After Four Operations, Rijo Tries Again

Jose Rijo stands in front of the dressing cubicle, grabs the end of a stretching band and pulls it forward, simulating a throw.

He does it again and again, repeating the motion he has made thousands of times during the last three years as he tries to rebuild his scarred elbow.

Rijo is in the Cincinnati Reds’ training camp in Sarasota, Fla., as a non-roster pitcher, making what is probably his final comeback attempt from four major elbow operations since Aug. 22, 1995.

The odds are against him, the work is grueling. At age 32, it’s probably time to start looking at his other options.

But here he stands this March morning, stretching that band over and over. Give up? The thought has not even crossed his mind.

“I just want to play ball. I love the game, it’s what I love the most,” he said. “To find something else to do at this stage in life would not be fun. So my short-term plan is to keep doing what you know how to do until you can’t do it any more.”

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Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez passed a New York Yankee physical, clearing the way for the Cuban defector to begin pitching for the team.

“Since I was a young boy, I always dreamed about playing for the New York Yankees,” Hernandez said. “I left Cuba in search of freedom. What greater freedom than being a New York Yankee?”

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The Chicago White Sox have interviewed and evaluated Wil Cordero, who has admitted beating his wife, but General Manager Ron Schueler reiterated Friday that a contract offer was not imminent. . . . The starting rotation of the Colorado Rockies suffered a blow when right-handers Kevin Ritz and John Burke were put on the 15-day disabled list because of injuries to their throwing arms. Ritz, the Rockies’ 1997 opening day starter, is suffering from an inflamed right shoulder which he had surgically repaired last season. Burke has an inflamed right elbow. . . . The New York Mets reacquired Robert Stratton from the Florida Marlins after learning the outfielder had a back injury when they traded him last month. Stratton, 20, was dealt to Florida with pitchers A.J. Burnett and Jesus Sanchez for left-hander Al Leiter. The Mets said Friday they didn’t know at the time that Stratton, their first pick in the 1996 amateur draft, had injured his back during an off-season workout. . . . In a minor league trade, the Reds acquired shortstop Kevin Baez from the Detroit Tigers for first baseman Tim Belk. . . . The Tigers put outfielders Trey Beamon and Juan Encarnacion and shortstop Deivi Cruz on the 15-day disabled list. Beamon has a broken left shoulder. Encarnacion broke a bone in his left foot when he fouled a pitch off it March 4. Cruz broke his left ankle while playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic. . . . David Wells pitched six scoreless innings of three-hit ball and Derek Jeter homered, leading the Yankees over the Toronto Blue Jays, 11-0. Wells struck out six and walked one in his longest outing of the spring.