Brandon McCarthy Stable And Other MLBullets

The latest from around MLB ...

• Brandon McCarthy is recovering after a scary moment on Wednesday when he took a line drive off the back of his head. He subsequently underwent a two hour procedure to alleviate pressure on his brain after suffering a hemorrhage, a brain contusion, and a skull fracture. From A's GM Billy Beane's statement: "Our first concern is Brandon's health, and we are heartened to learn he has shown progress in his recovery after surgery. We are glad to report he is stable, awake and alert. The team will provide further updates as they become available in the coming days. We would ask members of the media to respect the privacy of Brandon and his family during this time." All appropriate thoughts/prayers go out to McCarthy and his family.

• Bobby Valentine told a radio interviewer that he'd "punch him in the mouth." It was a joke, but the cascading reality of the Boston Red Sox is becoming a soap opera of the kind from which a manager cannot recover. It is almost impossible to imagine him managing the Sox in 2013.
• It's been a rough year for Juan Carlos Oviedo. First, his identity issues were exposed - you may have remembered him as former Marlins closer Leo Nunez - and he had legal troubles in the Dominican Republic. Then he was suspended by MLB for eight weeks when he finally made it to the States. Then he strained his elbow. And now? Tommy John surgery.
• Speaking of Tommy John surgery, that might be the end-game for Chad Billingsley, who's now out for the year with a partially torn UCL.
• Jered Weaver has shoulder tendinitis and will miss his next start, at least. It's bad timing for the Angels, who are battling for a playoff spot.
• As should have been expected, the Players Association has a problem with the proposed limitations on September call-ups (reducing it from the full 40-man roster to a five-man limit above the 25-man, which must be set at the end of August). Call-ups are paid a prorated chunk of the Major League minimum, and they accrue service time. Being a fan of wide-ranging September call-ups myself, I'll side with the Players Association on this one.
• MLB.com has come out with an updated Top 100 prospect list, including new top 20s for each team.
• FanGraphs digs into who might be the most underrated player in baseball and comes up with Angel Pagan.

Brett Taylor is the Lead Writer at Bleacher Nation, and a Contributor here at Bleed Cubbie Blue.