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Sunday, July 2
 
Junior's removal Saturday precautionary

Associated Press

PHOENIX -- Ken Griffey Jr. was back in the lineup for the Reds' 14-2 rout of Arizona on Sunday, one day after a dugout dispute with his father and twisting his right knee.

Griffey was injured in the fourth inning of the Reds' 9-6 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday. He hurt himself dodging out of shortstop Barry Larkin's way while both pursued Luis Gonzalez's bloop single to short center field.

Griffey stayed in the field for the rest of the inning, but was limping noticeably as he returned to the Reds bench. When he reached the dugout, his father, Reds coach Ken Griffey Sr., told the center fielder he was being taken out of the game.

Television replays showed Junior arguing with his father. On Sunday, the younger Griffey said there was little to the discussion.

"He told me I was coming out and I said I wasn't," said Griffey, who has missed only nine games since 1997. "He said we were down by six, and half-pushed me toward the locker room.

"I don't like coming out of games unless we're blowing somebody out or being blown out. In those cases it's good because it gives other guys a chance to get some at-bats. But except for that, I hate coming out."

Said Griffey Sr.: "I don't talk about family arguments. Cameras just happen to be nosy."

Reds catcher Benito Santiago, who separated the Griffeys during the spat, said, "I don't like to be in the middle of controversies but that's over. They're father and son and they'll be OK.

"Everything is cool."

Reds manager Jack McKeon said he saw little reason to risk further injury by keeping Griffey in the game with the Diamondbacks leading 9-3.

"He's the kind of player who you'd hate to see get hurt in some free innings because you're trying to stretch something when you're down six runs," McKeon said. "I felt like ... let's get some ice on it and get it better.

"He likes to play and you can't take that away from him. He loves to be in there."

Griffey, hitting .243 with 26 homers and 62 RBI in his first season with the Reds, has hit safely in 12 of his last 15 games and has eight home runs over that stretch.




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