The news on Sammy Sosa was as bad as the Cubs feared. His broken ankle will be in a cast for four to six weeks and he will miss the rest of the season.
”The absolute best possible scenario would be Sammy coming back the last week of the season and the playoffs,” said trainer John Fierro.
Sosa broke the large protruding bone on his left ankle when he fouled off a pitch from Wally Whitehurst in the first inning of Thursday night`s game.
”To me it was a one-in-a-million freak accident,” Fierro said. ”This is my 17th year in baseball and it`s the first time I`ve ever seen that happen.”
Fierro said the injury was a ”clean break” and shouldn`t have any long- term effect on Sosa`s speed.
– Sosa was placed on the 15-day disabled list and his spot on the roster was taken by infielder-outfielder Jeff Kunkel, who was recalled from Triple-A Iowa. Kunkel, 30, was obtained by the Cubs in a minor-league trade for outfielder Ced Landrum on July 7 and called up to Chicago the next day. He played in six games and batted .091 (1 for 11) before being sent to Iowa on July 31 just after Sosa returned from six weeks on the disabled list with a broken hand.
– Dwight Gooden is scheduled to pitch against the Cubs Saturday. The Mets activated Gooden from the disabled list after Friday`s game and sent former Cub Tom Filer back to Triple-A Tidewater. Gooden had shoulder surgery last Sept. 7 and was 6-9 with a 3.85 earned-run average in 19 games this season before being sidelined with tenderness in his shoulder. He is 24-4 lifetime against the Cubs.
– Long reliever Jeff Robinson has taken Boskie`s spot in the starting rotation three times this season and is penciled in to start again next Monday against Montreal. In his three starts, Robinson is 1-0 with a 1.47 earned-run average. If the extra work affects his arm, the Cubs would consider using rookie reliever Jim Bullinger as a spot starter. Bullinger, a former shortstop, was a starting pitcher in the minor leagues the past three seasons before being converted to the bullpen this year. He had 14 saves at Triple-A Iowa before being called up to the big leagues on May 26. He is 0-2 with seven saves with the Cubs this season.