Langston Eager to Get Back on the Field

The swelling in Mark Langston’s calf has almost disappeared and he said Monday he hopes to test it today.

Langston, who went on the disabled list on July 15 because of nerve irritation caused by swelling from a strained calf muscle, has been unable to even put on his uniform and sit in the dugout.

“I’ve been in [the clubhouse] watching on TV the last few days,” he said. “They don’t want me to put on my stirrups because they’re afraid it will cut off the circulation.

“It’s been very frustrating because I can’t do anything, but [Monday] has been a real good day. I’ve had a couple of bad days, but it really feels great right now. I hope I can get busy tomorrow.”

Langston plans to come off the disabled list as soon as he’s eligible, which is Saturday, but Manager Marcel Lachemann isn’t holding his breath.

“He had a really good day about four days ago and then had a lot of swelling the next day,” Lachemann said. “The first thing to try will be some long toss and then the leg will tell us. It’s not like it’s something inside, you can just look at it and see.”

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Tim Salmon was proudly displaying a picture of his son, Jacob Timothy, taken seconds after birth. Jacob was born at 1:01 Sunday afternoon, about three minutes after the doctor arrived, according to Salmon.

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Off days on Wednesday and Monday will allow Lachemann to juggle his starting pitchers over the next two weeks, but he said recently recalled knuckleballer Dennis Springer and struggling left-hander Jim Abbott will be in the rotation. “It’s just a question of where and when,” he said. . . . Catcher Don Slaught, on the disabled list because of back spasms, is swinging the bat and running the bases without pain, but he still hasn’t tried to throw from a squatting position. Lachemann said Slaught, who is eligible to come off the DL on Saturday, will be the No. 1 catcher as soon as he’s able. “The guy is hitting .340,” Lachemann said. “That’s a pretty significant number.”