| | Associated Press
CINCINNATI -- Deion Sanders received permission to leave the Cincinnati Reds' Triple-A farm club Thursday, at least temporarily
ending the attempt to revive his baseball career.
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| Sanders |
The outfielder batted only .200 (21-for-105) for Louisville with
10 stolen bases in 25 games. Sanders had not played baseball since
1997, when he left the Reds to be a full-time cornerback for the
Dallas Cowboys.
General manager Jim Bowden said the club agreed to let Sanders
return to his home in Dallas, where he'll continue rehabilitating
his right knee.
"We want him just to get himself playing 100 percent without
the distractions of doing everything else," Bowden said.
Although Bowden said it's possible Sanders could return to
baseball this season, it's highly unlikely. Sanders expects to play
cornerback in the NFL this fall, possibly for the Washington
Redskins.
Sanders, 32, signed a minor-league contract with the
Reds on Jan. 20 intending to return to the majors. The
centerfielder's value to the Reds diminished when they traded for
Ken Griffey Jr. on Feb. 10.
Sanders had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee to fix a
football injury on Jan. 24. He was hobbled when he reported for
spring training but was running well enough to begin a minor league
rehabilitation assignment last month.
Sanders had hoped to rejoin the Reds quickly, but his minor
league struggles and the Reds' outfield depth became a roadblock.
"Where he's at now baseball-wise, it's my opinion at this point
that he cannot help our 25-man roster," Bowden said. "He's
probably at 95 to 98 percent, but he's not 100 percent healthy. For
him to continue what he was doing at Triple A -- he's not making
progress. We both feel it's in his best interests to get him 100
percent healthy."
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