Gagne activated, begins two-game suspension

ATLANTA ? (AP) ? The Los Angeles Dodgers activated closer Eric Gagne Tuesday but announced he began serving a two-game suspension and will not join the team until Thursday in Los

Angeles.

Gagne completed his second minor league rehabilitation stint with Triple A Las Vegas Monday, recording a save in an 8-6 victory.

"My arm felt great,'' Gagne told the San Jose Mercury News. "I feel confident. I'll be ready for Thursday. You get mentally ready and bounce back in the big leagues.''

Gagne was serving a suspension imposed by Major League Baseball on April 29, 2005, for violating the terms of a previous penalty.

The Dodgers optioned utility infielder Oscar Robles to Triple-A Las Vegas to clear a spot for Gagne. The move left the team short on infielders for the last two games of the series against the Atlanta Braves.

Second baseman Jeff Kent was held out of Tuesday night's starting lineup after missing two games with a sprained left wrist. Ramon Martinez again was the fill-in starter at second base Tuesday night, and manager Grady Little said he hoped Kent would return Wednesday.

Fill-in closer Danny Baez has blown five saves in 14 chances. Overall, the Dodgers have eight blown saves in 19 opportunities this season.

Gagne had surgery on April 7 to remove a nerve from his right elbow.

The operation ? the second for Gagne in less than a year ? was performed by Dr. Frank Jobe and Dr. Ralph Gambardella of the team's medical staff in Los Angeles.

The nerve that was removed was the same one that was moved during a season-ending operation June 24, 2005.

A near-unanimous winner of the NL Cy Young Award in 2003, Gagne saved 152 games from 2002-04. The 30-year-old right-hander went 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA last season. He had eight saves in eight chances while appearing in 14 games.

While on the disabled list with the elbow injury, Gagne was ejected from a game on April 6, 2005, in San Francisco. Gagne apparently heckled home plate umpire Bill Hohn about balls and strikes from the dugout, breaking rule 3.17 of the MLB rule book, which states that "players on the disabled list ... may not take part in any activity during the game such as warming up a pitcher, bench jockeying, etc.''

Gagne was instructed he should not be in uniform on the Dodgers' bench or in their bullpen during games while he remained on the DL. Violation of that stipulation led to the subsequent two-game suspension.

It was initially reported that Gagne was allowed to serve the suspension in the Dodgers' second and third games this year, but he then was placed on the disabled list, retroactive to April 1.

"He can't serve on two lists,'' assistant general manager Kim Ng said on Tuesday. "It's the right thing to do.''