Scott Podsednik is back with the Red Sox

There are some players everyone wants. There are some players no one wants. Then there’s Scott Podsednik. Everyone acts like they want him — they sign him, they trade for him — but then they let him go. And then he shows up again like a loyal little puppy or something:

Source: Podsednik back with #RedSox on major-league deal.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 10, 2012

This, of course, comes just a week or so after the Red Sox traded Podsednik away to Arizona in the deal that netted them Craig Breslow. The Dbacks released Podsednik two days later — they really wanted Matt Albers in that deal, it seems — and now he’s back in Boston.

Hope he didn’t let his apartment go. I bet he let his apartment go. Man, what a drag.

Giants reliever Hunter Strickland has been activated from the 60-day disabled list, the club announced Saturday. In a corresponding move, third baseman Pablo Sandoval was shifted to the 60-day disabled list, where he’ll remain for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his right hamstring. Right-handed reliever Dereck Rodriguez has also been placed on the 10-day disabled list after suffering a hamstring strain during Tuesday’s brawl against the Dodgers.

Strickland, 29, had been shelved with a fractured right hand since mid-June. The right-hander sustained the injury after punching a door and underwent surgery to repair the fifth metacarpal in his pitching hand. He only missed the minimum after making a speedy recovery, however, and finished his recent rehab stint with 5 2/3 innings of two-run, 10-strikeout ball for the Giants’ rookie, High-A and Triple-A affiliates.

Prior to the incident, Strickland logged 13 saves in 28 opportunities with a 2.84 ERA, 3.7 BB/9 and 8.2 SO/9 in 34 appearances. According to comments from club skipper Bruce Bochy, the Giants don’t plan on wasting any time before deploying their former closer, but will make him available in high-leverage situations as soon as possible. It’s worth noting, too, that the team still has a viable closer in lefty reliever Will Smith, who picked up 10 saves and engineered a 3.10 ERA, 1.8 BB/9 and 12.8 SO/9 in 20 1/3 innings since Strickland landed on the DL this summer.