Touch 'Em All: Better late than never for Plouffe

Guys like Junior Griffey seem to go right from the senior prom to the majors with nothing in between.

Guys like Trevor Plouffe take a bit longer. A first round pick of the Minnesota Twins in 2004, Plouffe was called up three times and sent back just as many.

The only reason he was still in Minnesota on May 14 was because the Twins would have had to put him on waivers and risk losing him in order to send him back to Rochester.

On that May 14, Plouffe was hitting .133 with one home run and three RBIs.

But since re-entering the lineup on May 16, the third baseman has hit .315 with 13 homers and 21 RBIs in 22 games. More, his 13 dingers in 22 games are the most in the majors during that span - more than Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols or Ryan Braun.

After going 3 for 4 on Sunday, Cincinnati's Joey Votto is hitting .366 with an on-base percentage of .489 and a slugging average of .652.

According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, only four players ever have finished a season with figures that high: Babe Ruth (who did it a stupefying six times); Ted Williams (twice); Rogers Hornsby (twice) and Barry Bonds (once).

Prior to Bonds, the last player to finish with an on-base percentage higher than .489 was Mickey Mantle in 1957.

Kyle Drabek will undergo Tommy John surgery on Tuesday and miss the remainder of the season.

The Toronto righthander felt a "popping sensation" in his elbow last week. Tests showed a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL).

The 24-year-old underwent the same procedure four years ago while a member of the Phillies' farm system and required 13 months recovery and rehab. He was sent to Toronto in the trade for Roy Halladay after the 2009 season. Drabek was 4-7 with a 4.67 ERA in 13 starts.

Washington's Bryce Harper wasted no time bouncing back from Saturday's ignominious 0-for-7 day. The brash leftfielder rapped a single and a double on Sunday.

Just a year ago, Jair Jurrjens was on his way to the All-Star Game. On Monday, Jurrjens was shagging fly balls in triple A. But with Sunday's announcement that major-league ERA leader Brandon Beachy was headed to the disabled list came word Jurrjens will be recalled to start for Atlanta Friday at Boston.

Scott Rolen was activated from the disabled list (sore right shoulder) and in the Reds' lineup Monday night against Cleveland.

The Cubs placed Ryan Dempster on the 15-day disabled list with tightness in his right side muscles. The righthander is 3-3 and his 2.11 ERA is second in the majors. He has not allowed a run in 22 innings.