PADRES UPDATE : NOTEBOOK / SCOTT MILLER : Harris to Undergo Test on Finger, Could Be Near Rehab Assignment

The future of Padre pitcher Greg Harris and his fractured finger will be determined today when Harris undergoes a stress X-ray to make sure the bone is solid.

If all goes well, Harris, who fractured the middle finger on his pitching hand in San Francisco on June 21, will travel to Los Angeles this afternoon to throw off of the mound, according to Padre trainer Bob Day.

And if Harris is comfortable throwing off of the mound, the Padres plan on his throwing a simulated game Monday and then sending him out on a rehabilitation assignment.

“That’s all tentative, if each day works out like it should,” Day said.

Harris, who was on the disabled list with a sore back before breaking his finger, is having his most unproductive major league season. Counted on to be an integral part of the Padre rotation, he is 2-4 with a 4.05 ERA.

Despite tonight’s trading deadline--it’s the last time teams can trade without first having to run players through waivers--the Padres aren’t expecting much action.

General Manager Joe McIlvaine is with the Padres’ single-A Waterloo team and John Barr, assistant general manager, is with double-A Wichita.

Padre Manager Greg Riddoch is not expecting any blockbuster deals.

“They’ve been on the phone the last two or three days, I imagine,” Riddoch said.

Players may be traded after today, but they must clear waivers first.

A day later, the original prognosis for catcher Dan Walters went unchanged. Walters, who strained his right hamstring on Wednesday, is expected to be out anywhere from three to five days.

“As long as it reacts to treatment,” Walters said. “I can play with soreness, but I just don’t want to hurt it any worse. I’ll be ready to go in a couple of days.

“In an emergency, I could go back and squat right now. I’m just not sure how much I could run.”

Riddoch, though, squelched that idea. Riddoch said he will not use Walters for at least a couple of days.

Without Walters, Benito Santiago’s back-up is Craig Shipley, a utility infielder batting .230.

Only one problem. Shipley has never before caught in the major leagues.

“You kidding me?” Shipley said, laughing. “I haven’t even caught in the minor leagues. I catch in the bullpen sometimes, when they need somebody.”

Shipley, though, did catch for several years as a youngster.

“Not since I was 16 or so, though,” he said.

The possibility, however remote, of Shipley catching brings to mind the time the diminutive former Padre infielder Joey Cora was brought in as an emergency catcher a couple of years ago.

“He was the only catcher I ever saw make diving plays just on pitches,” Riddoch said.

Kurt Stillwell wasn’t happy about it, but Tim Teufel started in his place at second base Thursday.

Riddoch said it was strictly a matter of keeping Teufel sharp, as well as numbers. Entering Thursday’s game, Teufel was 5-for-16 (.313) against Dodger pitcher Bob Ojeda. Stillwell was 0-for-4.

That still didn’t soothe Stillwell.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said before the game.

With McIlvaine and Barr on the road, Padre President Dick Freeman has accompanied the team on this four-game trip to Los Angeles. . . . The Padres continued to lead the NL in home runs entering Thursday’s game with 83.