| DENVER -- To hear Ken Caminiti talk, his latest trip to the
disabled list could be his last.
The Houston Astros third baseman is expected to miss at least two weeks
after injuring his right wrist in the third inning of the Astros'
5-4 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Thursday.
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| Caminiti |
X-rays were negative, but Caminiti was scheduled to return to
Houston for tests to determine if he has tendon damage, while the
Astros continued a four-city, 10-game road trip in San Francisco on
Friday.
"If it's serious, I'm done. I am retiring," said Caminiti, who
has been dogged by injuries throughout his career.
It was impossible to tell if the three-time Gold Glove winner
was serious about his future, but a stint on the 15-day disabled
list was a reality. The Astros planned to make a roster move
Friday.
"It is a difficult thing for us to deal with because he brings
so much power to the lineup," manager Larry Dierker said. "We
don't really have anybody else to replace him with. Billy Spiers
can play third and he is a good hitter, but he is not a powerful
hitter like Caminiti."
Caminiti, who is hitting .304 with 15 home runs and 45 RBI,
injured the wrist while swinging through a pitch from Kevin Jarvis.
He dropped the bat on the follow-through and left when he had
trouble taking practice swings.
"Something popped," he said. "I hope it's not serious. Then
I'll be back in a couple of weeks."
Caminiti's injury is the latest setback for Houston (24-41) in
what has been a dismal season for the three-time defending NL
Central champions.
The last-place Astros have struggled offensively and defensively
and hit bottom last Sunday when rookie catcher Mitch Meluskey
punched teammate Matt Mieske during batting practice in San Diego.
Caminiti said Friday he thought Houston's luck may be changing,
but his personal misfortune apparently hasn't.
Caminiti missed nearly three months of 1999 with a strained calf
muscle and sat out 21 games in 1998 with a strained quadriceps. He
had shoulder surgery after winning the National League MVP award in
1996 and was slowed by a strained hamstring in 1997. | |
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