Reds Plan to Activate Deion Sanders Today

Ken Griffey Jr. is being replaced by Deion Sanders.

The Cincinnati Reds put Griffey on the 15-day disabled list Sunday because of a partially torn left hamstring.

Monday, they confirmed their plan to replace him with Sanders, who is eligible to rejoin the club today, when the Reds play the Dodgers. The two-sport athlete will be called up from triple-A Louisville, where he rejuvenated his baseball career by hitting .459.

“It’s a lot easier now to disable Junior when you have Deion Sanders to replace him,” General Manager Jim Bowden said.

Sanders’ return will give the Reds another outfielder. Manager Bob Boone isn’t sure exactly how he’ll use Sanders, who can play center or left.

Sanders, 33, has not played in the majors since 1997, when he quit baseball to concentrate on playing cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys. Given a chance to join the Reds last season, he chose instead to play for the Washington Redskins.

He approached Bowden about giving baseball another try over the winter, and the Reds offered a minor league contract. Sanders made the most of the opportunity.

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Shortstop Chris Gomez was sent to triple-A Portland by the San Diego Padres, who needed the roster spot to activate outfielder Mark Kotsay.

Kotsay is expected to be activated today. He has been on the disabled list since April 16 because of a strained left quadriceps.

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Steve Woodard, whose season appeared to be over when he was hit on the right elbow by a line drive, was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list by the Cleveland Indians and then optioned to triple-A Buffalo.

Woodard suffered only a bruised elbow April 10 when he was hit by a liner off the bat of Frank Thomas of the Chicago White Sox. The right-hander appeared to be more seriously injured and was carried from the field at Comiskey Park on a stretcher.

Woodard recovered quickly and pitched three innings in a rehab start for double-A Akron on Sunday.

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The Colorado Rockies activated reliever Bobby Chouinard from the 15-day disabled list and optioned right-hander Joe Davenport to triple-A Colorado Springs.

Chouinard has not pitched for the Rockies this season because of tendinitis in his right throwing shoulder.

Davenport gave up four earned runs with eight strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings for the Rockies. His only other big league experience came when he appeared in three games for the White Sox in 1999.

Chouinard was 2-2 with a 3.86 earned-run average in 31 games for Colorado last season, but his off-field actions have sometimes overshadowed his pitching.

Last October, Chouinard pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in Phoenix for brandishing a loaded handgun during an argument with his wife on Christmas Day 1999. He was sentenced to one year in prison to be served in increments during the off-season.

Chouinard served the first 65 days of his sentence in December and January and is scheduled to return to jail in November.

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The New York Mets recalled right-hander Dicky Gonzalez from triple-A Norfolk and optioned right-hander Jerrod Riggan to Norfolk.