AL | Oakland slugger Frank Thomas to end the season on DL

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Frank Thomas' season ended Wednesday when the Oakland Athletics transferred the designated hitter from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day one.

He's been on the DL twice this year because of an injured right thigh, most recently going back on Saturday. He also sat out May 28-July 31 because of tendinitis in his quadriceps.

The 40-year-old Thomas ended his season hitting .240 with eight home runs and 30 RBI in 71 games. In 19 seasons in the majors, Thomas has a .301 average with 521 home runs and 1,704 RBI in 2,322 games.

Only Ted Williams, Babe Ruth and Mel Ott finished their careers with a .300 batting average, 500 home runs, 1,000 runs and 1,500 walks. He is tied with Williams and Willie McCovey with 521 home runs, 17th on the career list.

The A's activated first baseman-designated hitter Mike Sweeney.

Baltimore: 3B Melvin Mora, selected August's AL player of the month on Wednesday, was sidelined for his fifth consecutive game with a strained left hamstring.

Boston: INF Kevin Youkilis missed his second straight game. He was a late scratch with back spams on Tuesday. "He came in here a little tighter than we hoped," Boston manager Terry Francona said.

Chicago: 3B Joe Crede was out of the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against Cleveland because of a tight back, joining left fielder Carlos Quentin and center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. on the sideline. Crede aggravated his back diving for a ground ball in the third inning Tuesday and left in the sixth.

Cleveland: DH Travis Hafner, on the disabled list since May 30 with a sore right shoulder, is scheduled to continue his rehabilitation assignment with one of the Indians' minor-league teams that is in postseason play.

Los Angeles: RHP Jered Weaver sustained cuts on the middle and ring fingers of his pitching hand while pushing himself up off the Comerica Park dugout bench during Tuesday night's game against the Tigers. The cuts, caused by a sharp piece of metal underneath the bench, were not deep enough to require stitches. Weaver's next start was pushed back to Monday.

Oakland: Mike Sweeney was eager for a chance to play against the Kansas City Royals, who he spent his first 11 ½ seasons with. He'll have to wait another day. Sweeney signed with the Oakland Athletics just before the start of spring training after spending his entire career with Kansas City. He was activated Wednesday off the disabled list, but the game was rained out and has been rescheduled as a doubleheader today.

New York: Alex Rodriguez reached another milestone when he tied Mike Schmidt for 12th place on the home-run list with 548. Rodriguez's solo shot in the eighth inning of Tuesday's win over Tampa Bay also gave him 11 straight seasons of 30 or more HRs.

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