Ripken May Return to the Disabled List

Baltimore Oriole third baseman Cal Ripken missed Friday night’s game against the Montreal Expos and could be headed for a second stint on the disabled list because of a deep bone bruise in his left wrist. Team officials said they’ll probably wait until Monday before making a final decision.

Ripken was examined by two doctors Friday and the results were inconclusive. Ripken was hit by Mike Thurman’s fastball in the second inning of Thursday’s game.

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Minor-league umpires delayed a decision until Monday on whether to join their major-league counterparts and walk off the job.

Minor-league umpires are considering striking or taking other actions to protest working conditions and minor-league baseball’s refusal to recognize their union, said Pat Campbell, associate counsel for the Major League and Minor League Umpires Assns.

Meanwhile, minor league players vowed to continue playing if their umpires strike.

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The Baltimore Orioles traded right-hander Rocky Coppinger to the Milwaukee Brewers for a player to be named. Coppinger, 25, split time between Baltimore and triple-A Rochester this season.

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Miller Park in Milwaukee stood silent Friday as investigators finished work at the construction site where three iron workers were killed when a giant crane collapsed while lifting a section of the retractable roof.

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The Kansas City Royals placed relief pitcher Jeff Montgomery on the 15-day disabled list because of tendinitis in his right hip. . . . The Houston Astros placed center fielder Carl Everett on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained right hamstring. . . . The Montreal Expos placed right-hander Carl Pavano on the 15-day disabled list with soreness in his pitching elbow. . . . Chicago Cub starting pitcher Jon Lieber and reliever Matt Karchner were forced to leave Friday’s game against Minnesota because of injuries. Lieber left because of a bruised right forearm after being hit by Torri Hunter’s line drive in the fifth inning. In the sixth, Karchner aggravated a groin injury. . . . Vincente Rosario, a minor league player in the New York Mets’ system, has been cleared of sexual battery charges in the rape trial of a 17-year-old girl in Fort Pierce, Fla.