Fernandez to Be Idled for 2 Weeks

It wasn’t quite the news shortstop Tony Fernandez wanted to hear Thursday afternoon when he was summoned into the Padre front office.

The Padres weren’t exactly thrilled with the information he was relaying, either.

Fernandez was told upon his spring-training arrival that--like it or not--he would be their leadoff hitter. He turned around and told the Padres it would be at least two weeks before they would see him play.

Fernandez reported to camp with a sore right shoulder, which will sideline him at least two weeks. He will miss a minimum of 13 spring-training games, but he is confident he will be ready by opening day. Fernandez will remain in Yuma for rehabilitation while the Padres travel to Phoenix for a nine-day stint.

“It’s pretty sore,” Fernandez said, “but it’s nothing new for me to play in pain. All I can do is just try to get ready by opening day.”

Said Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager: “Basically, he needs two weeks to get ready. He knows himself very well, and he knows what he needs to do. I think he’ll be all right.

“Look at what he did last year. He had every inconceivable injury, and he kept playing right through them.”

Fernandez believes the shoulder pain is a result of his inactivity during the winter. He underwent surgery to repair a ligament in his right thumb Oct. 7, and was placed in a cast for one month and a splint for another month. He was ordered by Dr. Merlin Hamer not to work out the entire winter.

He began working out two weeks ago at home in the Dominican Republic, immediately experienced soreness and knew he wouldn’t be ready when he arrived in camp. Compounding the problem was the delay in obtaining his visa, preventing him from arriving in camp until Thursday--a week later than the rest of the position players.

Fernandez, who didn’t pick up a ball all winter, still was able to take part Thursday in the Padre workouts. He fielded ground balls, but was unable to do anything more than lob the ball to first base. He hit in the batting cage but swung only right-handed.

“I’ve been through this before, it’s nothing new,” Fernandez said. “Really, I’ll be all right.”

Actually, the Padres’ biggest concern with Fernandez is the two weeks that’ll be lost familiarizing himself with new second baseman Kurt Stillwell. By the time he’s ready to play, there will be only two weeks remaining until opening day.

“I think we’ll be all right,” Fernandez said. “He knows how to play the game, and so do I.”

Perhaps the biggest challenge, the Padres say, will not be Fernandez’s recovery, but how he adapts to the leadoff position. Fernandez detested batting leadoff in Toronto and batted only .196 for the Padres in the leadoff spot last year.

“I’m not too thrilled being the leadoff hitter,” Fernandez said. “I always say I’m not the best leadoff hitter because I don’t move as fast as I used to. But if it’s already been decided, there’s nothing to talk about.”

Fernandez figured he probably would be batting leadoff when Bip Roberts was traded in December for Randy Myers, but still held out hope the Padres had someone else in mind. When he was called into the office to see McIlvaine and Manager Greg Riddoch, he learned there would be no other choice.

“I’ll do it for the team’s sake,” he said. “Hopefully, they’ll find someone else. I’d prefer to bat lower in the lineup.”

It’s hardly the enthusiasm the Padres were seeking. That’s why players such as right fielder Tony Gwynn already have begun searching for ways to motivate Fernandez.

“You the man. You the man,” Gwynn said, upon seeing Fernandez in the clubhouse for the first time. “We’re riding on your shoulders.”

Did Gwynn really mean it?

“Hey, he is the man,” Gwynn said. “He’s the catalyst for our club, the guy who has got to get it going for us.

“I always believed your team is a reflection of your leadoff hitter. I’m not trying to put all the pressure on him, but I really believe that. Look at the Dodgers and Brett Butler. He’s king of the pests. He’s the biggest pest in baseball. I think Bip will be the same way in Cincinnati.

“That’s why the quicker we get him going, the better our lineup will be. He’ll be fine.”

Fernandez, who batted .272 in 145 games for the Padres last year, may not be capable of stealing 30 or 35 bases in the leadoff role, but he did prove last year to be one of the finest baserunners in the National League. He advanced from first to third base on 19 of 31 outfield singles last year, the fourth-highest rate in the league.

Fernandez also batted .349 in Padre victories last season; .183 in their defeats.

“We expect a lot of good things from him,” McIlvaine said. “He should incorporate more things than ever in his game. I think you’ll see a lot more bunting.

“Really, he should be fine.”

Padre Notes

Prankster Larry Andersen was at again Thursday, this time pulling the gag on minor-league infielder Ray Holbert. Holbert was running in a group Wednesday that included Andersen and veteran Bruce Hurst, and broke away from the pack. He left everyone in the dust, reminding Hurst and Andersen of their age. Andersen snuck into the clubhouse Wednesday night, burned Holbert’s shoes and hung them on his locker. They were were accompanied by a sign that read: “See if you can stay in your new shoes today.” Andersen, of course, was pleading his innocence.

Right fielder Tony Gwynn was sick all day with the flu, but there he was Thursday afternoon, hitting balls in the batting cage two hours before the arrival of his teammates. “And people wonder why he wins batting titles,” Padre Manager Greg Riddoch said.

The Padres intrasquad game Thursday night came to an abrupt halt when the main transformer at Desert Sun Stadium went out in the top of the ninth inning. Players were forced to scramble for their clothes in the dark and shower at the hotel. The entire baseball complex was blacked out. The Padres beat the mini-camp all-stars, 6-2.