Two Rangers pitchers shipped to minors

Arlington, Texas Left-hander Chris Michalak and right-hander Steve Woodard cleared waivers and were both assigned to Triple-A Oklahoma on Thursday by the Texas Rangers.

Both Michalak and Woodard, who were designated for assignment and taken off the Texas roster Monday, agreed to report to the Pacific Coast League team.

They had the option to refuse the assignment and become free agents.

Michalak was 0-2 with a 4.40 ERA in 13 relief appearances for the Rangers. Woodard was 0-0 with a 6.62 ERA in 14 relief appearances.

Texas catcher Rodriguez rips four hits in return

Port Charlotte, Fla. Texas catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who is on the disabled list with a herniated disk in his back, went 4-for-6 in an extended spring training game Thursday.

The 10-time All-Star hasn’t played for the Rangers since April 15, and the earliest he would rejoin the team is late next week.

Rodriguez had two doubles and two singles and was hit in the back by a pitch, which didn’t cause him any discomfort.

He also caught 10 minutes of batting practice without any problems.

Rodriguez is expected to go through the same routine Friday and then catch 2-to-4 innings in a game Saturday.

If all goes well, he will be assigned to Class A Port Charlotte and begin a rehab assignment Sunday. This is his first time in the minors since 1991.

No agreement reached between Reds, Shaw

Cincinnati Jeff Shaw won’t get a chance to make a comeback with the Cincinnati Reds.

General manager Jim Bowden told Shaw’s agent Thursday that their discussions had reached a dead end.

The free agent reliever had hoped to revive his career in Cincinnati, which is close to home.

The Reds are finishing their final season at Cinergy Field with a tight budget further strained by a drop in attendance, making them wary about adding to their $45 million payroll.

Shaw, 35, became a free agent after last season when Los Angeles bought out his contract option.

He talked to the Chicago Cubs in spring training, but couldn’t come to an agreement.

Lidle activated from DL

St. Petersburg, Fla. The Oakland Athletics activated right-hander Cory Lidle from the 15-day disabled list and optioned pitcher Erik Hiljus to Triple-A Sacramento Thursday. Lidle, who is 1-5 with a 5.24 ERA in eight starts, was placed on the DL retroactive to May 13 with a right shoulder strain. He is scheduled to start Friday night’s game at Tampa Bay. Hiljus was 3-3 with a 6.50 ERA in nine starts. The right-hander went 0-3 with a 10.69 ERA over his past four starts.

Caminiti backs off statement on steroids

Houston Ken Caminiti backed away from statements about steroids attributed to him in Sports Illustrated, insisting he never meant that half of major leaguers are taking the drugs.

“What’s really bothering me most about this whole thing is how it got blown out of context,” the former NL MVP told ESPN Radio. “I don’t know if I mentioned half or not. That is something that might have been thrown in my face or in my mouth. That’s not true. That’s a false statement. I didn’t mean half. There’s a couple of people that have done it that I know of. Baseball’s a pretty clean sport.”

Sports Illustrated spokesman Rick McCabe said the magazine stands by its story, which set off a furor around major league baseball this week.

Angels activate Gil from 15-day DL list

Minneapolis The Anaheim Angels activated infielder Benji Gil from the 15-day disabled list Thursday after sending infielder Alfredo Amezaga to Triple-A Salt Lake the day before.

Gil joined the Angels at the Metrodome, where they began a four-game series against the Minnesota Twins. He was on a rehab assignment with Salt Lake after spraining his left ankle on April 5.

Manager Mike Scioscia didn’t expect that Gil would need much time to readjust after the lengthy rehab assignment.

“He’s ready to go and play,” Scioscia said.

Amezaga, a rookie, had four hits Wednesday night in Kansas City and batted .500 (5-for-10) in five games.

Padres slugger Nevin suffers broken left arm

San Diego San Diego Padres slugger Phil Nevin has a broken left arm and is expected to be out for six weeks.

The infielder was hurt Wednesday night diving for a grounder in the Padres’ win over Colorado, and the original diagnosis was a bruised rotator cuff. Padres trainer Todd Hutcheson said Nevin had an MRI on Thursday and doctors thought they saw a fracture, which they confirmed with a CT scan.

Nevin had been back just three games from a stint on the disabled list with a strained left elbow when he was hurt again. He started this season at first base, but moved back to third on Monday night after struggling rookie Sean Burroughs was benched.

Chipper back in lineup two days after mishap

Atlanta Chipper Jones returned to the Atlanta Braves lineup Thursday night, just two days after fouling a ball off his right calf.

Jones made a surprise appearance as a pinch-hitter Wednesday, but was still having trouble running. After another round of treatment, he felt ready to play left field, although he said he planned to bat with a thick protective shield.