KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Infielder Alex Guerrero, who lost part of his ear when he was bitten by a teammate during a Triple-A game, has reported to the Los Angeles Dodgers' Arizona facility and could be ready to resume playing once he regains his conditioning, Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti told ESPN.com.
Doctors performed cosmetic surgery to reattach part of Guerrero's ear shortly after the May 20 fight between Guerrero and catcher Miguel Olivo in the dugout during a game at Salt Lake. The Dodgers didn't put a timetable on how long Guerrero would be out, but it appears it will be fairly close to what sources initially told ESPN.com: five weeks.
Guerrero's agent, Scott Boras, told CBSSports.com that Guerrero will not undergo any further surgeries. Guerrero recuperated in Los Angeles, traveling for frequent follow-up visits at UCLA Medical Center.
"The ear is going to make it," Boras told CBSSports.com.
The Dodgers signed Guerrero to a four-year, $28 million contract in October and planned to convert him from shortstop to second base, but Dee Gordon has taken off and run with the Dodgers' second-base job, leading the majors in stolen bases and triples.
Before part of his ear was bitten off, Guerrero was batting .373 with a .735 slugging percentage and had hit six home runs in his past six games. He had resumed playing his natural position, shortstop, shortly before the incident, and, depending on Hanley Ramirez's health, that could be a pathway for Guerrero to reach the majors. Ramirez has missed two games, including Tuesday's, in the past two weeks because of irritation in his right shoulder.
The team released Olivo, a 12-year major league veteran, after investigating the incident.
