Josh Hamilton cleared to play

Josh Hamilton, the No. 1 overall pick of the 1999 draft who has been suspended since February 2004 because of persistent drug and alcohol problems, has been cleared by Major League Baseball to play. He is expected to join the Devil Rays’ short-season Class A team at Hudson Valley (N.Y.).

Hamilton, who spent two weeks working out at the Naimoli Complex during extended spring training, has been waiting to hear if he can take the next step in his comeback. “It feels awesome,” Hamilton said. “It’s what I’ve been looking for. I’m very excited to get started.”

Hamilton, 25, says he has been clean since October and is drug tested three times a week.

--Damian Cristodero, Times staff writer

Outside the lines

ESPN's Outside the Lines show on Wednesday night (actually Thursday at 1:40 a.m.) focuses on the comeback of troubled Devil Rays prospect Josh Hamilton and the issues top prospects face. ESPN presents an interview with Hamilton and his wife, outfielder Carl Crawford and St. Pete Times beat writer Marc Topkin.

Rays make a deal ...

MIAMI -  The Devil Rays completed a trade Tuesday they feel will make them younger and better at two positions – acquiring catcher Dioner Navarro and pitcher Jae Seo from the Dodgers for Toby Hall and lefthanded starter Mark Hendrickson.

The Rays also will send $1-million to the Dodgers and will get back a minor-league player to be named later. The deal is expected to be announced at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Navarro, 22, was the Dodgers' opening-day starter and was hitting .280 through 25 games. But he went on the disabled list in May after being struck on the wrist by a foul ball. When he was healthy again, Navarro was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas. The switch hitter is batting .175 in 11 games.

Navarro, who is 5-foot-9 and 215 pounds and nicknamed Little Pudge in reference to Tigers star Ivan “Pudge’ Rodriguez, was considered the top prospect in the Yankees organization in 2004 before being traded to Los Angeles by way of Arizona. He is expected to join the Rays Wednesday in Miami and is considered to have the offensive and defensive skills to be a top-notch starter.

Seo, 29, has been working out of the Dodgers bullpen after being bumped from their rotation and is 2-4 with a 5.78 ERA. The Korean born-righthander, who was signed by the Mets and traded to the Dodgers in January, is expected to replace Hendrickson in the Rays rotation. Seo was 8-2 with a 2.59 ERA for the Mets last season with 16 walks and 59 strikeouts in 90 1/3 innings. (His name is pronounced Jay Sew.)

The trade continues the Rays’ strategy of stockpiling promising young players whom they can control for several years. The Rays have Navarro for five more seasons and Seo, who will be arbitration-eligible for the first time after this season, for another three.

Hall, 30, has been the Rays primary starter since 2002. He had a hot start this season but is now hitting .231 with eight homers and 22 RBIs. He is making $2.25-million this season and would be eligible for free agency after the 2007 season. He is likely to share backup duties in Los Angeles with veteran Sandy Alomar Jr.

Hendrickson, 32, has been one of the Rays' most consistent starters, though a lack of run support has left him with a 4-8 record despite a 3.81 ERA. He is making $1.95-million this season and would be in line for a raise to about $4-million next season.

LOTS OF CHANGES

Joe Maddon said sending Seth McClung to Triple-A Durham to learn to be a closer could be the best thing for his career. It certainly couldn't hurt at this point as the right-hander is 2-10 and has lost six straight. McClung may not see it that way (he always talks about being a starter)but Maddon may be right. McClung has a 96-mph fastball and a good curve, the two absolutes for a closer. And he can be good in short spurts. If he can "harness'' his stuff for a short period and overcome any hurt feelings associated with being demoted and having his job description changed, he might just flourish. In the meantime, Edwin Jackson is being brought up from Durham and added to the pen and Tim Corcoran becomes a starter. Jackson is an interesting case. He pitched so well when he was with the Rays but struggled in Durham. Could be a mind thing in that he believes he belongs in the majors. Perhaps we'll see a better pitcher than he has shown lately.

   You've got to feel bad for Joey Gathright. A fan favorite, he was given every opportunity to stake a claim when Rocco Baldelli was hurt. But he failed and now he is traded to the Royals. Not only that, he was traded for a mid-level minor leaguer in J.P. Howell. It wasn't long ago Gathright was believe to be trade bait for Marlins hotshot Scott Olsen. But Gathright was exposed as a not-ready-for-prime-time major leaguer with bad plate discipline and shoddy defense. It's too bad for the Rays they couldn't pull the trigger on a trade during the winter or spring.

Delmon Young returns ...

DURHAM, N.C. - Devil Rays top prospect Delmon Young returned to the field on Monday night for the Triple-A Durham Bulls, having served a 50-game suspension for throwing his bat at an umpire on April 26.

   ""First of all, I'd like to apologize to the Devil Rays, the fans, my teammates and everyone out there for my actions back in April,'' Young said Monday afternoon at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

   Young, 20, spent much of his suspension working out in St. Petersburg and doing community service work that was part of the disciplinary action handed down.

   He said he learned from the experience and was eager to return to the field.

   ""I want to come out here and play baseball and come out here and have fun and try and move on with it,'' Young said.

   Young was expected to be called up to the major leagues at some point this season. How much the 50-game absence impacts those plans remains to be seen.

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Day of rest

Weary from spending most of the last month on the road, the Rays were happy to be home and have a much needed day off Monday. Though they missed a chance to finish the 10-game trip to Kansas City, Detroit and Philadelphia with a winning record, manager Joe Maddon said he was encouraged that the team was coming together and on the verge of a good run. Monday is something of a big day as top prospect Delmon Young returns from his 50-game suspension and one-time top prospect Josh Hamilton, who has been suspended for drug issues, is expected to get word if he can continue working out.

More bullpen problems ...

The already battered Devil Rays bullpen took another blow Wednesday when closer Tyler Walker was placed on the disabled list due to a right elbow strain.

Walker had been the one consistently dependable reliever the Rays had, saving 10 games in 12 chances since being acquired from the Giants. He was 1-3 with a 4.95 ERA in 20 games.

Walker's injury was something of a surprise - he pitched Monday night, allowing two runs in the ninth for his second blown save, but made no mention of elbow problems. Manager Joe Maddon said before Tuesday's game that Walker was available to pitch.

To replace Walker, the Rays called up Tim Corcoran from Triple-A Durham.

Heavy hitters ...

Until he gets all the pieces of his lineup in order, manager Joe Maddon is going to piece things together the best he can. Saturday, that meant going back to what worked for the Rays so well last year at the top of the order, with Julio Lugo leading off, Carl Crawford second and Jorge Cantu third, and going with something totally different after them. Maddon sat down slumping Jonny Gomes and struggling Aubrey Huff, and the players he put in the lineup, such as Russell Branyan and Greg Norton, delivered as the Rays matched a season-high with 14 hits. Huff and Gomes are expected to be back in the lineup Sunday.

Maddon said he is only committed to the top three in the order, but it seems obvious he would like to return Huff to the cleanup spot, then follow him with some combination of righthanders Ty Wigginton, Jonny Gomes and Rocco Baldelli. That would leave Toby Hall hitting eighth and, depending on the configuration of the lineup that day, either Travis Lee or Damon Hollins ninth.

Talk about human growth hormone and steroid investigations continue to be a popular topic in the clubhouse.

Baldelli has looked great since returning Wednesday, taking good swings at the plate and looking like he hasn't missed any time in the field. He did two small things in Friday's game that answered a lot of questions about his status - he beat out a ground ball to shortstop for an infield hit, and he went deep into the rightcenterfield gap and made a sliding stop of a ball on a play that should have saved a run had the relay been better.

Rocco's back ...

The Devil Rays decided after Tuesday's game to recall Rocco Baldelli from his rehab assignment and expect him to be in the lineup for Wednesday's game. Baldelli has not played in a major-league game since Oct. 3, 2004, having miss all of last season following knee and elbow surgeries and has been sidelined since late March due to a left hamstring strain.

Longoria (Evan) a Devil Ray

The Devil Rays got the player they wanted in Tuesday's draft, selecting Long Beach State third baseman Evan Longoria with the third pick, then announcing they had already agreed to contract terms on a minor-league deal. Longoria hit .353 with 11 homers and 43 RBIs in 56 games. Considered the best pure hitter among college players by Baseball America, Longoria had a .468 on-base percentage and a .603 slugging pct. (in 56 games). Longoria was the Big West Conference co-Player of the Year is a finalist for Golden Spikes Award, given to the top collegian. The Rays considered Longoria their top choice from among five candidates for the pick, but didn't know until Tuesday they could get him. Kansas City picked first and chose pitcher Luke Hochevar, who was drafted last year by the Dodgers but didn't sign, and Colorado went second and took Stanford pitcher Greg Reynolds. That cleared the way for the Rays to land Longoria, who is projected to move quickly to the majors and have a powerful bat when he gets there. He is not, however, related to actress Eva Longoria, one of the stars of ABC's Desperate Housewives.←

Crawford better , Hamilton back ....

Star leftfielder Carl Crawford sat out Friday's game due to lingering stiffness and soreness in his left knee, but said he is confident he should be able to return to action on Saturday night. ""I'm going to try to make every effort to get in the lineup,'' Crawford said. He hurt the knee in Thursday's game, jumping in frustration after being called out at home plate and quickly crumbling to the ground in pain, fearing a serious injury and relieved to find out it wasn't. The Rays tend to be cautious with injuries, so it wouldn't be a surprise if Crawford rests another day or two. And he may not be stealing as many bases initially when he returns.

The return of Josh Hamilton to the baseball field under the ""limited privileges'' granted by MLB as he remains on the restricted list due to multiple drug policy violations is a feel-good story. But it is also a cautionary tale, as Hamilton has a long way to go personally - as well as professionally - before coming anywhere close to getting to the major leagues. Because of the depths of his problem, the Rays and MLB will have to be sure he is able to handle the successes and failures that come with the game on a daily basis at ant level, as well as the lifestyle, with being on the road with lots of free time and, at the big-league level, with money and people hanging around. Also, there is the fact that he hasn't played at game-level speed since July 2002. But for anyone that knew him way back when, it was good to see him back.

Crawford leaves game with injury

As if the Devil Rays needed anything else bad to happen on their miserable seasonlong roadtrip, star leftfielder Carl Crawford left Thursday's game after experiencing what the team said was stiffness in his left knee. Crawford was hurt as he reacted to being called out at the plate in the fourth inning, jumping in the air in protest, then grabbing his knee and writhing on the ground in pain. He was attended to briefly on the field and walked off on his own, then played the field in the bottom of the fourth, running after two balls. But after the Rays batted in the fifth, Crawford was removed from the lineup. Team spokesman Chris Costello said it did not appear to be a serious injury, but Crawford is likely to be further checked today. Crawford, who was just named American League co-player of the week, is the Rays best all-around player and has been sizzling on the 10-game roadtrip, setting a team record with 19 hits in 42 at-bats for a .452 average. After a double and a triple Thursday, he was hitting .300 for the season with a team-high 35 runs, five homers, 27 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases. Batting with two on and two out in the fourth, he lashed a ball to left-center and as Baltimore leftfielder Jeff Conine had trouble coming up with it, Crawford turned the corner for third and then to home. He appeared to beat the relay from shortstop Miguel Tejada and did a pop-up slide, but home plate umpire C.B. Bucknor ruled that catcher Ramon Hernandez's foot blocked Crawford from the plate. Crawford took a few steps then jumped violently and threw his helmet in protest, and his left knee appeared to buckle when he landed on the wet grass.