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His Mother 'In Good Hands,' Navarro Returns To Work

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By MARC LANCASTER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 19, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Dioner Navarro arrived at the Naimoli Complex on Monday morning ready to focus on baseball to the best of his ability.

He didn't want to say much about the crisis that took him back home to Venezuela, the brain aneurysm suffered by his mother, Rosa, that has kept her in intensive care. Her condition was stable when he left Caracas on Sunday, knowing there was nothing else he could do for the moment.

"She's in good hands," Navarro said. "I know she'll be fine. Believe it and it will happen."

Navarro has become accustomed to keeping the faith when it comes to medical matters involving his loved ones. His wife, Sherley, survived a brain aneurysm Sept. 30, 2003, and the couple's son Dioner Jr. has dealt with kidney problems since his birth two years ago.

"I guess all that stuff that happens to me only makes me stronger and makes me realize I've got people around me that keep me strong and keep battling with me, that's the main thing," Navarro said. "That's the No. 1 thing for me. I'm here and hopefully my teammates and everybody around here will help me go through this. The team has been great with this; they've been such a good part of my thing with my family."

Navarro arrived in Tampa around midnight Sunday after catching a connecting flight through San Juan, Puerto Rico, on the way back home. He jumped right in with the rest of the catchers in the morning workout.

"It's something he has to continue to monitor and if he has to leave at any point he's welcome to do so," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "But it's great to have him back."

THE ALTERNATIVE? Eric Hinske has played only a handful of games at third base in Toronto and Boston the past three seasons, but he doesn't believe he'll have any problem returning to his original position if needed.

"The only reason why I haven't played third in the last couple years is because the teams I was on didn't need me to," Hinske said after arriving at Rays camp Monday. "My first six years in pro baseball I played third base every day. It's where I'm most comfortable and where I'd like to play, but I'm here to do whatever they want me to."

Since 2005, Hinske has been blocked by the likes of Corey Koskie, Shea Hillenbrand, Troy Glaus and Mike Lowell and taken to playing first base and the corner outfield positions. But he could get a long look at third base this spring and see early playing time there if Evan Longoria doesn't make the Opening Day roster. Willy Aybar likely will be his main competition.

"We want to get him some work out there and try to evaluate what we think about him as a third baseman," Maddon said.

That potential opportunity is one reason Hinske chose to sign with the Rays over the Diamondbacks.

"It just seemed like a better situation over here for me," he said. "I'm just going to come in and try to compete and win a job. That's my mindset."

NOTEWORTHY: The Rays hoped RHP Juan Salas would hear more about his visa status Monday, but the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic was closed because of Presidents Day. ... Salas' fellow Dominicans, Aybar and Joel Guzman, are the only position players expected to miss today's reporting deadline, with visa issues also the culprit. ... In addition to Hinske, IF Andy Cannizaro also checked in Monday. OF Chris Richard arrived late Sunday. ... MLB umpire supervisor Richie Garcia visited camp to discuss umpire-catcher relationships with the Rays' coaches and catchers. ... MLB vice president Bob Watson stopped in St. Petersburg on his annual circuit of big-league camps to discuss pace of game and other issues with Rays officials.

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