Stars’ Prieto to return after medical problems

Steve Guiremand

Thursday, May 28, 1998 | 10:50 a.m.

A few doses of medicine has turned Chris Prieto's 1998 season into a real pain.

The hard-nosed Prieto began the season as the Stars' starting center fielder and leadoff hitter. He had two hits in three of his first seven games en route to a .276 average. He also did a nice job defensively.

But Prieto began experiencing pain from scar tissue from a broken thumb suffered while sliding head-first into a base with Las Vegas in 1996. He went on the disabled list while he took strong anti-inflammatory drugs to treat the nerve pain.

The good news was that the medicine took the pain away from Prieto's aching thumb. The bad news is that the 5-11, 180-pounder had a severe reaction to the medication that forced him to be hospitalized on three different occasions, caused him to lose 11 pounds and sidelined him for almost two scary months.

But Prieto says he's finally feeling healthy again. And depending on how he feels after taking part in a simulated game before tonight's 7:05 contest with the Colorado Sky Sox, he could return to the roster soon.

"I'm watching him closely to make sure he's OK," Stars manager Jerry Royster said. "I appreciate that Chris says he's OK again, but knowing the type of competitor he is, he's always going to say that. I want to make sure he is healthy and I'll do everything I can to make sure he has a successful comeback."

Since April 14, Prieto has had just one at-bat. That came on a history-making night in Memphis on May 11 when he and his brother Rick, his identical twin, started and batted first and second in the Stars' batting order.

Stars officials, who checked with several noted baseball historians, believe it was the first time identical twins had ever started in the same lineup in a minor league baseball game.

But Chris Prieto, who led off the game with a called strikeout and left an inning later, didn't really get to enjoy the moment.

A few hours later he was taken to the emergency room at the hospital.

"I felt real sick then," he said. "I was drinking over two quarts of water a day. I had heart palpatations, my blood pressure was up and I had all sorts of stomach problems. I couldn't concentrate or focus real well. I was real weak. It just went on and on and on."

"It was scary for me," Royster said. "I was pretty much helpless. You see the kid suffering so much and you want to do something for him but you can't."

Blood tests that night came back normal. Still, Prieto, who took all the medication in a six-day cycle in mid-April, said it wasn't until a few days ago that the side effects finally went away.

"I can finally eat again," he said. "I've almost put all my weight back on."

"He looks real good again," Royster said. "He's happy and laughing again. He wasn't doing that before. I sense he's also really enjoying the time with his brother."

Royster said he let Chris start that game in Memphis "because I thought it might be the last chance he could play with his brother." But that could change if Chris comes back soon.

"I think there's a very good chance (both could start for the Stars again in a game) of that happening," Royster said.

Chris Prieto would like nothing better than to put the events of the last two months behind him.

"It was a tough time for me," he said. "I'm glad it's over with. Now I can climb the uphill battle to the major leagues and not the uphill battle against my sickness."