ST. LOUIS -- Atlanta Braves outfielder Bernard Gilkey could face up to five years in prison if convicted in the latest drunken driving case against him.

Gilkey was arrested Sunday night as the Braves arrived at the St. Louis airport for a series against the Cardinals. He was released the next day on a $10,000 bond and a preliminary hearing was set for Aug. 31.

Gilkey was in uniform Tuesday night at Busch Stadium, but didn't want to discuss it.

"Can we talk about baseball?" Gilkey said. "I just want to come here and play well, continue to play well, and not let anything affect me."

Manager Bobby Cox said Gilkey believed the matter had been resolved before the team got to St. Louis. Cox said Gilkey would start Wednesday, either in left field or right field.

"It caught him by surprise," Cox said. "He thought it was all taken care of by his lawyers. It wasn't."

"I didn't know anything about it," Braves general manager John Schuerholz said. "I don't know any details. We were all sort of caught by surprise."

He said the team doesn't plan to take any action against Gilkey.

"He's been released on bail. He has a court date later in the fall," Schuerholz said. "Until the legal process plays out fully, I don't know if it will have an impact on our team."

Gilkey, a St. Louis native who has played sparingly for the Braves this season, was originally arrested on the charge in April, his third DWI arrest in seven months. Prosecutors filed felony charges because Gilkey was deemed a persistent offender, spokesman Don Schneider said.

The April arrest came less than six weeks after Gilkey had pleaded guilty Feb. 27 to misdemeanor DUI charges stemming from arrests on Oct. 10 and Nov. 8. All three arrests occurred in St. Louis County, where Gilkey lives in the offseason.

Gilkey was placed on probation for two years in the October and November cases. He was also ordered to attend counseling.

In March 1998, while with the New York Mets, Gilkey was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence in Port St. Lucie, Fla. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to one year of probation and 50 hours of community service. His license was also suspended for six months and he was ordered to attend DUI classes.

Gilkey came up with the Cardinals in 1990. His best year was 1996 with the New York Mets, when he hit .317 with 30 homers and 117 RBI.

He's hitting .348 with two homers and 12 RBI in 69 at-bats for the Braves this season.