Beltran ready to return
WICHITA -The return of outfielder Carlos Beltran from the disabled list tonight could be just what the Royals need as they look to regain their early form after losing two straight games to the Chicago White Sox.
Beltran completed his rehabilitation playing assignment Thursday night at Class AA Wichita and is itching to get back in the Royals' lineup after being sidelined since March 11 by a strained right oblique.
"I was talking to my wife earlier today," he said, "and I told her, `I can't wait to get back. I feel 100 percent.'
"I've been stealing bases. I've been playing in the outfield and hitting. I've been doing everything and, thank God, I don't feel any pain. I don't even think about it anymore. It's gone."
Beltran is expected to play tonight when the Royals, 11-3, open a three-game weekend series against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium.
"I know they've been winning without me," he said, "but I'm still part of the team. I just want to be there and share in the fun they've been having."
Beltran spent five days in extended spring training before arriving Tuesday in Wichita for three games. He was three for seven in his first two games with two doubles.
"He's completely healthy and completely ready to go," Wichita manager Keith Bodie said, summarizing the report he previously transmitted to Royals general manager Allard Baird.
"Hey, we all know what Carlos is. He's just a great player. He'll be a nice little shot in the arm (for the Royals). There's no question about that."
But for how long?
Beltran's return is certain to heighten the swirl of trade rumors arising from his refusal to consider a contract extension until after the season.
"I'm ready for those questions," he said. "I know they're going to come. I'm in a tough situation right now. There have been a lot of rumors that I'm going to be traded.
"But I made the decision: I'm going to wait until after the season (before resuming contract talks). I've been praying about this for a long time. So, I'm really at peace with the situation."
The Royals, despite their hot start, want to resolve Beltran's status long before the season ends. They first signaled their willingness to trade him in the off-season after he rejected a three-year offer for $25.3 million.
"Our approach has not changed," Baird said. "We felt we explored every possible avenue last winter in our efforts to get a deal done."
Further, the Royals believe Beltran's trade value will only decrease as the season unfolds because he is eligible to become a free agent after the 2004 season.
"They've got to do whatever is best for the organization," Beltran said. "I look at it that way. I know this is a business.
"If what's best for the organization is to trade me, do it. If it isn't, then keep me. That's the way it's going to be. I made a decision in the off-season that I'm going to wait until the end of the year."
For now, Beltran wants to concentrate on playing.
"I just want to be back with the team," he said. "Enjoy that. Play hard and try to help the team win as many games as we can.
"We've been winning games, and I think everybody should be more focused on the team than on the contract."
For Beltran, his three days in Wichita offered the chance to revisit pleasant times. It was during a 47-game stretch with the Wranglers in 1998, when he batted .352 with 14 homers and 44 RBIs, that he really began to believe he could make it to the big leagues.
"I started that year in A-ball at Wilmington before I got called up to Double-A," Beltran said. "As soon as I touched Double-A, I started doing well and I just knew I was going to get called up (to the majors) in September.
"I remember telling (teammate Carlos) Febles, `You know what? We're going to get called up in September because we've been doing so well. I think they're going to give us a shot.' That's what happened."
Beltran got that late-season promotion. He batted .276 in 14 games and showed sufficient potential to convince the Royals to make him their starting center fielder at the start of the 1999 season.
He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1999 and enters this season with a .287 career average with 82 homers and 365 RBIs in 585 games. He is the only player in Royals history to have three seasons with 20 or more homers and 20 or more steals.
"I have really have good memories of Wichita," he said. "I played well here, and I feel good about being here. But it feels better being in the big leagues."
WICHITA -The return of outfielder Carlos Beltran from the disabled list tonight could be just what the Royals need as they look to regain their early form after losing two straight games to the Chicago White Sox.
Beltran completed his rehabilitation playing assignment Thursday night at Class AA Wichita and is itching to get back in the Royals' lineup after being sidelined since March 11 by a strained right oblique.
"I was talking to my wife earlier today," he said, "and I told her, `I can't wait to get back. I feel 100 percent.'
"I've been stealing bases. I've been playing in the outfield and hitting. I've been doing everything and, thank God, I don't feel any pain. I don't even think about it anymore. It's gone."
Beltran is expected to play tonight when the Royals, 11-3, open a three-game weekend series against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium.
"I know they've been winning without me," he said, "but I'm still part of the team. I just want to be there and share in the fun they've been having."
Beltran spent five days in extended spring training before arriving Tuesday in Wichita for three games. He was three for seven in his first two games with two doubles.
"He's completely healthy and completely ready to go," Wichita manager Keith Bodie said, summarizing the report he previously transmitted to Royals general manager Allard Baird.
"Hey, we all know what Carlos is. He's just a great player. He'll be a nice little shot in the arm (for the Royals). There's no question about that."
But for how long?
Beltran's return is certain to heighten the swirl of trade rumors arising from his refusal to consider a contract extension until after the season.
"I'm ready for those questions," he said. "I know they're going to come. I'm in a tough situation right now. There have been a lot of rumors that I'm going to be traded.
"But I made the decision: I'm going to wait until after the season (before resuming contract talks). I've been praying about this for a long time. So, I'm really at peace with the situation."
The Royals, despite their hot start, want to resolve Beltran's status long before the season ends. They first signaled their willingness to trade him in the off-season after he rejected a three-year offer for $25.3 million.
"Our approach has not changed," Baird said. "We felt we explored every possible avenue last winter in our efforts to get a deal done."
Further, the Royals believe Beltran's trade value will only decrease as the season unfolds because he is eligible to become a free agent after the 2004 season.
"They've got to do whatever is best for the organization," Beltran said. "I look at it that way. I know this is a business.
"If what's best for the organization is to trade me, do it. If it isn't, then keep me. That's the way it's going to be. I made a decision in the off-season that I'm going to wait until the end of the year."
For now, Beltran wants to concentrate on playing.
"I just want to be back with the team," he said. "Enjoy that. Play hard and try to help the team win as many games as we can.
"We've been winning games, and I think everybody should be more focused on the team than on the contract."
For Beltran, his three days in Wichita offered the chance to revisit pleasant times. It was during a 47-game stretch with the Wranglers in 1998, when he batted .352 with 14 homers and 44 RBIs, that he really began to believe he could make it to the big leagues.
"I started that year in A-ball at Wilmington before I got called up to Double-A," Beltran said. "As soon as I touched Double-A, I started doing well and I just knew I was going to get called up (to the majors) in September.
"I remember telling (teammate Carlos) Febles, `You know what? We're going to get called up in September because we've been doing so well. I think they're going to give us a shot.' That's what happened."
Beltran got that late-season promotion. He batted .276 in 14 games and showed sufficient potential to convince the Royals to make him their starting center fielder at the start of the 1999 season.
He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1999 and enters this season with a .287 career average with 82 homers and 365 RBIs in 585 games. He is the only player in Royals history to have three seasons with 20 or more homers and 20 or more steals.
"I have really have good memories of Wichita," he said. "I played well here, and I feel good about being here. But it feels better being in the big leagues."
