By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

SARASOTA, Fla. - Ken Griffey Jr. reported to Ed Smith Stadium Tuesday wearing a protective plastic boot on his right foot.

That's not a good sign when Opening Day is six days away. But it's not a bad as it looked.

"He's much better today," medical director Dr. Tim Kremchek said. "He's got good range of motion. He's day-to-day. We're very optimistic.

"The boot is just a precaution."

There were no plans to put Griffey on the disabled list.

Griffey, who strained a right calf muscle Monday night, was walking normally Tuesday.

"It's loosened up," he said.

Griffey felt good enough to take batting practice. He was injured when he slipped on wet ground as he broke out of the box Monday.

"How many bad hops have you seen here? The ground's so hard, they have to wet it down," Griffey said. "They can't find the happy medium."

Said Jeff Maultsby, director of the Reds' Florida operation: "We didn't do anything differently. ... Because it was a night game, (the ground) might not have dried yet."

Brandon Larson blames his turf injury partially on the hard ground around the plate.

Reds general manager Dan O'Brien didn't see Griffey get hurt.

"I believe Ken's assessment," O'Brien said. "We're fortunate it's not serious."

Today's game is the final one at Ed Smith Stadium.

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E-mail jfay@enquirer.com