Ordonez still has pain in repaired knee

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CLEVELAND -- Right fielder Magglio Ordonez was sent back to Chicago for tests on his left knee, still sore nearly two months after the Chicago White Sox star had surgery.

Ordonez told manager Ozzie Guillen his knee was hurting and he was removed from the starting lineup before Thursday night's game against the Cleveland Indians.

	Magglio Ordonez Right Field Chicago White Sox Profile
	2004 SEASON STATISTICS GM HR RBI R SB AVG 52 9 37 32 0 .292

On Friday, Ordonez will be examined by team physician Dr. Charles Bush-Joseph.

"I hope it's nothing real bad, but we have to be prepared for the worst," Guillen said.

The White Sox open a three-game series at home Friday against Detroit.

Ordonez, a four-time All-Star, had surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee June 5. He missed 36 games -- the White Sox went 17-19 without him -- before returning on July 8.

He played two games in the field after coming back. On Wednesday, he went 2-for-2 with a walk and scored twice before being pulled for a pinch-runner in the fifth inning of Chicago's 14-0 rout.

Team trainer Herm Schneider said he couldn't pinpoint what was causing the soreness in Ordonez's knee.

"It's not real alarming to me -- right now," Schneider said. "He just has this discomfort and we don't know what it is."

Ordonez, batting .292 with nine homers and 37 RBI in 52 games, told Guillen that his knee didn't recover after playing right field on Wednesday.

"He said he was in a lot of pain," Guillen said. "I'm the type of guy, if you're hurting, you're hurting."

Ordonez had never been on the disabled list before when the White Sox put him on it in June.

Already missing slugger Frank Thomas, sidelined for at least eight weeks with a stress fracture in his left ankle, the White Sox can't afford to be without Ordonez for long.

"We played 1½ months without him and played pretty good ball," said Guillen, whose team entered Thursday a half-game behind AL Central-leading Minnesota. "But obviously, we need him with no Frank.

"We just need guys to step up. Now we're missing the two biggest bats in our lineup."

Thomas' injury prompted the White Sox to acquire outfielder Carl Everett this week in a trade with Montreal. If Ordonez is sidelined again for an extended period, the club might be forced to find another bat before the July 31 trade deadline.

Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press

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