News
Kouzmanoff returns after long layoff
Calf strain, and then tight back, keep slugger out 17 games
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
09/29/09 9:20 PM ET
SAN DIEGO -- Never in his wildest imagination did Kevin Kouzmanoff think he would miss 17 games when he was felled by a strained calf on Sept. 8 against the Giants.In a sense, he was actually right.
Along the way to recovery, Kouzmanoff was sidelined with tightness in his back -- just about the time his strained left calf healed.
"It was disappointing," Kouzmanoff said.
After missing 17 consecutive games, Kouzmanoff returned to the Padres' starting lineup on Tuesday against the Dodgers at PETCO Park.
The Friars were 10-7 without Kouzmanoff, who was replaced at third base by Chase Headley.
"Kouz is back in, ready to go. ... He's ready to roll," Padres manager Bud Black said of Kouzmanoff, who batted sixth in Tuesday's order. "He knows his back as well as anyone where he's been the last few years."
Kouzmanoff, who has a history of disk irritation, was troubled with a tight back, though it's essentially the same issue he's had over the past two seasons. The tightness this time arose after he missed a chair trying to sit down in the clubhouse in Pittsburgh recently.
"It's frustrating," Kouzmanoff said. "I was feeling better with my calf. It's disappointing, but at the same time, there's nothing I can do about it. You can't sit there and dwell about it."
Kouzmanoff returns to the lineup with five games remaining in the regular season. He's hitting .257 and has 17 home runs. He's already tied his career high with 84 RBIs and 31 doubles.
Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
