Nobody with an ounce of sense believed the Reds' official position that veteran shortstop Barry Larkin would be ready to return from his knee and finger injuries in the season's final week.

        Larkin himself burst this fanciful bubble Monday.

        Asked if he planned on playing again this season, Larkin said, “Not at this particular point. Then he said with a chuckle, “If we play in the postseason, yeah.”

        Larkin admitted his left knee, from which he had cartilage fragments removed in an arthroscopic procedure last Friday, had bothered him “for a while” — that is, before Aug. 4, when he sprained the medial collateral ligament while sliding into second base. “It's been bothering me as long as that (artificial) turf's been out there,” he said.

        Larkin's left middle finger, which he dislocated Aug.27, remains swollen. “At least I can grab a bat now. But I'm not swinging it,” he said.

        Larkin has been receiving electrical stimulation for his knee while continuing to exercise his calf and quadriceps to keep the leg strong. He treats his finger by applying ice and squeezing a ball.

Reds 7, Cubs 6 Box, runs Larkin finished for season High expectations for Fernandez Cinergy Field coming down

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