Bonds Takes Batting Practice, May Play Soon

Barry Bonds took three rounds of batting practice Monday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, his first with the San Francisco Giants since spring training, and in the coming days could resume his chase of Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron.

Recovering from three surgeries on his right knee in the last seven months, Bonds will be examined today by Dr. Lewis Yocum and physical therapist Clive Brewster. They, along with Bonds, will determine if the 41-year-old seven-time most valuable player is sufficiently healthy to play, leaving the Giants to decide Bonds’ role, in particular if he is capable of playing left field immediately.

“It’s whether the level of performance I want to be on the field [is there],” Bonds said, “or do I want to be satisfied with something else.”

He later added, “When I get on the field, I want to play like I left off.”

Bonds hit his 703rd home run last Sept. 26, and finished the regular season with 45 home runs, 101 runs batted in and a .362 batting average. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Bonds testified before a federal grand jury that he had taken products provided by the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative that he did not believe to be steroids. The announcement of his seventh National League MVP award followed, as did the three surgeries, the last in early May.

Four months of rehabilitation under the supervision of Yocum and Brewster, most of it in Los Angeles, brought Bonds on Monday to the ballpark, where his recovery team put him through various exercises in right field before batting practice. After he watched the Giants stretch, and stepped into the cage for the first time, a teammate shouted amiably from the field, “C’mon, do something!” Another: “About time!” A third: “Six months later!”

Though the ballpark was nearly empty, scattered fans applauded or booed, one screaming, “Bar-ry BAL-CO!”

Bonds, who had seen his teammates once since late June, hit a handful of home runs into the right-field bleachers. He said that he felt “great,” and that the batting practice was an extension of recent work he’d done on his own.

With the Giants 10 games under .500 but only five games out of first in the National League West, Bonds arrives to debate over whether his knee will allow him to man left field every day and run the bases.

“There’s a lot we have to see with Barry,” Giant Manager Felipe Alou said. “The main thing is he’s here now. That’s big.”

He said he expected the familiar Bonds at the plate, despite his age and lack of in-game swings.

“I don’t know how to explain that,” Alou said. “He’s a different guy. I don’t have any doubts that he will hit. I [also] don’t have any doubts that they will walk him. I don’t believe there will be many people who want to find out if he can still hit, especially with men on base.”

The Giants probably would start Bonds slowly, as a pinch-hitter or with a few innings at a time in the field.

“I know there may be a certain role I have to deal with, but I’ll just deal with today,” he said. “I don’t know, they’re doing so well, I don’t want to mess it up.”