ESPN

The night Carlos Zambrano returns to the rotation, the Cubs will make room for him by sending Rich Harden to the disabled list.

"It's a mid-back strain," Cubs general manager Jim Hendry told ESPNChicago. "It's in the back side near his oblique. He did it in the pen the other night in his side session. Trainer Mark O'Neal told me it wasn't really bad, but we don't want to take any chances with Rich. We want to get it right for him."

The side session in question came Wednesday in St. Louis. The Cubs placed him on the 15-day DL, retroactive to Sunday, when he last started.

Cubs minor-league pitching coordinator Mark Riggins told general manager Jim Hendry that Carlos Zambrano looked "a little rusty" on Sunday when he pitched for the Class A Daytona Cubs.

Hendry said Zambrano threw the right amount of pitches (67), covered first base well and is set to meet the team Tuesday in St. Louis. The plan is for Zambrano to throw a side session on Wednesday with pitching coach Larry Rothschild and trainer Mark O'Neal present.

Zambrano is expected to start for the Cubs on May 22 in San Diego, if everything goes according to plan. He hasn't started for the big-league team since May 3, when he injured his left hamstring beating out a bunt single.

Hendry also said Zambrano would do some light running with strength and conditioning coach Tim Buss and O'Neal. Zambrano is scheduled to have two days of fielding practice, which includes fielding regular ground balls and covering first base in special drills.

The writer and the player met on the field after Sunday's game to discuss the Sun-Times' article and headline that attached Cubs shortstop Ryan Theriot's latest power surge to baseball's performance-enhancing drug problem.

Sun-Times columnist Rick Telander waited for Theriot to finish his post-game duties, then talked to him along with myself and two Chicago camera crews. I asked Theriot what his response was to Telander's article and the attending headline, which Telander didn't write.

"I didn't like it very much," Theriot said. "My response would be, it's unfair and kind of hurtful for me just because of the work I've put in and the way I've gone about my business and the way I've lived my life up to this point. To have something like that come out, to me, is just not fair."

Theriot and Telander were very respectful of each other, and Theriot has always answered all the questions asked of him. Sunday was no different. Again, I asked the Cubs shortstop his main contention with the story.

"I understand the article itself and the article had a lot of validity to it, but the lead, headline and even the first few sentences of the story, to me, were a little irresponsible," Theriot said.

Telander at that point introduced himself to Theriot. Keep in mind, Theriot has been with the Cubs since 2006, and this was the first interaction between the two where they both had knowledge of each other. Telander said that he came to Wrigley so that Theriot could see the face that went along with the article, for which Telander deserves credit. However, Telander was also getting a second column out of the story that indicts baseball and Theriot's ability to drive a baseball himself. Telander then asked Theriot if he understood the article's intent, admitting some of it was done tongue-in-cheek.

Theriot's said he understood it "100 percent. It's true and it's a shame it's come to that for us players because realistically, playing baseball is a lifelong dream for me. To put on this uniform is something I worked for my whole life and to see the way guys are looked at as players is unfair to us. The ones that have done it the right way, the ones who have made sacrifices and not cut any corners, it's unfair to."

Telander, alluding to the latest Manny Ramirez situation, asked Theriot if there was any way he could prove, show or tell anybody how he was clean, when all the guys around him keep going down.

"I guess you can't," Theriot said. "Maybe you can look at guys' track records or show up early and see how much work a guy does in the batting cage, or talk to the coaches about the way a guy's swing has changed or his approach has changed in order to get better. It's tough. That's the way it is, unfortunately, for us."

Telander then showed Theriot an article saying that 25 percent of over-the-counter supplements would result in violation of the MLB drug policy. 1Theriot said he stopped using most supplements long ago because, in his opinion, it wasn't worth the risk to all the hard work that he had put in.

Talking to baseball people, the age where most athletes and in particular baseball players get stronger is between ages of 28 and 32.

"Power is the last thing you develop," Theriot said. "Anyone who knows anything about baseball knows that. Am I a power hitter now? No. What happened was, I got some pitches to hit when the wind was gusting out, and I hit them over the fence. Nobody talks about how the wind was blowing out those days."

Telander then asked him the strongest thing he puts in his body. "Gatorade, water, Coors Light, occasionally," Theriot said with a snicker.

Factually, Theriot's body has gone in reverse of what happens to drug users in any sport. He said in high school and college, he lifted a lot of weights to get stronger, only to get too bulky and back away from that type of training. At that time, he said he weighed 200 pounds. He doesn't power lift any more, and now he weighs between 175 and 180 pounds. In my opinion, that's pretty much case closed. Steroid and HGH users do not lose weight.

The interaction between the reporters and the baseball player was refreshing. No screaming or yelling, just three people discussing the problems in sports today. The only gripe I have with Telander is that he could have cut two columns to one if he asked Theriot the questions before he wrote his first story rather than afterward.

Carlos Zambrano pronounced himself fit and ready for a rehab start Sunday with Class A Daytona, which will play in Clearwater, Fla.

Zambrano had a pitchers-infield practice today as well as running in the outfield with trainer Tim Buss. Afterward, Zambrano told me he's ready to go and will throw 75 pitches -- or five or six innings -- on Sunday.

The plan after that is to have him meet the team in San Diego on Friday and pitch against the Padres that night.

Zambrano strained his left hamstring legging out a bunt hit May 3.

Zambrano told me that for the first month after coming back, he will take it easy on the base paths.

"I'm not going to be like Juan Pierre or Jose Reyes in the beginning," he said. "I'm going to be more like Geovany Soto or Bengie Molina. I must take it easy.

"After that, I'm going to be the same I was. After one month I will be the baseball player I've always been."

Zambrano threw a 30-pitch side session Wednesday before the Cubs-Padres game in Wrigley Field.

Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano had his first significant throwing session since injuring his left hamstring on May 3 against the Florida Marlins.

Zambrano threw a side session on Wednesday and will follow that up with some pitcher's fielding practice and baserunning drills on Thursday and Friday. According to manager Lou Piniella, Zambrano will pitch in a minor league game either Saturday or Sunday for the Daytona Cubs (Class A affiliate) of the Florida State League. The plan has Zambrano returning to the Cubs in San Diego on May 22, where he'll make the start that evening.

Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley had his best game on and off the field Tuesday night. After hitting what proved to be the winning home run off former teammate Jake Peavy, Bradley's quotes were as good as what he had done on the field.

Asked about the importance of winning over the Wrigley Field Fans, Bradley's reply was, "Well, I mean, they should understand that I'm a good hitter, and you're going to go through this [a slump] sometimes. But I need their support. Part of the reason I came here was because they have great fans and they're going to be into the game. I like that life [of the fans]."

It seemed that Bradley had the weight of the city of Chicago taken off of his shoulders after his long home run.

"It's nice to hear some cheers," Bradley said. "I didn't come here to suck; I know I've sucked so far, but give me some love, you know what I'm saying? I am a Cub."

When asked about putting his hand up toward his ear after hitting the home run, Bradley said, "You want a bunch of duds walking around with their shoulders slumped with no emotion and no feeling? I don't think the fans want that. I think they want a guy who feels it a little bit."

Finally, Bradley commented on the appeal of his two-game suspension, now going into its eighth day.

"I think I stated my case well [in his appeal]," Bradley said. "The umpire's report and story didn't match the videotape. Hopefully they see that and get it over with. It doesn't take this long, you know what I mean?"

Bradley will find out about the result of his appeal Wednesday.

Here's your Cubs M*A*S*H unit update: Carlos Zambrano is getting ready to go out and rehab his strained left hamstring next week. The plan is for Zambrano to rehab in the minor leagues, focusing on making his return to the team against San Diego the last weekend of May. Zambrano has already started taking batting practice with the other pitchers and will throw on the side for Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild in the next few days.

Third baseman Aramis Ramirez told me that the rehab on his shoulder will take at least six weeks, if not longer. He said he will seek a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews, a noted orthopedic surgeon who practices in Birmingham, Ala. The Ramirez camp will send the medical reports on his shoulder to Andrews for review. Ramirez said surgery after the season is a real possibility in order to tighten the shoulder capsule and look for any ancillary damage to clean up in the labrum.

Cubs' first baseman Derrek Lee's bulging disc in his neck has calmed down to the point where he was able to play against San Diego on Tuesday. Lee, who missed five games with the injury, has had neck and back problems for more than two years. He told me an operation to repair the disc wouldn't be a guarantee that the problem and the pain would go away.

The Cubs finally got a bit of good news as Derrek Lee's MRI determined no damage to the bulging disc in his neck.

According to team sources, the doctors were so encouraged that they expected Lee to be back in the lineup by Tuesday or Wednesday.

Cubs doctors were thinking they might have to give him a cortisone injection to relieve the pain, but Lee felt better and the MRI confirmed that he does have a bulging disc, but no new irritation around it.

Lee's been battling neck and back problems since a home-plate collision in 2006.

A decision on Milton Bradley's two-game suspension appeal should be made today by MLB vice president John McHale.

Bradley had his hearing in Houston last Wednesday with Bob Watson and has been waiting for a response. An MLB spokesman said Monday that there will more than likely be a decision made in Bradley's case today.

Bradley based his appeal on what he, his agents and the union felt were erroneous details of his short-but-heated conversation with home plate umpire Larry Vanover after he struck out with the bases loaded against St. Louis on April 16. The appeal is over what Vanover filed in his report to the MLB office. Whatever fine Bradley got probably will stick, but what his camp is hoping for is that one of the days is rescinded from his suspension.

The Chicago Cubs are saying that the plan for third baseman Aramis Ramirez is to have him immobilize his arm for one week in a sling and then have total rest for three more weeks.

Ramirez was still waiting late Saturday afternoon for results on other tests that included a CT scan of the dislocated shoulder. A CT scan is a computerized tomography where a computer is used to decode X-rays that are passed through the body to produce a cross-sectional or a three-dimensional image. CT scans are useful in visualizing bony structures or any protruding broken bones. In Ramirez's case, doctors are checking to see if there are any fractures in the area where the shoulder is dislocated.

If a fracture is detected, Ramirez is likely to opt for surgery to repair the damaged shoulder. After Cubs doctors finish with their final diagnosis, Ramirez most likely will get a second opinion from noted orthopedic specialist Dr. James Andrews of Birmingham, Ala. If Ramirez chooses to rehab the shoulder without surgery, his return to the field will take a minimum of 6-8 weeks.

According to sources close to Aramis Ramirez, the MRI he underwent today confirmed the initial diagnosis of a dislocation of the left shoulder. Ramirez will undergo further tests today, the results of which will be compared to the MRI he had after partially dislocating his shoulder in 2000 as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The choices are few for the Cubs third baseman. If there is no new fracture found in the shoulder, he could go through an extensive rehab program and come back in 6-8 weeks. If the damage is more significant, the player will opt for surgery, which would require a 4-6 month recovery period.

Two sources confirm that even if Ramirez rehabs the shoulder and comes back this season, surgery to tighten the left shoulder capsule will almost certainly occur after the season.

The battery of tests that Ramirez will go through today includes a CT scan of the shoulder, which will give doctors better imaging of the shoulder than the original MRI.

Milwaukee Brewers doctors popper Ramirez's shoulder back into place Friday evening before Ramirez headed back to Chicago for an examination.

According to a baseball source, Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez could be lost to the team for at least a month after dislocating his left shoulder in the third inning of Friday's game in Milwaukee, ESPN1000's Bruce Levine reported.

More will be known after team doctors examine Ramirez and imaging is done on the shoulder to detect the amount of damage that was done. Ramirez will go back to Chicago on Friday night to have an MRI on his dislocated shoulder on Saturday.

According to Ramirez's agent, Paul Kinsver, the Cubs' third baseman has had two other occasions during his major-league career where he had partial dislocations in his shoulder.

Ramirez had suffered a partial dislocation of his left shoulder on Aug. 28, 2000, Levine reported. He missed the remainder of the season. On August 9, 1998, Ramirez hyperextended his left shoulder. He returned to the lineup on Sept. 4.

Regardless of how long Ramirez misses, he will more than likely have to have surgery to tighten the shoulder after the season.

For now, newly acquired infielder Ryan Freel, Mike Fontenot and Bobby Scales will rotate playing third base. Ramirez missed 11 games with a strained calf muscle before rturning to the lineup on May 4.

After failing to etablish a second and third pitch, right-handed pitcher Jeff Samardzija was optioned to Class AAA Iowa today.

The Cubs called up veteran right-handed pitcher Chad Fox.

Although Samardzija threw just 6 2/3 innings since being called up, he was ineffective to the point of being called out by manager Lou Piniella on Tuesday after not being able to hold the San Francisco Giants in place after relieving starting pitcher Sean Marshall.

The main concern for Samardzija is developing a slider and commanding a split-fingered pitch. It's apparent even with a 96 mph fastball that the kid from Notre Dame is not going to be able to pitch in the big leagues unless he masters the two other pitches.

Chad Fox is sitting in the locker room in Houston with the Cubs after being called up from Class AAA Iowa. A corresponding move is expected soon.

Lou Piniella will try Fox in the sixth-inning role, which is vacant because nobody has stepped up.

Candidates to move down are Jeff Samardzija and Angel Guzman, even though Guzman is out of options and would be susceptible to having to go through waivers.

Milton Bradley will meet with MLB director of discipline Bob Watson today in Houston at 2 p.m. to appeal his two-day suspension for his angry reaction over a called third strike by Larry Vanover during an April 17 game at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs start a two-game series in Houston tonight.

Cubs general manager Jim Hendry will be on speakerphone at the meeting, as will Bradley's agents, Seth and Sam Levinson, and a union representative.

Watson will decide whether to uphold the suspension, reduce it or eliminate it.

According to a source, Bradley's appeal is based on what he perceives as an incorrect report written by Vanover after the incident. That report is what Watson based the two-game suspension on. Replays show that the only contact was made between the bill of Bradley's cap and the bill of Vanover's.

While many observers believe Bradley should have taken the suspension while he was injured, the Cubs and Bradley's agents felt he was within his rights to appeal due to the nature of the report, according to a source.