2004 Biscuits most valuable player returning to team

Infielder Fernando Cortez, the most valuable player of the 2004 inaugural Biscuits, will be back in a Biscuits uniform Monday.

Cortez, the former major-leaguer, has re-signed with Tampa Bay and the Rays are sending him to Montgomery. He'll be activated in time for Monday's home game with Mobile.

Cortez reached the major leagues with Tampa Bay in 2005 and with the Kansas City Royals (at right) in 2007. He hit .185 in 16 games combined. The 27-year-old spent last season at Triple-A Charlotte and had a .262 average in 104 games.

The move is one of five that the Biscuits are making.

2. Catcher Craig Albernaz is being promoted to Triple-A Durham, which recently had Michel Hernandez promoted to the majors after Shawn Riggans was injured. (To wait six days since Riggans went on the DL for this suggests either Riggans is injured more severely than first thought, or Durham's John Jaso or Alex Jamieson might have developed a nagging ache.)

3. Catcher Ian Paxton will be activated to take Albernaz's roster spot. Paxton broke spring camp with the Biscuits but has been on the team's inactive list.

4. Shortstop Matt Hall, drafted out of Auburn last year, will move back down to high-Class A Port Charlotte. Hall came up last week when Biscuits shortstop Jason Bowers went on the disabled list with a quadricep injury.

5. Pitcher Jason Isringhausen will begin a major-league rehabilitation assignment Monday. Isringhausen, who suffered a career-threatening elbow injury last year with the Cardinals, will eventually move on to Durham.

Isringhausen being on a major-league rehab is important because those are limited to just 30 days in length. In this case, those 30 days will be split between Montgomery and Durham. He also won't count against the Southern League roster limit.