Baseball-Major League Baseball roundup

May 17 (The Sports Xchange) - The Arizona Diamondbacks have hired Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa to be their new chief baseball officer, the team announced on Saturday. La Russa will oversee the Diamondbacks' baseball operations department and determine whether changes are necessary. General manager Kevin Towers will report directly to La Russa. La Russa, 69, retired from managing after guiding the St. Louis Cardinals to the 2011 World Series title. Since then, he has been working in Major League Baseball's executive offices. The Diamondbacks are off to a slow start to the season at 16-28 heading into Saturday. They are tied with the Houston Astros for the most losses in the major leagues. Arizona also has the worst run differential in the majors at minus-73. - - The attorney for Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez told the Miami Herald that a leg injury led to the elbow damage that resulted in the right-hander having Tommy John surgery on Friday. Ralph Fernandez, who is not related to the pitcher, claimed the elbow injury occurred after Fernandez was struck by a line drive on a thigh in his second-to-last start. The attorney said that "prompted a completely unanticipated change in delivery that neither the staff nor his coaches could discern". According to the Herald, Miami manager Mike Redmond and two unnamed pitchers on the team said they did not notice any changes to Fernandez's delivery. Redmond also said that Fernandez "absolutely" should have informed the coaching staff if he was hurt. Fernandez, expected to miss 12-18 months, was 4-2 with a 2.44 ERA in 51 2/3 innings this year. - - The San Diego Padres placed right-hander Andrew Cashner on the 15-day disabled list with a sore elbow, MLB.com reported on Saturday. The exact nature and extent of the injury was not immediately disclosed by the team. Cashner, 27, was scheduled to pitch Sunday, but a replacement starter was not yet announced. In nine starts, Cashner is 2-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 57 1/3 innings this season. - - The Boston Red Sox placed third baseman Will Middlebrooks on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday with a fractured finger. Middlebrooks was hit by a pitch earlier this week but it is not clear if that resulted in the injury. Middlebrooks, 25, has been bothered by injuries the past two seasons. He was out earlier this season with a calf injury. He has a batting line of .197/.305/.324 with two home runs and nine RBIs in 21 games this season. The club recalled infielder Brock Holt from Triple-A Pawtucket to take Middlebrooks' roster spot. - - The Detroit Tigers released left-handed reliever Nate Robertson on Saturday. Robertson, 36, was pitching for the team's Triple-A affiliate in Toledo. He had a 3.43 ERA but walked 13 batters in 21 innings while trying to work his way back to the major leagues. Robertson was part of Detroit's rotation from 2004 to 2008 but has not pitched in the majors since 2010. (Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)