Arizona’s Davis has thyroid cancer

Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Doug Davis has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

“We don’t know much, other than he does have thyroid cancer,” team President Derrick Hall said in a telephone interview on Friday. “It’s saddening. It was a complete surprise to the entire organization, and to him.”

The 32-year-old Davis made his scheduled start against Colorado in an exhibition game at Chase Field on Friday night and struggled, giving up consecutive home runs in the second inning to Brad Hawpe, Yorvit Torrealba and Jayson Nix.

Davis left after 2 2/3 innings, yielding eight runs and nine hits, including four home runs. He struck out five.

Hall said Davis would take his regular turn in the rotation on April 3 at Cincinnati, in the first series of the season.

Davis is expected to undergo surgery on April 10, Hall said. The team doesn’t know when Davis might return.

“After that, it’s too difficult now to predict any timing related to it,” Hall said. “There is a chance he won’t be ready this season.”

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Major League Baseball put the suspensions of Baltimore’s Jay Gibbons and Kansas City’s Jose Guillen on hold for 10 days, giving lawyers for players and owners more time to reach an agreement toughening their drug rules.

The outfielders were suspended for 15 days each on Dec. 6, following media reports linking them to performance-enhancing drugs. The penalties were to start Sunday.

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The Tampa Bay Rays put outfielder Rocco Baldelli on the 60-day disabled list and filled his roster spot by claiming outfielder Nathan Haynes off waivers from the Angels.

Baldelli, who sat out most of last season because of lingering hamstring problems, is sidelined indefinitely because of a mitochondrial disorder, a condition he says leaves him feeling extremely fatigued after short workouts.

The Rays were hoping the 26-year-old could share the right-field job with Jonny Gomes and Cliff Floyd.

Baldelli has appeared in only 127 of 486 games the last three seasons because of an assortment of injuries.

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Center fielder Jim Edmonds was put on the 15-day disabled list, meaning he’ll sit out his first opening day with the San Diego Padres.

Edmonds strained his right calf during a spring training game on March 6. The move was retroactive to March 21, meaning he’ll be eligible to return next Saturday.