Cardinals shelve Sanders because of broken leg

St. Louis – Cardinals outfielder Reggie Sanders might miss a month or more because of a broken bone in his right leg.

Sanders was placed on the disabled list Monday, three days after he collided with center fielder Jim Edmonds as they chased a flyball. Tests taken Sunday showed that the 37-year-old left fielder had a hairline fracture of his right fibula that could keep him out longer than a month.

Sanders was second on the Cardinals with 18 home runs, third with 44 RBIs and first with 14 stolen bases in 15 attempts.

Chipper Jones off DL, homers in first at-bat

San Francisco – The Atlanta Braves activated third baseman Chipper Jones from the 15-day disabled list Monday, and the five-time All-Star homered on his first trip to the plate against the San Francisco Giants.

Jones, batting fifth in the Braves’ lineup for the first time since 1995, drove a 1-1 pitch from Kevin Correia into the right-field stands more than 420 feet away in the first inning.

The homer snapped Jones’ 0-for-18 slump – the second-worst of his career, behind an 0-for-23 skid in 2000. The drive, which followed a two-run shot by Andruw Jones, put the Braves up, 3-0.

Chipper Jones was in a 1-for-27 slump when he went on the DL on June 6 because of a partially torn ligament in his left foot. He was batting .282 with seven homers and 26 RBIs this season before missing the previous 35 games.

Orioles activate Bedard, dump reliever Baldwin

Minneapolis – The Baltimore Orioles designated reliever James Baldwin for assignment Monday and activated left-hander Erik Bedard from the 15-day disabled list.

Bedard was 5-1 with a 2.08 earned-run average in nine starts before straining the medial collateral ligament in his left knee.

ChiSox add Hernandez, jettison Takatsu

Chicago – The White Sox activated right-hander Orlando Hernandez from the 15-day disabled list and designated reliever Shingo Takatsu for assignment Monday.

Hernandez (7-2) was scheduled to pitch Monday night at home against the Detroit Tigers. El Duque’s previous start was June 14, following his second stint of the season on the disabled list because of an inflamed pitching shoulder.

Takatsu, 36, was 1-2 with eight saves and a 5.97 ERA in 31 relief appearances this season. Takatsu was 6-4 with 19 saves last season with Chicago.

The White Sox opted to keep rookie right-hander Bobby Jenks on the roster.

Betancourt returns

Cleveland – Indians reliever Rafael Betancourt was reinstated Monday after serving his 10-day suspension for violating baseball’s drug policy. Betancourt was suspended July 8 after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance. He was on the disabled list because of a shoulder injury when his suspension was announced.