Singleton could miss opener

PHOENIX (AP) Oakland Athletics center fielder Chris Singleton may miss the season opener next Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners.

Singleton, who hasn't played since March 14, is recovering from having cysts removed from his thyroid last weekend in San Francisco. He has also been troubled by tightness in his right hamstring.

``We have a program laid out for him,'' A's manager Ken Macha said Tuesday. ``We're doing some tests and we'll see how he does with them.''

Singleton will play in minor league games on Thursday and Friday and will join the A's when they travel to Sacramento on Sunday to play their Triple-A affiliate, the Rivercats.

``That's when we'll assess the situation,'' said Macha, who added the roster will be determined on Friday with the exception of Singleton's spot.

Even should Singleton start the year on the disabled list it's unlikely he'll miss more than a handful of games since the move could be made retroactive after appearing in only minor league games.

Singleton has appeared in eight games this spring, hitting .500 (9-for-18) with three doubles. He hit safely in his first six games.

The 30-year-old Singleton, signed as a free agent, has been running and playing catch, and participating in light hitting drills.

A's shortstop Miguel Tejada, who has a bruised knee, is on schedule to return to the lineup Wednesday, just in time to face Randy Johnson and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

``He's had an interesting spring,'' Macha said of Tejada. ``He had a slow start then he was on fire. He looks like he's ready to go. It was OK to back off a little bit.''

Tejada, who aggravated the injury in a collision with Seattle's Randy Winn on Sunday, started the spring with one hit in 21 at bats, but is hitting .643 (9-for-14) over his last five games.

Left-handed pitcher Barry Zito and catcher Mark Johnson will remain in Arizona when the A's break camp following Thursday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

While Friday is an off day for the A's, Zito will pitch in a minor league game to keep him on schedule to pitch the second game of the season. Johnson, who was hit in the side of the head by a broken bat on Sunday against the Seattle Mariners, will remain to catch Zito. He's also slated to play in minor league games on Wednesday and Thursday.

Both players will join the A's in San Francisco on Saturday.

``We're hitting a lull here,'' said Macha. ``Everybody is ready to go. It's getting to a point where they want live action.''

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)