Slugger Frank Thomas is likely to miss the rest of the season for the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox because of a fracture in his left foot close to where he had surgery last year, his doctor said Friday.
The injury didn't appear to be career-ending, Los Angeles-based surgeon Dr. Richard Ferkel said.
The 37-year-old Thomas is batting .219 with 12 home runs and 26 RBIs in only 105 at-bats after starting the year on the disabled list. The two-time AL MVP has been slowed by ankle problems all season and limited to 34 games.
The White Sox entered Friday night's game at Baltimore with an 11 1/2-game lead in the division. Thomas was not with the team.
He was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 21 with inflammation in the foot.
"The plan for Frank will be to immobilize him in a cast and follow him with sequential X-rays until the fracture is healed," Ferkel said in a statement. "If the fracture does not heal with conservative treatment, he may require additional surgery."
Thomas broke a bone in his left ankle July 6, 2004, and had surgery last October. He was activated from the disabled list on May 30.
"This is not how the story was supposed to end. Frank was supposed to bounce back from the injury and help get us back into postseason and beyond, come back next year and hit his 500th home run," general manager Kenny Williams said.
"All he wanted to do is stay healthy and help finish what these guys started. This wasn't in the script."
Trainer Herm Schneider said the fracture is not the same one that was repaired last October. He said it's doubtful if Thomas could recover quickly enough should the team make the playoffs.
"It doesn't look good in that respect. It takes an awful long time to heal," Schneider said, adding it would probably take 6-to-8 weeks to heal.
"You're kind of running out of real estate," Schneider said. "To get out of the cast, there probably won't be enough time to do that."
Thomas is a career .307 hitter with 448 home runs and 1,465 RBIs.
He is making $8 million this season after exercising an option last offseason. Williams said it was too early to decide if Thomas would return to the White Sox next season. Thomas has another player option in his contract for 2006 — but if he exercises it, the team has the right to turn it down and pay a $3.5 million buyout.
Thomas missed most of the 2001 season with a torn triceps muscle but bounced back for 28 homers and 92 RBIs the following season.
"If this guy wasn't hurt, there wouldn't be a question we'd be talking about 600-plus home runs, not 450," Williams said.
Thomas came off the disabled list this season and was able to hit with some power, if not consistency, but he struggled mostly with running the bases.
"It's tough for Frank. He battled to get back in the lineup after sitting out for half the year last year and a couple of months this year," teammate Paul Konerko said from Baltimore.
"It's kind of a downer for him. I think we knew last week that he was definitely out for a pretty substantial amount of time. We played the first two months without Frank, so it's not a question of whether we can play without him. We just showed at the beginning of the season that we can. We would like to have him here. He's a force when he's in there."
With Thomas out, Carl Everett will be the team's primary designated hitter, just as he was early in the season while Thomas was rehabbing.
"You feel bad for the guy. I'm quite sure he's never been on a team quite like this. He wanted to be a part of this team and now this has happened. I feel sorry for him," Everett said.
"The guy has put up some great numbers. He was doing a great job while he was here. ... There is a fear factor when he's in your lineup."
HALLADAY MENDING: Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay expects to be activated from the disabled list next week, less than a month after a bone in his left leg was broken.
Halladay threw 57 pitches in a simulated game Friday and might return for Tuesday's game against the Chicago White Sox.
"That's what I would like to do if everything goes well," Halladay said. "I feel like I could pitch in a game right now. I feel fine throwing. It's just a matter of being able to field my position."
Halladay will test his fielding on Saturday. If he can't go Tuesday, he expects to pitch at home against the New York Yankees on Aug. 6 or 7.
PARK A LATE SCRATCH: Texas Rangers right-hander Chan Ho Park was scratched just before his scheduled start against the Toronto Blue Jays amid speculation he was about to be traded. Park isn't known to have an injury. Park is 8-5 with a 5.66 ERA in 20 start this season.
MARINERS CUT BORDERS: Catcher Pat Borders was designated for assignment on Friday by the Seattle Mariners.
To fill his spot on the roster, Seattle recalled catcher Wiki Gonzalez from Triple-A Tacoma. Seattle has 10 days to trade, release or send Borders to the minors.
The 42-year-old, former World Series MVP had been an off-and-on fixture in the Seattle clubhouse in recent years. He rejoined the club in May, acquired in a cash trade with Milwaukee.
In 36 games, Borders hit .197 with one homer and seven RBIs. He had been hitless in his last 12 at-bats.
BURNETT SLATED TO START: Right-hander A.J. Burnett heads into Saturday's start against Washington wondering whether it will be his last for the Florida Marlins.
After more than a month of trade speculation, a deal involving Burnett appeared less likely as Sunday's major league deadline approached. But the Marlins haven't ruled out a trade.
Boston, Baltimore and the Chicago White Sox have all been mentioned as possible suitors.
Burnett, who becomes a free agent after this season, complained that Marlins front-office executives haven't talked with him.
"The only thing I wouldn't mind seeing is maybe somebody around here telling me, 'Hey, you're all right. Don't worry about anything. Just go out there and pitch,' " Burnett said Friday.
Burnett (7-6, 3.48 ERA) won his past two starts at Arizona and at San Francisco despite the distraction of the trade talk.