Desiring a spark over the status quo, general manager John Mozeliak said on Friday that after weeks of considering Kolten Wong to be Major League-ready, the Cardinals felt it was finally time to shake up the look of the big league roster.

Carlos Villanueva’s versatility has kept him in the big leagues, and it was also one of the reasons he was bumped from the Cubs’ rotation.

Cubs manager Dale Sveum is a big football fan, and next year, he may get to throw a challenge flag just like NFL coaches. Major League Baseball announced Thursday it is proposing new instant replay rules, which will be initiated when a manager informs the umpire he wants to challenge a play.

Cubs pitcher Matt Guerrier underwent surgery Friday to repair the flexor mass in his right arm, and he will be sidelined six to eight months. Dr. Timothy Kremchek performed the procedure.

The Dodgers announced on Friday that they have recalled outfielder Scott Van Slyke and optioned infielder Dee Gordon to Triple-A Albuquerque.2

Recovering right-handed reliever Brian Wilson planned to throw a simulated game at Citizens Bank Park on Friday and will not be activated for the Dodgers’ series opener with the Phillies.

Charlie Manuel, who led the Phillies to the 2008 World Series championship amidst a run of five division titles, was replaced as the team’s manager Friday by Ryne Sandberg, who accepted the position on an interim basis.

The Marlins on Friday promoted reliever Arquimedes Caminero from Double-A Jacksonville. The hard-throwing right-hander projects as a possible future closer.

Tyler Pastornicky’s opportunity to fill in as Atlanta’s starting second baseman proved to be short-lived. Early Friday afternoon, the Braves announced that Pastornicky will undergo season-ending left knee surgery to repair the damage he sustained during a collision with Jason Heyward on Wednesday night.

There aren’t many baseball men held in higher regard than Charlie Manuel, and isn’t that about the highest compliment you can pay someone? Everyone who has ever played for Charlie, worked for Charlie or covered Charlie knows he’s about as stand-up a guy as has ever been in the business.

In a radio interview, Jim McKean, a former umpire with 30 years of Major League experience, said that while there could be some issue with expanded replay, overall it will benefit the men in blue.

The Blue Jays on Friday reinstated left-hander J.A. Happ from the bereavement list and placed shortstop Munenori Kawasaki on the paternity list in a corresponding roster move.

Matt Carpenter came up just a homer shy of hitting for the cycle Thursday, and his production out of the leadoff spot this season ranks among the best in Cardinals history.

With an expanded postseason and fewer days off during short series, teams can no longer ride one ace horse in the postseason. Now, one-two punches are more important than ever.

Orioles pitching coach Rick Adair has temporarily left the team to take a personal leave of absence. He will be replaced in the meantime by bullpen coach Bill Castro, who in turn will be replaced by interim bullpen coach Scott McGregor.

Thanks largely to editorials in the Chicago Defender, many African-Americans moved to the South Side in search of a better life.

The Cuban baseball experience is a mixture of politics, passion and sport, where the level of success varies greatly, but the levels of risk are always the same: The escape from Cuba is fraught with peril and far from a certain path to a future in the big leagues.