Kearns unhappy with AAA demotion
Outfielder vows a return to form

By John Erardi
Enquirer staff writer

Austin Kearns said he will do his best to get his swing together at Triple-A Louisville and that when he does, he hopes he's able to return to an everyday job in the major leagues - be it Cincinnati or somewhere else.

"I'd like it to be in Cincinnati, but the main thing is, I want to play everyday - everybody does," he said from his Lexington home.

He said he was called into the Reds' offices after Saturday's game, where he met with Reds manager Dave Miley, general manager Dan O'Brien, assistant general manager Dean Taylor and hitting instructor Chris Chambliss.

"They said they wanted to get me (hitting) again, wanted me to get my swing back, and that I needed to get at-bats every day (in Triple-A)," Kearns said. "I wasn't happy about it, but it's not like (I have any choice)."

Kearns was hitting .224 with six homers, 25 RBI and 50 strikeouts in 170 at-bats.

He said Sunday he has 72 hours to report, and he will. Meanwhile, he is just "kicking back" with his family in Lexington and getting his head right.

He's not going to pull a Jose Guillen and make things so unbearable for the Reds that they have to trade him. On the other hand, he expects the Reds to work out their outfield situation so that their four major-league outfielders are playing in the major leagues somewhere.

That is no ultimatum. He knows that right fielder Wily Mo Peņa has to be in the lineup the way he has been swinging, and Kearns thinks he will deserve the same opportunity upon his return to the majors.

"You don't want to be looking over your shoulder," Kearns said. "All four years I've been there, there's been a (problem) of there being four outfielders who should all be playing."

For all of Guillen's clubhouse problems, he wound up doing the Reds a favor by forcing their hand, because in that deal the Reds got their best starting pitcher: Aaron Harang from Oakland.

Miley said the Reds are not punishing Kearns by sending him down, but rather want him to get everyday at-bats in hopes that he can return to the form he showed in 2002 when he finished runner-up in National League Rookie of the Year voting.

Kearns said he doesn't feel the Reds are giving up on him. He thinks they are sincere when they say he needs to get at-bats.

"But there are people who are here now who weren't here before the injuries, so there may be some doubts in their mind (about my ability)," Kearns said.

Kearns had plenty of support in the clubhouse Sunday. Ken Griffey Jr. said Kearns will prove himself again in Triple A "and he'll get back here and show everybody just what kind of a ballplayer he (was) and will be again."

Kearns said his shoulder and hand are fine. He has no residual effects from either injury, he said. He said injuries have plagued him, and that "the worst thing I probably did was play with that (bad) shoulder (for a couple of months) before getting surgery."

Outfielder Kenny Kelly was brought up from Louisville.

In other roster action Sunday, catcher Jason LaRue was placed on the bereavement list (death of grandfather). Catcher Dane Sardinha was brought up from Louisville.
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