Bradley Happy to Leave Minors

Milton Bradley did not enjoy his rehabilitation assignment. The sun was too hot, the air too thin, the play too ragged.

“I forgot how bad triple A was,” he said. “This past week was brutal. It was over 100 degrees wherever you played. Then [on the road] in Colorado Springs, it’s like a higher elevation than Denver. It’s tough to get your wind.”

The Dodger outfielder was in good spirits despite missing a flight in Denver, sitting in the airport for four hours and arriving in New York at 6:30 a.m. Before the game, he said he got a late start driving from Colorado Springs to Denver because General Manager Paul DePodesta couldn’t be reached to authorize his return to the team.

“I was just sitting around waiting for it because they couldn’t get into contact with DePodesta,” Bradley said. “Then they finally got in contact with him and tried to get me a flight itinerary, and I had to go to the Colorado Springs airport and get a rental car, drive to Denver and catch a flight, but I missed it.”

DePodesta did not respond to a request for an explanation. Sam Levinson, Bradley’s agent, said his client missed the 9:15 p.m. flight for reasons “totally unrelated to Paul DePodesta.”

Bradley softened his comments after the game, saying, “My agent spoke to Paul numerous times and Paul arranged the flight. The problem was that I was in Colorado Springs. If I was in a normal city, I could have been there in plenty of time.”

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To make room for Bradley, outfielder Chin-Feng Chen was designated for assignment, meaning the Dodgers have 10 days to trade him or he can become a free agent. Chen, who was two for eight in 19 days with the Dodgers, could decide to accept a demotion to triple A and remain with the organization.

Manager Jim Tracy said Bradley would get a day off soon because he didn’t play a full game during his five-game rehab assignment. Bradley was on the disabled list for 54 days because of a torn ligament in his right ring finger.

“We’ll see how he feels and how his legs respond, and go from there,” Tracy said.

Rookie Jason Repko, the player Bradley replaced in the lineup, will be used primarily as a defensive replacement in left and right field. He can also be used as a pinch-runner and is an adept bunter.

Repko, who is batting .215 in 177 at-bats, has the strongest arm of any Dodger outfielder.