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LOS ANGELES - Fernando Valenzuela's days of being estranged from the Dodgers are past.
The former star left-hander will rejoin the team as a member of its Spanish language broadcasting crew Friday night.
"He's very excited, and so are we," Dodgers senior vice president Derrick Hall said Wednesday. "He seems to be excited and nervous."
Valenzuela was upset when he was cut in the spring of 1991. He later resumed his career and wound up with a 173-153 record and a 3.54 ERA in 17 seasons.
"We couldn't get to him for years," Hall said. "We couldn't even get a response. All the circumstances had to be in order for him to come back."
Valenzuela, 42, is scheduled to be introduced today at a Dodger Stadium news conference.
Valenzuela will be a color commentator, working with Hall of Fame broadcaster Jaime Jarrin and Pepe Yniguez during all home games and road games against NL West opponents.
The Dodgers also placed starter Darren Dreifort on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained ligament in his right knee.
San Juan return likelySAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Major League Baseball is so pleased with using Puerto Rico as a part-time home for the Expos that it's willing to come back next year.
"I think this has gone as well or better than expected," Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, said Wednesday night before Montreal played the Angels. "Everybody has worked very hard to put on major-league baseball in a major-league environment. I think we've succeeded in doing that."
The Expos, owned by the other 29 teams, had 22 home games moved by the commissioner's office to San Juan this season to raise revenue.
The average attendance there is 13,896 through 11 games. The Expos are averaging 11,338 through 18 games in Montreal.
FAN ATTACK: A judge in Chicago recommended a sentence of six months in a boot camp for the 16-year-old who rushed the field with his father and attacked a Royals coach during a game at Comiskey Park in September.
RANGERS UNLOAD BENES: Texas traded disgruntled right-hander Alan Benes after he balked at a demotion, sending him back to the Cubs for minor-league infielder Steve O'Sullivan.
BREWERS: Milwaukee released outfielder Jeffrey Hammonds after more than two injury-plagued seasons.
CARDINALS: Closer Jason Isringhausen, still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, is scheduled for his first rehabilitation appearance today for Double-A Tennessee.
INDIANS: Right-handed reliever Mark Wohlers is expected to miss the rest of the season after test results revealed ligament damage to his pitching elbow.
METS: Starter Pedro Astacio and reliever Scott Strickland likely will have surgery in the next two weeks, ending the right-handers' seasons. Astacio went on the 15-day disabled list Sunday with a torn labrum in his right shoulder and could have surgery Tuesday. Strickland could have ligament replacement surgery in two weeks.
OBITUARY: Johnny Hopp, who played in five World Series with the Cardinals and Yankees, died at 86 in Scottsbluff, Neb. The outfielder batted .296 with 128 steals in a 14-year career from 1939-52.