CHICAGO (AP) -Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano said his right calf feels fine and he’ll be “100 percent” when he returns from the disabled list on Thursday.
“I feel good,” Soriano said. “I said two weeks when (I was injured). I feel very good. My calf is very strong. We’ll see what I can do tomorrow and the rest of the season.”
Soriano limped off the field after making his familiar hop to catch a first-inning flyball against Cincinnati on April 15 and landed on the DL for the second time in his career the following day. He insisted again on Wednesday that there was no connection between the hop and the injury.
“I do my hop and I finish on my left side,” said Soriano, who spent time on the DL last August because of a strained quadriceps muscle. “My right calf, that’s the problem that I got. It’s not on the left side.”
The Cubs went on to beat Cincinnati after Soriano got hurt and won seven of the next eight games, prompting calls for manager Lou Piniella to drop Soriano in the order. Piniella said the only place Soriano is going is to his familiar spots at the top of the lineup and in left field.
Soriano is batting just .175 with just two homers and five RBIs, and the recent leg injuries raised questions about one of his greatest assets: his speed.
But the calls to drop Soriano have quieted somewhat with the Cubs losing four of five entering Wednesday’s game against Milwaukee.
“I don’t know where that’s coming from because I’ve ran a little through my career,” Soriano said. “I don’t know why they make a big deal. If Lou wants a change, that’s his opinion, because he’s the manager.”
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