Sunday, July 07, 2002
Griffey's return may come in 2 weeks
Reds OF needs to be nearly 100 percent
By Neil Schmidt, nschmidt@enquirer.com
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Ken Griffey Jr. won't rejoin the Reds for at least their first series after he's eligible to come off the disabled list.
Reds medical director Tim Kremchek said the outfielder's strained right hamstring is about 80 percent, or the same as it was June 18 when Griffey returned from an eight-game absence from the starting lineup. Griffey reaggravated the injury five days later, and the Reds have decided this time to be more cautious about his return.
“We want to get it as close to 100 percent as we can,” Kremchek said. “We don't want it to backfire (by Griffey tweaking it again).”
Griffey won't make the trip to Houston for a four-game series beginning Thursday that opens the season's second half. Kremchek said Griffey could return for the subsequent stops in Milwaukee or Pittsburgh but is more likely to resume playing in the homestand that begins July 19 against the New York Mets.
Griffey wasn't with the team Saturday, having gone to Pennsylvania for personal business, Reds manager Bob Boone said. Asked Friday night about his health and a possible return date, Griffey twice said, “I can't answer any of those questions.”
Said Boone: “We've been trying each time to have him back where we don't have to mess with this.
“I don't think Junior's been completely healthy, where he's had his at-bats and he's swinging like Junior. We keep living through this spring training period where we start to see it and then, bang, there's been a stop.”
Griffey has started just 20 games and is batting .243 with two home runs and four RBI. He tore his right patellar tendon April 7 and was on the DL until May 24. Then he hurt his hamstring June 7 in Anaheim, going on the DL after reaggravating it June 23.
“The hamstring is a very volatile muscle,” Kremchek said. “We've found out his hamstring is more temperamental than we thought.
“He has no pain and good strength in it, and he could go out in the outfield and run. But he's been at 80 percent before, and he wasn't the Ken Griffey Jr. we know. That's going to be the balancing act: to get him as close to 100 percent without extensive time off.”
Boone said Griffey would return to Cincinnati to hit in an optional workout Wednesday and resume workouts with team physical therapist Lonnie Soloff.
The Reds are 39-27 without Griffey in the lineup and 7-13 when Griffey starts.
Reds Stories
Caught between a rock and a hard place
Five Questions with Brad Friedel
Met's anyone's tournament
Nalbandian's Centre Court debut will be final vs. Hewitt
Serena shows no mercy in victory over Venus
Da Matta fights off Tracy challenge to win pole
Green gets ride with Gary Keller Racing
Jarrett maneuver causes 14-car wreck
Montoya takes pole for British GP
Rookie Scheckter takes pole for Ameristar 200
Waltrip a winner - and happy this time
Allenby pulls away
Sorenstam takes two-stroke lead into the final round
E Dubai wins Suburban Handicap
Mr. John wins $400,000 Cornhusker
Armstrong takes prologue to open Tour de France
Mighty Ducks acquire Sykora
Police say Iverson being investigated
Coming up this week
GROESCHEN: Prep Insider
• Return to Reds front page...
Griffey's return may come in 2 weeks