By Kevin Kelly and John Fay
Enquirer staff writer

Austin Kearns was halfway to the magic number.

The Reds said they would consider bringing their starting right fielder back from his latest rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Louisville after he accumulated 50 or so plate appearances.

Kearns entered Tuesday's game against Charlotte with 25 but left when a blood blister formed under the spot where doctors operated on his right thumb July 2.

"Everything was going well in Louisville until then," Kearns said. "I was just happy to be back out there and playing. Then this happened."

On Wednesday, Kearns returned to Cincinnati where hand specialist Dr. Peter Stern examined the thumb. Stern recommended Kearns rest for a few days.

"I had (a blood blister) in spring training, then it went away," said Kearns, who could begin swinging lightly this weekend. "This one popped up and it's just kind of a precautionary thing."

Reds general manager Dan O'Brien said Wednesday there has been no talk about shutting down Kearns.

"That's not a consideration at this juncture," O'Brien said.

Kearns was batting .333 with six runs, nine walks and two RBI during the rehab assignment. He started six games in right field and one at designated hitter.

This latest setback adds to a frustrating season for the 24-year-old.

Kearns has been on the disabled list twice - the first time for a broken left forearm - for a total of 74 games. In the 28 games Kearns has played, he batted .195 with three homers, 13 RBI and 30 strikeouts.

WHO'S ON THIRD? Add Felipe Lopez to the list of potential third basemen for 2005.

Lopez made his first start for the Reds at third this season Wednesday against Los Angeles. It was a move to get both Lopez's and Barry Larkin's bats in the lineup.

But with the third base spot open for next year, Lopez's trial could have long-range implications.

Lopez played 49 games at third with Toronto and eight games there last year with the Reds.

"They asked me if I minded playing there. I said, 'Not at all,' " Lopez said. "I'm comfortable there."

The Reds used Lopez at third some in spring training.

"There's no question he can play there," Reds manager Dave Miley said.

DEAL COMPLETE: Right-handed pitcher Elizardo Ramirez is the player-to-be-named-later the Reds got in the Cory Lidle trade with Philadelphia.

Ramirez, 21, pitched with the Phillies this season. He was 0-0 with a 4.80 ERA in seven appearances.

He also spent time at Single-A, where he was 5-1 with a 2.44 ERA, and Double-A, where he was 2-5 with a 6.68 ERA.

Ramirez was assigned to Double-A Chattanooga. Ramirez is from the Dominican Republic.

He has been dominant in the low minors. His first three professional seasons, he was 21-3 with a 1.63 ERA. Baseball America rated him as Philadelphia's eighth-best prospect.

LONG STORY: Home run estimations are just that: educated guesses. No one takes a tape measure to tape-measure shots.

But since they've been estimating shots, the 535-foot homer Adam Dunn hit Tuesday night is the longest on record, according to baseball historian Bill Jenkinson.

The previous longest was Dave Kingman's 531-footer at Chicago's Wrigley Field in 1976.

Mark McGwire hit two 530-footers at Busch Stadium, both in May 1998.

Dunn's previous most memorable shot was in Louisville in 1999. It went foul, clearing a carousel beyond the right-field wall.

"Bases were loaded," Miley said. "He got a standing ovation for it. That's the first time I ever saw that for a foul ball."

FREEL IS OK: Ryan Freel, who left Tuesday's game with a sore right knee, underwent an MRI that showed no structural damage.

"It's something that's been bothering me for three weeks to a month," Freel said. "I've been playing quite a bit. It takes a pounding."

FARM REPORT: Right-hander Eddie Valdez went seven innings, allowing three hits, in Single-A Potomac's 1-0 victory over Lynchburg Tuesday. Valdez, 24, is 8-4 with a 4.47 ERA.

UP NEXT: The Reds wrap up the three-game series with the Dodgers with a 12:35 p.m. game. Right-hander Josh Hancock (2-1, 4.98 ERA) makes his first start for the Reds. He faces left-hander Wilson Alvarez (6-3, 3.30).

E-mail kkelly@enquirer.com and jfay@enquirer.com