Reds notebook
Season-ending surgery slated for Luis Lopez

By John Fay
Enquirer staff writer

Luis Lopez thought he'd be out two or three days when he felt something pop in his right hamstring.

It was much, much worse than that.

Lopez has a torn hamstring - the injury falls somewhere between Jason Romano's and Ken Griffey Jr.'s on the severity scale. In either case, it's not good.

"It's not what I expected," Lopez said.

Lopez will have season-ending surgery on July 5.

"I'm going to take a few days, go to Puerto Rico and see my kids," he said. "I'm going to discuss it with my wife (Militza)."

Lopez turns 35 on September 4, and he's spent as much time in the minors as the majors the last three years. But he was not thinking retirement.

"I've still got some baseball in me," he said.

Lopez was the last man cut by the Reds in spring training. He was promoted to the big club on May 20 to take the roster spot vacated by D'Angelo Jimenez.

Sunday's game was his 17th for the Reds. He hit .222 with three doubles and two RBI for the Reds.

He injured the leg running out an RBI double. It happened right before his head-long dive into the bag.

"I was safe," he said, with a laugh.

Again, he didn't think the injury was serious.

"I know my body well," he said. "I didn't think it was of that magnitude."

Romano had the surgery on July 27 of last year and was ready to play early in spring training.

"I can fight back," Lopez said. "My spirit is good. It's a shame, but it's reality."
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