BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE MAJOR LEAGUES : Rijo to See Where His Arm Stands

Jose Rijo is scheduled to start today for the Cincinnati Reds, putting his pitching elbow to the test. Rijo had a cortisone shot Monday to get rid of pain and inflammation that had disabled him and left him contemplating surgery.

The right-hander felt no side-effects Saturday from his 52-pitch workout in the bullpen a day earlier. He will take the mound today against Florida to see whether the cortisone permits him to pitch competitively.

If not, he probably will need season-ending surgery to remove calcification in the ligament.

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Montreal Expo left-hander Jeff Fassero lost his salary arbitration case Saturday. Arbitrator Anthony Sinicropi ruled the pitcher would have to settle for the club’s offer of $1.5 million instead of the $2.45 million he had sought.

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Players in salary arbitration this year received the smallest percentage increase since 1989, according to a study by the Associated Press.

The 61 players who filed received an average raise of 80%, from $1,130,046 to $2,031,787. Last year, players in arbitration saw their salaries rise 95% to $2,091,187. The percentage increase was the lowest since 1989, when salaries for players in arbitration rose 71%.

Among the 31 cases that settled after last year’s strike, 24 wound up with 1995 salaries at the midpoint between the figures submitted in April by players and management.

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The San Diego Padres have agreed to terms with USC shortstop Gabe Alvarez, their second-round pick in this month’s draft. Alvarez batted .361 in 70 games this season with 73 runs, 13 homers and 59 RBIs as the Trojans reached the College World Series for the first time since 1978.

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Baseball’s All-Star game will be played at Denver’s Coors Field in 1998 and at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami in the year 2000, baseball officials confirmed.