A pair of Cuban defectors who reportedly showed up in the United States in January will still have to wait to sign with a major league team.

Major League Baseball ruled in the beginning of August that Adonis Garcia, a 26-year-old outfielder/third baseman, will not be eligible to sign for six months due to fraudulent residency paperwork, according to Kim Ng, MLB's vice president in charge of overseeing the league's international operations.

"On him, the reason for him not being eligible to sign was for the identification papers," Ng said. "He submitted fraudulent papers in trying to establish his residency."

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The calm before the storm of September callups . . .

Arizona Diamondbacks
Released: RHP Jeff Bennett
Removed from 40-man: SS Cody Ransom (outrighted to Triple-A)
Placed on 7-day DL: 1B Juan Miranda, OF Michael Restovich
Reinstated from DL: C Robby Hammock

Atlanta Braves
Placed on 60-day DL: LHP Dimasther Delgado, LHP Rowdy Hardy
Reinstated from DL: RHP Yeliar Castro, RHP Erik Cordier, 3B Shawn Bowman

Baltimore Orioles
Signed: OF Felix Pie*
Recalled: LHP Mark Hendrickson
Removed from 40-man: OF Felix Pie (outrighted to Triple-A)
Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Matt Hobgood, C Zach Booker, 1B Tyler Townsend, SS Greg Miclat [...] Continue Reading »

• Twins righthander Kyle Gibson will undergo Tommy John surgery on Sept. 7, according to Rhett Bollinger, the Twins beat writer for MLB.com. Gibson was diagnosed with a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament on Aug. 9.

Gibson was the Twins' first-round pick in 2009 out of Missouri. He was a lock to go in the first 10 picks, but slipped to their spot at 22 because doctors diagnosed a stress fracture in his pitch forearm days before the draft.

He went 3-8, 4.81 with 91 strikeouts and 27 walks over 95 innings this season for Triple-A Rochester.

• Nationals first-round pick third baseman Anthony Rendon will be added to the Scottsdale Scorpions roster, according to Washington Times reporter Amanda Comak.

Rendon's addition gives the team a fearsome middle-of-the-order that also includes Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper and Angels outfielder Mike Trout.

Cesar Puello was going to be one of the breakout prospects of 2011, at least according to some scouts who watched the young Mets outfielder last year.

Puello, 20, has plenty of tools. He runs well, throws well, shows plenty of raw power in batting practice and overhauled a swing that helped him hit .292 with a .375 on-base percentage last year at low Class A Savannah.

Instead, Puello's season started with a thud, as he hit .242/.297/.350 in 64 games heading into the all-star break. Since then, Puello has been one of the best hitters in the Florida State League. After going 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and a stolen base yesterday, he's hitting .290/.350/.475 in the second half (48 games), with 19 stolen bases on the season. He's also clubbed nine home runs after hitting only one last year.

Puello's approach is still raw, but he's also one of the youngest players in the FSL. The Mets have also tried to give him more value by moving him from right field to center field in June, though his reads off the bat will need refinement.

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