MIAMI -- For a change, the injury-plagued Florida Marlins received good news from the doctor Thursday.

	Josh Beckett Starting Pitcher Florida Marlins Profile
	2003 SEASON STATISTICS GM W L Sv K ERA 8 2 3 0 45 3.76

Right-hander Josh Beckett's arm ailment was diagnosed as an elbow sprain, and he'll be allowed to resume throwing in a week.

"I would put that as encouraging and good news," general manager Larry Beinfest said.

Beinfest said it was too soon to project when Beckett will make his next start, and he'll be placed on the 15-day disabled list. But MRI results could have been worse, as the Marlins know firsthand.

Last month they lost another young right-hander, A.J. Burnett, to season-ending reconstructive elbow surgery. A third starter, lefty Mark Redman, is sidelined at least two more weeks with a broken thumb.

Beckett was examined in Birmingham, Ala., by orthopedist Dr. James Andrews, who operated on Burnett. The appointment was hastily scheduled after Beckett pitched just one inning Wednesday night against San Francisco because of elbow discomfort.

After the game -- the Marlins' fifth loss in a row -- Beckett acknowledged that his arm had bothered him since mid-April, and he had misled team trainers and the coaching staff by saying little about his symptoms. Beinfest said he hopes Beckett will be more frank in the future.

"I did say to him, 'If something is bothering you, you need to disclose that to medical staff,' " Beinfest said.

Manager Jeff Torborg said he understood Beckett's reluctance to admit that his arm hurt.

"There's a happy medium between a guy who wants to be the hero, and a guy who doesn't want to take the ball," Torborg said.

While the Marlins were relieved by the diagnosis regarding Beckett, they still must scramble for a rotation replacement. Left-hander Dontrelle Willis will make his major-league debut Friday against Colorado, and left-handed reliever Tommy Phelps will likely take Beckett's start Monday at San Diego.

Phelps has never started in the majors, and his most recent minor league start was in 2001.

The Marlins have also been without their leading hitter, shortstop Alex Gonzalez, who was held out of the lineup for a third consecutive night Thursday with a sprained right wrist.

"It would be easy to feel sorry for yourself," Beinfest said. "Certainly we've had a run of bad luck in the last seven to 10 days. We're going to test the resolve of this team right now. In the middle of May we're going to find out what we're made of, and I expect us to step up. Things do turn around, and I think they will here."

Beckett, who turns 23 on May 15, has never had elbow trouble. As a minor leaguer in 2000 he had tendinitis, a slightly torn labrum and an impingement and fraying of the rotator cuff in his right shoulder. Last year he spent three stints on the disabled list because of recurring blisters on the middle finger of his pitching hand.

This season Beckett is 2-3 with a 3.76 ERA in eight starts.