 |
| Friday, May 23 Baker playing it safe with Sosa's return ESPN.com news services |
||||||||||
|
That's why Baker met with Sosa on Sunday and came to an agreement that the right fielder's targeted return will be Friday at Wrigley Field for the opener of a series against the Houston Astros. ''I discussed it with Sammy,'' Baker told the Chicago Sun-Times. ''He understood. You got to run, you got to throw. When you are off two weeks and haven't done much with your legs, you hate to have Sammy come back and pull a hamstring or a quad muscle. A lot of times, this happens in the seventh to ninth innings when your legs are tired.'' Sosa estimated Saturday he required perhaps four more days to prepare, so he is in agreement with Baker's cautious policy. Sosa was eligible to play Sunday after going on the disabled list May 10 for having the nail on his right big toe removed.
Last year's AL rookie of the year was placed on the 15-day disabled list. He will undergo surgery on the broken hamate bone on Wednesday in either Boston or New York.
The hand has bothered him for much of the season. He hit .232 with two home runs and 21 RBI.
"It's been hurting me pretty much the whole year, I've just been trying to play through it,'' Hinske said. "I guess I've been playing the whole year with a broken hand. I guess I can blame my .230 average on that.''
Hinske hit .279 with 24 home runs and 84 RBI last year.
The Blue Jays also recalled infielder Howie Clark from Triple-A Syracuse. Clark, Mike Bordick and Dave Berg will replace Hinske at third.
The 24-year-old outfielder was injured when he was hit by a pitch from Arizona's Elmer Dessens in the second inning Sunday. Bay was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday.
"It is a tough break for this kid,'' manager Bruce Bochy said. "He looked good the three games he was here. We were hoping to get a chance to get a good look at him. It's unfortunate.''
Bay was recalled from Triple-A Portland on Friday and homered that night in the fourth at-bat of his first major league game. He was in the starting lineup all three games before he was injured.
The Padres filled Bay's roster spot by recalling utility player Jermaine Clark from Portland. Clark was hitting .188 with two home runs and five RBI in Portland.
Bay hit .300 with three doubles and 32 RBI in 46 games with Portland before being called up.
Clark was on the Texas Rangers' opening day roster, but was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma on April 16. The Padres claimed him off waivers from the Rangers on April 30.
Durham had been on the 15-day disabled list since May 11 with a sprained right ankle. He was injured the day before when he jammed his ankle into third base while trying for a triple against Atlanta.
Giants manager Felipe Alou said he was a little surprised at Durham's quick return.
"He came back so quickly because he had been doing a lot of fielding, running, turning, hitting from both sides of the plate,'' Alou said. "He didn't get out of shape. Usually when a guy gets a leg injury, he can't run on it. Durham was very active.''
Durham hit .309 with three homers, seven doubles and five RBI in 29 games before the injury.
He had been the Giants' leadoff hitter before getting hurt, but Alou said Durham will probably move to second or third in the lineup due to Marquis Grissom's success batting first.
Hafner had been on the disabled list since May 10 with a broken left big toe.
Hafner hit .206 (20-for-97) with four home runs and 11 RBI in 30 games with the Indians this season. |
| |||||||||
