seasons for the Blue Jays. His oldest son, Koby, was an eighth-round selection of Houston in 2005 and is currently a coach in the Astros organization.
Clemens wasn’t the only familiar taken during the draft’s second day.
Clemson outfielder Chase Pinder, brother of Oakland second baseman Chad Pinder, was selected by St. Louis in the second round. The Cardinals also took LSU shortstop Kramer Robertson, son of Baylor women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey, in the fourth.
Buddy Kennedy, a third baseman from Millville High School in New Jersey who was taken in the fifth round by Arizona, is the grandson of former All-Star Don Money.
One player who has gone undrafted so far and slipped significantly is Oregon State lefthander Luke Heimlich, who asked to be excused from the team last weekend after a story detailing his criminal history was reported by The Oregonian/Oregon Live last Thursday. Heimlich, originally projected as a third- or fourth-round pick, pleaded guilty as a teenager five years ago to molesting a name 6-year-old girl.
Heimlich was 11-1 with a 0.76 ERA for topranked Oregon State, which will play in the College World Series without him.
Dodgers place Gonzalez on DL
CLEVELAND » Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says first baseman Adrian Gonzalez has a degenerative disk in his back, an injury that will keep the five-time All-Star out indefinitely.
“When he comes back, I don’t know,” Roberts said before Tuesday night’s game against the Cleveland Indians.
Gonzalez was placed on the 10-day disabled list before the series opener. He was removed from Sunday’s game against Cincinnati after going hitless in three at-bats and had an MRI on Monday.
Roberts says surgery isn’t being considered but Gonzalez is getting a second opinion. “A lot of it is wear and tear,” Roberts said. “It’s manageable, per his (pain) tolerance, and is something that continually fires up. I’m hopeful, and I just want him to feel healthy.”
Mets place SS Cabrera on DL
NEW YORK » The New York Mets have placed Asdrubal Cabrera on the 10-day disabled list with a left thumb sprain, a day after the shortstop hit two home runs in a victory over the Chicago Cubs.
The Mets announced the move before a game against the Cubs.
Cabrera initially injured the thumb last month while diving for a grounder and did a stint on the DL to let it heal. He hit .222 with three home runs and six RBIs in 16 games after returning on May 25.
The thumb felt better until last Saturday, when the switch-hitting Cabrera aggravated it with a right-handed swing against Atlanta. Tuesday