Karros Stampeding Toward Early Return

A long way from County Stadium, where the Dodgers played the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night, Eric Karros batted cleanup for the San Bernardino Stampede of the Class-A California League. It was another important step in his rehabilitation from March 24 cartilage surgery on his left knee. There is no timetable regarding his return to the Dodger lineup, but barring a setback it should happen before the team goes on its next trip next Thursday--maybe by the end of the coming weekend.

It was only six months ago, during a winter in which he was the subject of frequent trade rumors, that the Dodgers exposed Karros to the expansion draft, thinking Paul Konerko could replace him at first base. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays were prepared to make Karros their first selection in the draft until Karros informed them he would exercise his trade rights after the first year if they selected him.

Now, with Konerko and the offense struggling in tandem, the Dodgers yearn for the return of the proven hitter they seemed willing to part with only a few months ago.

That quirk is not lost on Karros, who when asked about it in the dugout of the Stampede, smiledand said, “fair question, but I better not comment on it.”

Said Mickey Hatcher, the valuable and irrepressible former utility man who now manages the Dodger affiliate here: “[The Dodgers] need him and Eric knows it, but it would be a mistake for him to rush back before he’s ready.”

The medical prognosis was four to six weeks. It has been four weeks and two days.

Aside from his timing at the plate--Karros had two hits in four at-bats Wednesday night and is two for 11 in three games with the Stampede--the knee has not been a problem. No swelling. No impediment.

“I did everything I need to do in the first game,” Karros said. “I had to dive for a ground ball, run hard [on an infield chop] and slide [while scoring on a sacrifice fly].

“I was pretty happy with that. I haven’t been hindered at all, but from the start I’ve been taking it a day at a time. You establish a timetable and don’t meet it, then everyone starts saying, ‘What’s going on?’ ”

Karros had played in 267 consecutive games and never been on the disabled list. He believes the cartilage damage was the result of wear and tear--aggravated by diving for a ground ball during the first week of training camp.

Other injuries, Karros said, had caused him greater pain, and he wasn’t even sure he needed the surgery until Dr. Frank Jobe convinced him of it.

“The only time I got emotional was the day I left Vero Beach, packing my bags,” he said. “With everything that had gone on last winter I had done everything I could to prepare myself for the season and was having a good spring, probably the best I’ve ever had. I mean, I had never had to deal with something like this and I suppose it would have been easier to understand if I had broken an arm or something, but it was out of my control.

“I mean, it’s frustrating because I’d like to have been out there and contributing, but you deal with it. Life goes on.”

The question, of course, is what happens to Konerko when Karros returns. Those three consecutive seasons of 30 or more homers and 100 or more runs batted in suddenly seem very appealing to the Dodgers.

Karros expressed compassion for Konerko, suggesting the rookie is simply the latest to be victimized by the pressure and high expectations of the Dodger hype machine.

“It’s not his fault,” Karros said. “Well, not that it’s not his fault, he’s the one out there playing, but I’ll say this again. . . . I’ve seen only one guy and that’s [Mike] Piazza come out of the chute and do what he’s done, and there was no fanfare, no expectations.

“It’s tough enough to play in the big leagues, tough enough to play in Los Angeles with all the attention, let alone that fanfare. Say what you want about all that stuff not meaning anything, but I’ve seen a heck of a lot more guys come through here with a lot of fanfare and struggle at times than guys who were hyped up and succeeded. In fact, I don’t know who the last guy was who came up with a lot of hype and succeeded.

“It’s tough, it’s the Dodgers, it’s the way it is. He’s not the first guy to be put in that position and won’t be the last.”

Of course, Konerko’s minor league statistics generated much of the attention, but to expect similar production at the major league level “is a lot of pressure to put on anybody,” Karros said. “I’ve even heard people say he’s going to be another Piazza. As far as hitters go, you’re not going to see too many Piazzas.”

The Dodgers will be happy to see Karros.

The first baseman is scheduled to play with the Stampede again tonight, after which his situation will be reevaluated. The Dodgers open a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium on Friday night--and it’s conceivable Karros could be in the lineup.

One thing is certain:

This has been his first minor league appearance since he hit .316 at Albuquerque in 1991 and his first Cal League appearance since he hit .303 at Bakersfield in 1989 and “I’m killing my minor league stats.”