BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE MAJOR LEAGUES : Orioles Collide, but No Major Injuries

First baseman Randy Milligan of the Baltimore Orioles was taken off the field in an ambulance after a collision with second baseman Billy Ripken during Wednesday night’s game in Kansas City but suffered no major injuries.

“Thank goodness, it doesn’t look too bad right now,” Oriole Manager Johnny Oates said after the Orioles’ 2-1 victory over the Royals. “Billy’s left shoulder looks like just a bruise. He’s got full range of motion.”

Milligan was hurt in the fifth inning when he ran into Ripken while chasing a ground ball. It was baseball’s second bad collision in two days; on Tuesday night, Chicago White Sox shortstop Ozzie Guillen was lost for the season when he tore knee ligaments after running into left fielder Tim Raines.

Milligan was knocked out in the collision but was alert when he was put on a stretcher and lifted into the ambulance. His neck was immobilized by a brace, and the game was delayed for about 20 minutes. Ripken also got into the ambulance, under his own power.

Ripken was not kept at the hospital overnight, but Milligan was.

A doctor who operated Wednesday on Guillen’s right knee has no reason to believe the White Sox All-Star shortstop won’t be ready to play next season.

“Normal recovery and rehabilitation from this surgery is six months to one year,” Dr. Scott Price said. “Ninety-five percent of the competitive athletes who undergo this surgery get back to their previous form.”

Excavation work on the Texas Rangers’ new stadium will begin Friday in Arlington. The yet-to-be-named stadium is scheduled for completion in time for opening day of the 1994 season.