Alex

Gonzalez

Gonzalez struck out 136 times last season. Hitting in front of Sammy Sosa should certainly help him, as long as he can avoid falling into patterns that have plagued him his whole career. It’s hard to imagine Grudzielanek and Gonzalez being the 2003 version of the Daily Double atop the Cubs lineup, so be ready to pull the trigger on a deal before Gonzalez’s stock plummets.

''We’ll evaluate and check him out tomorrow,’' manager Dusty Baker said. Consider Gonzalez day-to-day.

Gonzalez has been sidelined since the start of camp.

Gonzalez has been out with a sore hamstring.

The Cubs don’t want him pulling a muscle, but manager Dusty Baker expects his shortstop back in the lineup today.

Gonzalez is in a 2-for-45 skid, so Augie Ojeda will get his first start since being recalled from the minors last Sunday.

Gonzalez has his cast off his broken right wrist, and said he expects to begin taking infield practice in Houston on Monday or Tuesday and start hitting again in seven to 10 days. Gonzalez believes he’ll be ready to go during the July 5-7 series in Milwaukee. As July 5th is the earliest he can come off the D.L., the target may be a bit optimistic, but for now it appears reachable.

Gonzalez has also started hitting soft-toss pitches with a fungo bat. He is scheduled to come off the DL in early July, but he may not be activated until later in the month.

“He’ll start on Monday,” manager Dusty Baker said. “He’s the starter.” While he may be somewhat rusty, you can put Gonzalez back on your team if you need him.

He will need at least a week’s worth of games at Class AAA before returning to the Cubs’ active roster, likely soon after the All-Star break. Gonzalez has been out of action since May 5th and is certain to be a bit rusty.