Vogelsong still in hospital

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Ryan Vogelsong remained hospitalized with swelling and multiple facial fractures on Tuesday, a day after the veteran took a 92-mph fastball to the head from Colorado Rockies pitcher Jordan Lyles. Pirates trainer Todd Tomczyk said Vogelsong was “in good spirits” but added that doctors would not be able to determine the extent of the damage around Vogelsong’s left eye until the swelling subsides. Vogelsong was batting with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second inning Monday when a Lyles pitch caught Vogelsong flush. He remained on the ground for several minutes, though Tomczyk said Vogelsong did not lose consciousness and does not have symptoms of a concussion. Vogelsong, 38, experienced some vision loss in the immediate aftermath, but Tomczyk said Vogelsong’s eye was “somewhat open” by Tuesday.

Rather than activate Alex Rodriguez from the disabled list, the New York Yankees sent him to Class AA Trenton for an injury rehabilitation assignment. Sidelined since straining his right hamstring on May 3, Rodriguez was scheduled to play for the Thunder against New Hampshire on Tuesday night. The Yankees are leaning toward activating him for a trip that starts Friday at Tampa Bay but could change that if he feels good. “We were thinking

a couple of days and see where he’s at,” Manager Joe Girardi said. “It’s more for knocking off the rust. I think we feel pretty good about his hamstring, but in saying that, it will give us a good idea of where it’s really at because it’s hard to simulate game activities.”

Pitcher Ashur Tolliver (Sylvan Hills) was called up to the Baltimore Orioles from their Class AA affiliate in Bowie, Md., on Tuesday. Tolliver, 28, had a 1-1 record and 2 saves with a 2.42 ERA in 18 appearances for the Bowie Baysox and was available for the Orioles on Tuesday as they took on the Houston Astros. He will fill the vacancy left by the trade of left-handed pitcher Brian Matusz, who, along with a 2016 draft pick, was dealt to the Atlanta Braves on Monday for two minor league pitchers. Tolliver, who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2009 draft by the Orioles after transferring to

the NAIA Oklahoma City Stars from UALR, was a nonroster invitee to the Orioles’ spring training camp. “He threw well. He’s done well in Double-A. He’s earned his opportunity. He’s worked hard for this opportunity,” Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette told The Baltimore Sun. Tolliver had major labrum surgery in the spring of 2012 which threatened to end his career, but Tolliver told Steve Melewski of Mid-Atlantic Sports Network he always thought he’d be on the Orioles’ big-league roster. “I don’t think I ever lost hope, but there were times when it was so far away with the injuries,” Tolliver said. “Coming back from labrum surgery, my stuff wasn’t there. The velocity is not there. It seemed like such a long shot. People in this organization have been so good, sticking with me and encouraging me. The training staff and strength coaches, everyone just kept pushing me. And eventually I felt like it would happen.”

The Boston Red Sox said pitcher Carson Smith was set to undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, effectively ending his season. The team announced that Smith, who arrived in Boston this offseason via a trade with Seattle, would undergo ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction Tuesday. The procedure was to be performed by Dr. David Altchek in New York. Smith was placed on the 15-day disabled list last week with right elbow soreness. It was his second time this season on the DL after beginning the season sidelined with a strained flexor muscle in his forearm. The 26-year-old made just three appearances since coming off the DL on May 3, allowing only one unearned run in 22/ innings.

3 He was expected to be a key component of the Red Sox bullpen after a 2015 campaign with the Mariners in which he had a 2.31 ERA, 13 saves and 92 strikeouts in 70 innings.

Tolliver