Club Activates Karros, Cedeno

With the hope that new blood will invigorate their anemic offense, the Dodgers activated first baseman Eric Karros and outfielder Roger Cedeno on Friday.

To make room for them on the roster, the team optioned first baseman Paul Konerko to triple-A Albuquerque and designated outfielder Mike Devereaux for assignment.

Neither Karros nor Cedeno had played this season. Karros tore cartilage in his left knee during stretching drills in spring training last month. Cedeno strained his right hamstring March 1 while running to first base in an exhibition game.

Both have been working their way back into shape at the Class-A level, Karros with the San Bernardino Stampede in the California League, Cedeno with the Vero Beach Dodgers in the Florida State League.

“You reach a point where you have to face major league pitching,” Karros said. “You can do all the rehab you want, but when you get to this level you still have to make some adjustments.”

Karros appeared in four games for San Bernardino, batting .267. He reported some swelling in the knee after several of the games, but it had subsided by the next day.

“There were two key areas we were concerned with,” said Fred Claire, Dodger executive vice president. “Number one is where he is at medically. [Physical therapist] Pat Screnar and the doctors feel he is fine.

“Number two is where he is at in regard to major league pitching. Eric has been around long enough to know his comfort level.

“We need him in our lineup.”

Looking for a place in the lineup for Konerko, last season’s most valuable player in the Pacific Coast League, Claire figured he had found one when Karros went out.

Suddenly, all the off-season questions about where Konerko would play seemed to have been answered by a cruel twist of Karros’ knee.

But, proving once again that huge offensive numbers in the desert air of Albuquerque don’t necessarily translate into huge numbers in the big leagues, Konerko struggled from the start, winding up batting only .197 in 18 games with no home runs and two RBIs.

Cedeno appeared to have made a successful jump from Albuquerque last season. He hit .273 for the Dodgers with three home runs, 17 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 80 games. Then, in late August, Cedeno broke the big toe on his left foot and his season was over.

When he was forced to stay behind in Vero Beach this spring because of the hamstring injury, it seemed like one long, unbroken nightmare carrying over from last season.

“I was very tired of Vero Beach,” Cedeno said, “when the team was not there. Now, I feel like I’m home.”

Devereaux hit .308 in nine games with one RBI.

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Sunday’s Dodger-Cub game will include an elaborate pregame salute to the State of Israel on its 50th anniversary as a nation.

Tonight

DODGERS’ DARREN DREIFORT (0-1, 2.25 ERA) vs. CUBS’ JEREMI GONZALEZ (1-2, 7.00 ERA)

Dodger Stadium, 7 p.m.

TV--Fox Sports West 2. Radio--AM 1150, KWKW (1330).

* Update--Because of the schedule, fifth starter Darren Dreifort has made only one start. But he has remained busy, appearing in six games in relief. Dreifort has pitched 5 1/3 innings against the Cubs this season without allowing a run.

Tickets--(213) 224-1448.