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"The worst-case scenario would have been he had a complete tear of his elbow and needed the (Tommy John) surgery, but he didn't. So that's good news," Ricciardi said. "Now, hopefully, we'll be able to get him back."

Ryan complained of pain from the opening day of the season. The discomfort showed, as the left-hander rarely seemed to gain control en route to a 12.46 ERA in five appearances.

In his rookie season with the Jays, Frasor became the closer for half a season and responded by going 17-for-19 in save situations.

His success back then, he said, was entirely due to the work of catcher Gregg Zaun and Lady Luck.

"I had no idea what I was doing," Frasor said candidly of the complete inexperience he had with the job in '04. "I never shook off the catcher. I just threw it up there and got lucky many, many times.

Left fielder Johnson, meanwhile, who is on the disabled list with a herniated disc, will undergo back surgery today in St. Petersburg, Fla. The operation will be performed by Dr. Thomas Tolli, a spine specialist.

In a best-case scenario, the Jays said that Johnson would be available to return to duty following the mid-July all-star break.

To replace Johnson, the Jays recalled top prospect Adam Lind on Friday. A left-handed hitter, Lind hit .367 in 18 games with the Jays last September. In his first two games with the Jays this season, he has gone 4-for-8.

It became apparent on Saturday, when Ryan walked the bases loaded in the ninth inning and surrendered four runs (three of them earned) that allowed the Tigers to score a 10-7 victory, that something was not right with one of baseball's premier closers.

As expected, the team announced Monday that Johnson has opted for surgery to repair a herniated disc in his lower back. The surgery will be performed Tuesday in St. Petersburg, Fla., by spine specialist Dr. Thomas Tolli.

The other side? Outfielder Reed Johnson is scheduled to undergo surgery today to repair a herniated disc in his lower back. Johnson will be out of action at least until July.

And third baseman Troy Glaus is expected to go on the DL today with a bone spur in his left heel and a sore hamstring, according to reports last night.

Cloudy with sunny periods and 60 percent chance of showers. Wind north 20 km/h. High 10. UV index 4 or moderate.

whosthebosh? wrote:Thanks for the dailies.

That SSGirl is definitely somebody's mother.

Valerie ... This personal trainer just became a Hooters Girl. She's married and has two kids as well as a pet pot-bellied pig.