The Cincinnati Reds revealed on Tuesday that manager Dusty Baker
suffered a mini-stroke last Friday, but he is expected to make a full
recovery and might return to manage the series against St. Louis, which
starts Monday.
Baker was admitted to a Chicago hospital last
Wednesday and diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, also known as an
irregular heartbeat. He was about to be discharged on Friday
when he suffered a mini-stroke. He was immediately treated by the
hospital's stroke team, which minimized the effects of the stroke.
Baker, 63, returned to Cincinnati on Sunday and his condition has
improved dramatically, the Reds said in a statement. Baker's Cincinnati
neurologist Dr. Joseph Broderick and cardiologists Dr. Dean Kereiakes
and Dr. Daniel Beyerback expect Baker to make a full recovery, the team
said. Until Baker returns, Chris Speier will continue to act as the Reds' manager.
Baker addressed his team before batting practice Tuesday but was not
available to reporters. Baker released a statement, which read, "While
at Wrigley Field I was blessed to have our trainer, Paul Lessard, have
the good sense to call in Cubs team physician Dr. Stephen Adams, who
examined me in the clubhouse, immediately determined how serious my
condition was and personally rushed me to Northwestern Memorial
Hospital. "Dr. Broderick and Dr. Kereiakes are going to make
sure I'm ready to handle the duties of managing before I return full
time. My family and I are very grateful for the support we've received
the past few days from Mr. Castellini and our ownership group, Walt
(Jocketty), our friends, the baseball family and especially Reds fans.
I'm feeling much better, and it's great being back here in Cincinnati. "Chris Speier and my staff are doing a terrific job, and I look forward to getting back to the dugout." Speier told the Cincinnati Enquirer on Tuesday that Baker "looked great."
"He lost a lot of water weight," Speier said. "I'll probably manage at
this point through Pittsburgh (this weekend), and I believe the plan is
he'll rejoin the team in St. Louis. It was great to see him. He looks
really, really good. We're all anxious to get him back in charge."