Boone Out 2-3 weeks

By JOE CAPOZZI

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

MIAMI GARDENS — First baseman Aaron Boone hobbled into the Marlins' clubhouse on crutches Tuesday a happy man.

Boone, who left Sunday's game after tweaking his left knee in the fourth inning, will be out two to three weeks with a sprained metacarpal ligament.

"Considering what it could have been, I'm actually pretty excited about all that it is,'' said Boone, who feared he might have torn a ligament in his knee.

"I felt like I was on trial for murder and the jury came back with not guilty.''

On Sunday, Boone went to cover the first-base bag before realizing the ball got through. He changed direction to prepare for the cutoff throw and felt some discomfort.

After Sunday's game, he said he expected to play Tuesday. But he said it stiffened up Sunday night. When he woke up Monday morning in pain, he underwent an MRI exam that showed the low-grade sprain.

Boone (.286, five home runs, 28 RBI) had been platooning with Mike Jacobs. Manager Fredi Gonzalez said Jacobs now will get the majority of starts, even against left-handers. If there's a particularly tough left-hander, Gonzalez said he might opt to start Jason Wood.

Boone will be on crutches for two to three days and then begin rehab work by the end of the week.

He hopes to return by or right after the All-Star break. Boone said his injury is not related to two surgeries he had on the same knee in 2004. He missed that entire season after hurting the knee in a pickup basketball game. He required surgery to repair torn ligaments and had a second procedure six months later to remove loose cartilage.

Palm Beach Post