Tough week for former city, area standouts

It’s been a pretty tough week for some local and area professional baseball players.

Will Middlebrooks, a former Liberty-Eylau standout, was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday by the Milwaukee Brewers. The 27-yearold third baseman has a lower leg strain.

Middlebrooks played in 10 games for the Brewers this season, hitting .111 with one RBI. He struck out 13 times in 27 at-bats.

The Brewers also sent the 6-foot-3 Middlebrooks to Low-A Wisconsin for a rehab assignment. He could rejoin Milwaukee when teams are allowed to expand their rosters in September, officials said.

Middlebrooks has played for three Major League teams, the Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres and Brewers.

Texas Rangers reserve outfielder Drew Stubbs (Atlanta, University of Texas) was designated for assignment for the second time this season Thursday. Stubbs, 31, played for the Rangers at the end of the 2015 season, but did not make the team following training camp. He played a few games for the Atlanta Braves before being re-signed by the Rangers in midseason, although he ended up missing about two months because of a sprained toe.

Stubbs, a first-round pick by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2006 draft, was hitting .300 in his short return to the Rangers. He was primarily used as a late defensive replacement and pinch runner.

He has been replaced by former Houston Astro Carlos Gomez, 30, who started for Texas against the Cleveland Indians Thursday. Gomez, released by Houston after hitting only .211, is starting in place of injury outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, who has a broken leg is probably out the rest of the season.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael

Wacha (Pleasant Grove, Texas A&M) remains sidelined with a reoccurring right shoulder inflammation. The 25-year-old was originally placed on the 15-day DL back on Aug. 9, but is still unable to return to the big-league team, officials said. The shoulder is believed to be linked to an injury he suffered two years ago.

The hard-throwing 6-foot-6 right-hander has a 7-7 record and a 4.45 earned run average. He has struck out 109.

Another Texarkana player, outfielder Slade

Heathcott (Texas High), is hitting .220 in 30 games for the Charlotte Knights, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. Heathcott, 25, a firstround pick by the New York Yankees, was traded to the White Sox this year.

Heathcott has two homers and seven RBI in the minors this season.