Ripken Says He’ll Return This Year

Cal Ripken is convinced his second stint on the disabled list this season will last no longer than the required 15 days, but he admitted that off-season surgery might be an option if his ailing back continues to be a problem.

Ripken woke up Sunday morning full of energy, but by the time he reached the breakfast table he was bent over in pain. He skipped the Baltimore Orioles’ game against the Seattle Mariners that day and was put on the disabled list Tuesday.

The 17-time All-Star has since received a cortisone shot to alleviate the pain caused by back spasms. He was walking gingerly in the Oriole clubhouse Thursday afternoon, dressed in street clothes.

Ripken went on the disabled list the first time in his career on April 20. He returned on May 14 and said he experienced no back pain whatsoever until Sunday morning.

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Center fielder Ruben Mateo of the Texas Ranger was put on the 15-day disabled list because of a broken left wrist, perhaps ending the rookie’s season. Mateo will undergo surgery to remove the broken bone today and is expected to be sidelined six to eight weeks. . . . Pitcher Steve Avery of the Cincinnati Reds had surgery on his left shoulder, ending his 1999 season. . . . With the St. Louis Cardinals rejecting the trip, the Chicago Cubs said they will consider traveling to Tokyo to play the New York Mets in next year’s major league opener. . . . New York Yankee outfielder Darryl Strawberry, playing in the second game of his comeback with the triple-A Columbus Clippers, went hitless and drove in a run in a 6-4 loss to Indianapolis at Columbus, Ohio.