Bonilla Feels Good, but Not Good Enough in Loss to Montreal

The Dodgers activated Bobby Bonilla from the disabled list and optioned infielder Alex Cora to triple-A Albuquerque. Bonilla sat out 21 games because of tendinitis in his left wrist.

Bonilla started in left field and also played third base Wednesday night in a 5-1 loss to the Montreal Expos. He singled in four at-bats and was pleased with his performance.

“It felt good,” Bonilla said. “My wrist felt fine, but I’ll know more [today] about how it’s feeling because it takes a day.

“The good thing is that if I can finish August and September like this, then get a good rehab, we’re in the go. I think I’ll be my old self again.”

Manager Glenn Hoffman was impressed by Bonilla’s reactions at the plate.

“Bobby Bo really swung the bat well,” Hoffman said. “It was great to see him come back swinging like that after being out.

“He has a [World Series] ring and he’s been through the [postseason] wars. We need that type of experience now.”

Hoffman plans to continue using Bonilla in left and at third. Dodger officials considered optioning struggling rookie third baseman Adrian Beltre to Albuquerque because he’s batting .221 with 24 strikeouts and eight errors in 34 games.

Because Beltre has remained on the team, the switch-hitting Bonilla is expected to play primarily in left.

“We’ll look at the right-lefty situations as they come up,” Hoffman said. “The great thing about Bobby Bo is that he gives us options.”

Bonilla has been sidelined twice by illness and injury since the Dodgers acquired him in the seven-player Mike Piazza trade May 15.

He sat out 14 games after being put on the disabled list because of an intestinal infection that physicians initially feared might be cancer-related. Bonilla missed 21 games because of recurring pain in his wrist.

Bonilla said his wrist felt fine after he participated in batting practice recently, prompting the team to activate him.

But Bonilla, 35, obviously isn’t in form after missing 35 of the previous 43 games. And he was sidelined during spring training after undergoing surgery to repair damaged ligaments in his left wrist.

“I wanted to come back now because I want to help the team, but I’m not at the point where I’m capable of doing the things I’m used to doing,” Bonilla said. “I didn’t face live pitching for about three weeks, and I didn’t even have a spring training [after surgery]. I know how far behind I am, but I’m going to give it a try.”

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Middle reliever Darren Hall has struggled since being reactivated after missing 80 games because of a torn rotator cuff on his throwing shoulder.

In six innings, the right-hander has given up seven hits and seven runs (six earned). He is 0-2 with a 9.00 earned-run average after he was charged with the loss Tuesday in the Expos’ 5-4 victory in 10 innings.

Overall, Hall is 0-3 with a 9.64 ERA in nine games.

TONIGHT

DODGERS’ CARLOS PEREZ (7-10, 3.59 ERA) vs. EXPOS’ JEREMY POWELL (0-1, 1.50 ERA)

Olympic Stadium, 10:30 a.m. PDT

Radio--AM 1150, KWKW (1330)

* Update--Perez is starting against his former teammates for the first time. The Expos traded Perez and shortstop Mark Grudzielanek to the Dodgers in a seven-player deal last Friday. He pitched seven scoreless innings in his Dodger debut last Saturday, getting a no-decision in a 2-1 loss to New York.