Trevor Hoffman started to settle in with his new team Monday, while Mike Hampton left Astros camp to get treatment for a minor irregularity in his heartbeat.
The upcoming World Baseball Classic also lost one of the sport’s biggest stars when Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols said he will not play for the Dominican Republic because of insurance issues.
Hampton returned to Houston to be examined by team physician Jim Muntz before undergoing a procedure to correct the heartbeat with an electrical current. The Astros hope to have him back in camp Thursday.
“From what I understand, it’s not an uncommon condition and it’s not an uncommon procedure he’s going to go through,” general manager Ed Wade said in Kissimmee, Fla. “Other than travel time back and forth between here and Houston, we don’t expect him to miss any time.”
Hampton, 36, has had a hard time staying healthy the past four years. He missed most of 2005 with five stints on the disabled list, then was out all of 2006 (elbow) and all of 2007 (torn flexor tendon). He has 141 career victories but just eight in the past four years.
Astros closer Jose Valverde, last year’s NL saves leader, went to a hospital because of an inflamed right forearm that was diagnosed as an infection from an apparent insect bite. He was given antibiotics and isn’t expected to be sidelined by the injury.
Pujols’ health isn’t a concern, but the Cardinals’ star said he’s skipping the WBC because “the insurance does not want to cover” him to play.
Hoffman, meanwhile, is using his early arrival at spring training to get to know his new teammates and surroundings with the Brewers.
While the career saves leader is excited about the opportunity after signing a $6 million contract with the Brewers this winter, he admits he still isn’t over the sting of how his long tenure with the Padres ended.
“It’s not that I’m disconnected from San Diego. I’m disconnected from the Padres,” Hoffman said in Phoenix. “I’m not seeing the same people every day. I’m seeing new people. As much as that three, four months ago didn’t seem as much of a reality as it is today, time keeps moving and the game moves on. It doesn’t sit for anybody.”
Footnotes.
Outfielder Ryan Ludwick and the Cardinals agreed to a $3.7 million, one-year contract, avoiding an arbitration hearing that was scheduled for today.
• Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez will hold a news conference today in his first mass meeting with the media since a Feb. 7 Sports Illustrated report revealed he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003.
• Utility player Brad Wilkerson agreed to a minor-league contract with the Red Sox.
Denver Post wire services
