Hey Cansecoites...

Is Jose ever going to play again? It sure has been a while. His foot is
healing, but he's taking things extremely slowly, which I guess is
good. He could be back any day. The worst case scenario is Jose will be
back after the All Star break. Let's hope it's sooner than that.

Jose has lost some weight recently (10 pounds and counting), and hopes this
will help prevent future injuries... For all the latest, see below.

-Mark

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From the St. Petersburg Times:

CANSECO'S CONUNDRUM: Jose Canseco has this problem. The small, dime-sized
injury in his left heel is feeling better. Good enough that he wants to
test it by running full speed, the last hurdle before being activated.

But Canseco also is worried that if he goes too hard too soon, he could
re-injure himself (as he did during drills on the last homestand) and end
up being out for several more weeks.

"There's an urge in me telling me, "Jose, push it, push it, push it so you
can get back in the lineup,' and there's a smart little voice in there
telling me, "Remember what happened last time. Learn from the experience,'
" he said. "So I feel like I'm caught between the two, but I have to listen
to experience."

Canseco, out since May 24, took batting practice before Friday's game and
jogged lightly but did not run anywhere near full speed. Manager Larry
Rothschild has said he wants to see Canseco run freely, then see how he is
the next day before activating him.

"From here on in it's going to be one day at a time, to see how much I can
build up and do (today) without actually hurting the foot again," Canseco
said. "It's a very fine line."

Canseco and Rothschild said Canseco might need just a few more days and
could be ready to rejoin the lineup Tuesday. But Canseco said he might wait
longer, perhaps until the July 10-12 All-Star break, to make sure he is healed.

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From the St. Petersburg Times:

REINFORCEMENTS COMING: By this time next week, the Rays could have Jose
Canseco, Greg Vaughn and Vinny Castilla back in the lineup.
Canseco, out since May 24, is expected to test his sore left heel in
full-speed running drills today. Vaughn, out since June 15 with a sore
right hamstring, appears on track to be activated when eligible Friday.
Castilla, out since June 14 with a sore back, has been hitting and working
out in St. Petersburg. Rothschild said Castilla likely will play in
minor-league games early in the week and should be ready to be rejoin the
Rays on Thursday.

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From the St. Petersburg Times:

110-POUND WEAKLING: When Jose Canseco returns to the lineup this week, he
may look -- understand, we're speaking relatively here -- smaller. Canseco
has decided that he will be able to run better at a lower playing weight.

With a body like his, though, it's more than a matter of leaving the extra
chicken wing on the table or spending an extra five minutes on the
treadmill.

Canseco is trying to decrease his muscle density and says he has dropped
about 10 pounds, down to about 245, by curtailing his workouts and changing
his diet. "I'd like to come back next year at 230 or 235 and play some
outfield again," he said. "It's too hard to steal bases or play in the
outfield at 250."

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From the Tampa Tribune:

DH Jose Canseco did not run Saturday (left heel strain) but plans to run
today. Canseco jogged Friday for the first time since being placed on the
DL on May 25. He said he had some soreness Saturday, adding, ``but it's not
a pain, it's a good soreness.''...

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From the St. Petersburg Times:

ON THE RUN: Jose Canseco ran briefly before Sunday's game and reported
considerable improvement in the sore left heel that has kept him out since
May 24 -- "I'm running at about 60 percent; I probably have John Flaherty
speed," he said -- but he still doesn't know if he will be back in the
lineup this week or next month.

If Canseco shows similar improvement Tuesday, Rothschild said, "We'll look
at a timetable to get him back -- a quick timetable."

Canseco, increasingly frustrated at what has been an unpredictable
recovery, said he hopes to play by the weekend series with the Yankees. But
he has grown weary of projecting return dates, only to miss them.
"Worst-case scenario would be the second half (which starts July 13)," he
said. "But I'm hoping it doesn't take that long."

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From the St. Petersburg Times:

Team chemistry: Three-quarters of the Devil Rays' ``Hit Show'' could come
off the disabled list this week as Greg Vaughn, Vinny Castilla and Jose
Canseco all could be ready.

Vaughn [hamstring] says he fully expects to be ready by Friday, Castilla
[lower back strain] will probably play in a minor-league game in
preparation to come off the DL Thursday, while Canseco remains a question mark.

Canseco [strained left heel] ran before Sunday's game under the watchful
eye of trainer Jamie Reed.

``I was pushing it a little more,'' Canseco said. ``Twenty, 30 percent
harder. I had a little soreness.''

Canseco will run again before Tuesday's game.

Since the team has played well during June, when most of the three were out
of the lineup, Rothschild was asked if he was concerned about their return
affecting team chemistry.

After allowing himself a smile, the Devil Rays' manager answered:
``Certainly, I don't think you're going to detract from the chemistry with
those guys. Pitching and better defense has been the big difference.''

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From the St. Petersburg Times:
Injuries healing slowly for stars
By Marc Topkin, John Romano
June 28, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG -- Don't get too excited about seeing Jose Canseco and Vinny
Castilla back in the lineup just yet.

Though no one wanted to say that either had a setback, it appears the two
injured stars may not return until next week.

...Canseco showed considerable improvement in his injured left heel during
a workout Sunday. But he felt soreness in the aftermath and postponed
further drills until at least today.

"Until it clears up completely, he'll continue rehabbing," Rothschild said.
"It's not a predictable injury."

Optimally, Canseco would be able to run at full speed today or Thursday,
then spend a couple of days doing drills to build leg strength. But the
situation may come down to what Canseco called the worst-case scenario --
waiting until after the July 10-12 All-Star break. Meanwhile, leftfielder
Greg Vaughn is making progress in his recovery from a sore right hamstring
and is expected back Friday.

The Rays are trying to make sure their stars will be able to play every day
after they return. "I want them to be 100 percent," Rothschild said. "We
don't need to go through this anymore where they play one day and then sit
one day."

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From the AP:

Injury updates: Canseco (strained left heel) ran before Wednesday's game
and said of the unusual injury: ``I'm beginning to understand the healing
process [for the injury].'' Nevertheless, Canseco said he doesn't know when
he'll be ready, but that he felt like the worst-case scenario would be to
come off the DL after the break for the All-Star Game....