Bonds Only Has Sprained Back

Barry Bonds has a sprained lower back and hopes to return to the San Francisco Giant lineup this weekend for a series at Milwaukee. He was resting at home Monday.

Bonds suffered the injury in the ninth inning of a game Saturday against Colorado at Denver. He went down after hitting a ground ball and was taken from the field on a maintenance cart.

Bonds flew back to San Francisco on Sunday for an examination that showed no disk damage.

Until Bonds can return to left field, Dusty Baker will rotate outfielders Terrell Lowery, Armando Rios and Calvin Murray.

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Tony Gwynn, hitting only .186 while struggling with an injured left knee, was activated from the 15-day disabled list by the San Diego Padres. Gwynn had been eligible to be activated on Sunday, but the Padres decided to give him a few more days off to rest his inflamed left knee.

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Boston Red Sox pitcher Bret Saberhagen left his first rehabilitation start with Sarasota, Fla., of the class-A Florida State League after one inning because of a stiff shoulder. “I’ve pitched through it the last two years but got to a point this year in spring training where I was able to throw without pain,” said Saberhagen, who had shoulder surgery Nov. 7. He said he believes he can now have a pain-free shoulder.

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Montreal Expo reliever Ugueth Urbina was in court for the first day of a trial on charges that he punched a man without provocation at a nightclub last September. Eloy Ledesma said Urbina came up behind him, tapped him on his left shoulder and punched him in the face when he turned around. Urbina, who led the National League with 41 saves last season and has eight this season, is sidelined because of an elbow injury.

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Milwaukee acquired minor league pitcher Gene Altman to complete a trade that sent outfielder Alex Ochoa to Cincinnati. The Brewers got outfielder Mark Sweeney and a player to be named for Ochoa Jan. 14. . . . Texas infielder Frank Catalanotto was activated from the 15-day disabled list and Tom Evans was put on the DL. Catalanotto had a pulled groin. Evans has a shoulder injury.