 08/18/2003 6:31 PM ET
Franco heads to 15-day DL
First baseman fractured his left middle finger Monday
ATLANTA -- Julio Franco's commitment to conditioning has enabled him to prolong a Major League career that began with his Major League debut in 1982.
But it was a rare accident in the Turner Field weight room Monday morning that landed the 44-year-old Braves first baseman on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured left middle finger.
"I knew it was broken right away," Franco said. "My finger blew up like a tomato."
Franco suffered the injury when the tip of his finger was pinched in between a dumbbell that was improperly placed back on the rack. He was taken to Piedmont Hospital during Monday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Doctors advised him that he could play with the fractured finger. But the laceration on the tip of his finger needed four stitches and they do not want him playing until the cut heals and the chance of infection no longer exists.
Franco, who will celebrate his 45th birthday on Saturday, is hitting .291 with three homers and 27 RBIs while platooning at first base with Robert Fick this year. The Braves recalled Mike Hessman from Triple-A Richmond to take his spot on the roster.
Braves manager Bobby Cox was unsure Monday afternoon whether Hessman, who has 16 homers despite two separate stints on the disabled list this year, would fill the platoon role with Fick.
Mark Bowman is a reporter for
MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or
its clubs.
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