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Cubs righthander Carlos Zambrano is expected to return to the rotation next week in Pittsburgh, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The righthander went 1-2 with a 7.45 ERA in four starts before being moved to the bullpen, where he posted a 4.76 ERA in 11 relief appearances. He is expected to pitch in relief at least once more before starting Monday or Tuesday.

With Zambrano returning to the starting five, the newspaper speculated lefthander Tom Gorzelanny could be shifted from the rotation to the bullpen to make room for him. Gorzelanny, who will start tonight against the Dodgers, is 2-4 with a 3.09 ERA in eight starts this season.

Dan Lozano, the agent for Albert Pujols, is leaving Beverly Hills Sports Council to start his own agency, according to media reports.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports Pujols and the rest of Lozano’s clients are expected to stay with him. ESPN earlier reported Lozano’s departure.

The Pujols tie is signficant because Lozano has been negotiating with the Cardinals to keep the MVP first baseman in St. Louis long term. Pujols can become a free agent after this season if St. Louis declines his $16 million option for 2011. The Cardinals are expected to exercise the option.

Injured Dodgers right fielder Andre Ethier is healing quickly and could return to action as early as next week.

Ethier (broken finger) took batting practice Tuesday in Chicago and is scheduled to participate in a simulated game Saturday in Denver. MLB.com and the Los Angeles Times speculate that if Ethier does well in the simulated game, he could be activated on Sunday, when he’s eligible to come off the disabled list.

"As of right now, there’s no indication why not," Ethier told reporters.

Dodgers manager Joe Torre said a Sunday return might be too ambitious, but he sounded encouraged by Ethier’s recovery.

"He’s doing a lot of things we didn’t anticipate this early," Torre told reporters. "We want it to feel normal. The last thing we want is to get him into bad habits. If it’s uncomfortable, you know he’ll have trouble doing it."

Phillies fans are doing their part to get their favorite players to this year’s MLB All-Star Game.

The latest voting results show five Philadelphia regulars in position to start the game: second baseman Chase Utley (the NL’s leading vote-getter), injured shortstop Jimmy Rollins, third baseman Placido Polanco and outfielders Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino.

First baseman Ryan Howard is second to Albert Pujols, and catcher Carlos Ruiz is second to St. Louis’ Yadier Molina.

The only laggard is left fielder Raul Ibanez, who is eighth among outfielders.

The 2010 All-Star Game is scheduled for July 13 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.

National League All-Star voting

(Released Tuesday)

First Base
1. Albert Pujols, Cardinals, 647,666
2. Ryan Howard, Phillies, 329,673
3. Prince Fielder, Brewers, 200,395
4. James Loney, Dodgers, 116,850
5. Lance Berkman, Astros, 112,589

Second Base
1. Chase Utley, Phillies, 687,724
2. Rickie Weeks, Brewers, 169,941
3. Martin Prado, Braves, 134,993
4. Kelly Johnson, Diamondbacks, 118,342
5. Skip Schumaker, Cardinals, 112,365

Third Base
1. Placido Polanco, Phillies, 309,458
2. David Wright, Mets, 236,387
3. Casey McGehee, Brewers, 185,312
4. Pablo Sandoval, Giants, 160,179
5. Chipper Jones, Braves, 143,558

Shortstop
1. Jimmy Rollins, Phillies, 340,747
2. Hanley Ramirez, Marlins, 309,244
3. Alcides Escobar, Brewers, 151,710
4. Rafael Furcal, Dodgers, 144,209
5. Jose Reyes, Mets, 137,321

Catcher
1. Yadier Molina, Cardinals, 316,795
2. Carlos Ruiz, Phillies, 259,227
3. Ivan Rodriguez, Nationals, 247,998
4. Brian McCann, Braves, 203,377
5. Russell Martin, Dodgers, 160,698

Outfield
1. Ryan Braun, Brewers, 423,834
2. Jayson Werth, Phillies, 365,402
3. Shane Victorino, Phillies, 348,841
4. Andre Ethier, Dodgers, 316,383
5. Matt Holliday, Cardinals, 309,463
6. Jason Heyward, Braves, 304,547
7. Matt Kemp, Dodgers, 249,554
8. Raul Ibanez, Phillies, 248,450
9. Manny Ramirez, Dodgers, 217,694
10. Jason Bay, Mets, 191,181
11. Alfonso Soriano, Cubs, 177,061
12. Jim Edmonds, Brewers, 162,130
13. Justin Upton, Diamondbacks, 154,502
14. Carlos Gomez, Brewers, 140,145
15. Colby Rasmus, Cardinals, 139,519

Nationals prospect Stephen Strasburg, the top overall pick in the 2009 draft, will make his next Triple-A start Saturday, according to The Washington Post.

Although the Nationals haven’t made an official announcement, there has been speculation that Strasburg will make his major league debut June 4. That is Washington’s first home game in June, and it comes on the heels of a 10-game road trip that starts tonight.

Thus, Saturday’s minor league start could be Strasburg’s last before his major league promotion.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, though, said a date for Strasburg’s "hasn’t been determined yet."

He told reporters before Tuesday’s game, "There are factors that will be involved when we announce it. And even when we announce it, it’s not going to be settled on until after a couple days after he starts his last start in Triple A."

In nine starts between Double-A and Triple-A this season, Strasburg is 6-1 with a 0.99 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings.

"He’s been great," Rizzo said. "He’s a diligent worker. He works his butt off physically. He prepares terrifically. He’s a big, physical guy. I think he’s held up terrifically. For his first taste of this on an everyday basis, I think he’s doing great."

Seeking a spark for their struggling offense, Giants general manager Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy have discussed lineup changes, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Among the possible tweaks: first baseman Aubrey Huff moving to left field (in place of the injured Mark DeRosa), third baseman Pablo Sandoval shifting to first base, second baseman Freddy Sanchez taking over at third base and infielder Juan Uribe starting at second base.

That plan may need to be put on hold. Renteria tweaked a hamstring injury Tuesday night and Bochy said his shortstop "could be down for a little while."

For now, however, Sabean told the newspaper that the Giants won’t promote prospect Buster Posey, who can catch and play first base. According to Sabean, the Giants want to make sure Posey is ready and that they can guarantee him regular playing time before he is recalled. At this time, Bengie Molina still is the starter behind the plate.

DeRosa is eligible to come off the disabled list but likely won’t be activated until next week at the earliest. He told reporters Tuesday that he will travel to Baltimore this week to get a second opinion on his surgically repaired wrist. He has been diagnosed with nerve inflammation.

The Nationals have settled on who they will select first overall in next month’s draft, general manager Mike Rizzo tells CSN Washington’s Mark Zuckerman.

Rizzo did not disclose his choice, but most people expect the Nats will take 17-year-old catcher Bryce Harper, who is coming off a monster weekend for the College of Southern Nevada. His hitting helped propel the team to the Junior College World Series.

This is the second consecutive season Washington has had the top pick in the draft. Last year it selected Stephen Strasburg, who reportedly could make his major league debut next week.

Steve Phillips is still thinking up trades seven years after being fired as the Mets’ general manager.

On Monday, he told New York radio station WFAN that if he were Astros GM Ed Wade, he’d be asking for Nationals pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg in a trade for right-hander Roy Oswalt. Washington reportedly is interested in acquiring Oswalt to bolster its rotation.

Monday night: Strasburg has worst Triple-A start: Two runs in five innings

Per The Washington Post’s Dan Steinberg, Phillips added that Rizzo wouldn’t deal Strasburg, but that didn’t stop the former ESPN analyst from explaining why such a swap would make sense:

"Listen, (Strasburg) was a good college pitcher, he’s a good minor league pitcher so far," Phillips tells host Mike Francesa. "But if I can get one of the top, what, top five starting pitchers in the game today for Strasburg? Because I really, truly, I hope that (Strasburg) could be that guy. I have to tell you, I don’t know that he could be that guy. And with his delivery, I could see the potential of a Mark Prior sort of breakdown."

That said, Phillips values Oswalt highly enough that he advocates asking for the game’s top prospect in a trade.

"If I’m the Astros, I’m asking for Strasburg. And I understand … they won’t do it. But that’s the caliber of player I want for Roy Oswalt," Phillips said.

Steinberg, meanwhile, indirectly points out that Strasburg can’t be traded just yet. Major league rules prohibit clubs from trading draft picks until 12 months after they signed. Strasburg, the first pick in last year’s draft, signed with the Nationals last August. Strasburg could conceivably be moved after the anniversary, as a player to be named.

Per Steinberg, here’s the audio.

The Colorado Rockies on Monday agreed with infielder Kazuo Matsui on a minor league contract, MLB.com reports. Pending a physical, Matsui will report to the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Matsui, 35, was part of the Rockies’ 2007 National League championship team, providing speed at the top of the order. Since then he has slowly declined, culminating in his release by the Astros last week. Matsui batted .141 in 27 games for Houston this season.

MLB.com reports Matsui will provide infield insurance for the Rockies.

Rays vice president Andrew Friedman tells ESPN he expects left fielder Carl Crawford will remain with the club all season.

Friedman made the claim in response to a question by Dan Schulman while being interviewed during tonight’s Rays-Red Sox broadcast.

"I feel very strongly we’re going to have a lot of staying power (this season), We have a lot of respect for how long the season is, but we feel like we have the depth and the talent on hand to compete throughout the year, and obviously we’re a much better team with Carl than without him," Friedman said.

Crawford is in the final season of his contract and there has been much speculation about whether the Rays would be able to re-sign him. Many people concluded that Tampa Bay would deal him if it fell out of contention this season, but the Rays have the majors’ best record at 32-12.

Tampa Bay has an almost-ready replacement for Crawford in Desmond Jennings, who is playing for Triple-A Durham.

"He’s tremendously talented," Friedman said of Jennings, who was Tampa Bay’s minor league Player of the Year in 2009. "He’s a very, very good defensive outfielder, runs the bases very well, works an extremely good at-bat, real good contact skills. He has a chance to really impact us for a lot of years."

One knock on Jennings has been his injury history; he missed the start of Durham’s season after hurting his wrist in spring training, then suffered a shoulder injury.