Lankford Gets Brief Vacation

St. Louis outfielder Ray Lankford was granted a leave of absence from the Cardinals on Tuesday after complaining about a lack of respect.

Lankford, who has been with the team since 1990, is expected to return Thursday, General Manager Walt Jocketty said. Jocketty was unable to trade Lankford before Tuesday’s deadline and said the outfielder won’t play much when he returns.

The outfield is set with the activation of right fielder J.D. Drew, sidelined 35 games with a broken hand. Albert Pujols moves to left field and Jim Edmonds is in center.

Lankford told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he didn’t feel the team gave him the respect he deserved.

“He gets all the respect he earns,” Cardinal Manager Tony La Russa said. “He’s just got into a rut the last couple years where the swings and misses are driving him to the bench.”

Lankford is batting .235 with 15 home runs, 39 runs batted in and 105 strikeouts in 264 at-bats this season.

Milwaukee Manager Davey Lopes was suspended for two games and fined by the commissioner’s office for threatening to have his pitchers hit San Diego’s Rickey Henderson in retaliation for Henderson’s uncontested swipe of a base in the late innings of a 12-5 blowout Sunday.

On Tuesday, Lopes said he regretted his comments, but still disagreed with what he called Henderson’s breach of baseball etiquette.

Pittsburgh catcher Jason Kendall was suspended for two games and fined by the commissioner’s office for bumping and arguing with an umpire last week in a game against the Cubs at Chicago.

“I just think it’s ridiculous,” Kendall said. “They’re trying to do too much to change the game now. What I did was absolutely in the wrong, but I thought I would get a fine, not a suspension.”

The players’ association appealed the suspension, meaning it cannot start until after a hearing at the commissioner’s office.

Second baseman Quilvio Veras was designated for assignment after two injury-plagued seasons with the Atlanta Braves.

Veras, 30, had been sidelined since July 14 with a strained rib cage muscle. He missed the second half of last season with a knee injury.

Veras batted .252 in 71 games with three home runs and 25 RBIs this season.

Atlanta outfielder Bernard Gilkey could face up to five years in prison if convicted in the latest drunken driving case against him.

Gilkey was arrested Sunday night as the Braves arrived at the St. Louis airport for a series against the Cardinals. He was released Monday on a $10,000 bond and a preliminary hearing was set for Aug. 31.

It was Gilkey’s third DUI arrest in seven months.

Milwaukee left fielder Geoff Jenkins was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a partially torn muscle in his left thumb.