Unhappy with Lastings Milledge's offense, defense, work ethic, and everything in between, the Nationals sent the 24-year-old a surprising message Tuesday by demoting him to Triple-A. Milledge may indeed need a wakeup call, but the team has magnified his faults by playing him in center field despite poor route-running and leading him off despite mediocre on-base skills.

Milledge still looks capable of eventually being an above-average bat and would likely be a plus defender in right field, but first he'll have to get his act together at Triple-A and even then the Nationals may decide that they have the depth to let him go via trade. In the meantime, Elijah Dukes takes over as the starting center fielder and has enough upside to be a mixed-league asset.

While things get so weird in Washington that Dukes is now a good guy, here are some other notes from around baseball …

* As expected, the White Sox moved DeWayne Wise to the disabled list Tuesday and called up Jerry Owens from Triple-A. However, manager Ozzie Guillen said that rather than give Owens a shot to essentially replace Wise as the left-handed hitting half of the center-field platoon he'll hand Brian Anderson an opportunity to play nearly every day.

Anderson is the best option defensively, but he's also hit just .221/.278/.376 over 660 plate appearances in the majors. Of course, Owens has hit .268/.321/.312 in the majors after batting .272/.343/.341 at Triple-A, so barring a trade the position will drag the lineup down either way. For fantasy purposes, as regulars Anderson has the pop to hit 15 homers with a bad average and Owens has 40-steal speed.

* Daisuke Matsuzaka looked horrible while allowing five first-inning runs Tuesday and then left his start against the A's with what the Red Sox are now calling "arm fatigue." Matsuzaka also struggled last week in his first start of the year, so there is definitely reason for concern. If he ends up on the disabled list, Clay Buchholz could likely get the call to replace him while John Smoltz continues his rehab.

* Xavier Nady left Tuesday's game in the seventh inning after experiencing sharp elbow pain, which is noteworthy given that he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2002. He'll undergo an MRI exam Wednesday and Nick Swisher figures to pick up most of the at-bats in his absence whether the injury proves to be a short- or long-term problem.

* Melvin Mora looks headed for the disabled list with the same hamstring injury that he suffered during the World Baseball Classic. Mora has gone 5-for-16 with seven RBIs in five games, but said Tuesday that the injury simply isn't improving. Ty Wigginton will take over at third base as long as the Orioles are willing to live with his terrible defense there, and has enough pop to have solid fantasy value.

AL Quick Hits: A.J. Burnett took a no-hitter into the seventh inning Tuesday night before settling for a victory over the Rays … Jed Lowrie (wrist) has already been examined by three doctors, but is scheduled to get another opinion Wednesday in Baltimore … Meanwhile, Julio Lugo (knee) is set to resume baseball activities in extended spring training Wednesday … Jesse Litsch landed on the disabled list Tuesday with forearm soreness, but there's no word yet on the severity of the injury … Eric Chavez underwent an MRI exam Tuesday and said afterward that "the shoulder is still structurally fine" … Josh Beckett got a six-game suspension for throwing at Bobby Abreu, but will appeal … Rich Hill (elbow) threw a bullpen session Tuesday and noted afterward that he felt "great" … Chicago's options in center field are so unappealing that they signed 33-year-old Scott Podsednik to a minor-league contract Tuesday.

NL Quick Hits: Tom Glavine's career could be over after a visit with Dr. James Andrews showed rotator-cuff inflammation that'll sideline the future Hall of Famer for at least one month … Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said Monday that Troy Glaus' past steroid is "a dead issue" … Chris Carpenter's comeback hit what's hopefully a temporary snag Tuesday when he left in the fourth inning with a strained ribcage … Billy Wagner threw off a mound Monday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John elbow surgery in September, but remains unlikely to make an impact this season … Cristian Guzman has been diagnosed with a mild hamstring strain, so he figures to avoid the disabled list … Homer Bailey was ejected from his Triple-A start Tuesday for throwing at the batter following a homer and remains nowhere close to helping the Reds … Jeff Samardzija tossed four scoreless innings Monday in his first start at Triple-A.