"A year of regression for Lastings Milledge first turned the outfielder from a major leaguer into a minor leaguer and, now, into an injured minor leaguer. Monday, Milledge broke his right ring finger while attempting a bunt in the first inning of a game for Class AAA Syracuse; a hand specialist will examine him today in Baltimore.

Best-case scenario, he will miss several weeks. And the chance of any imminent return to Washington -- where he began the year as the starting center fielder and leadoff hitter -- dwindled from unlikely to impossible.

"It takes away at-bats, and at the early stage of his career, whenever you miss a chunk of at-bats it retards your progress a little bit," acting general manager Mike Rizzo said. "So he just started coming around and swinging the bat a little bit. It will be at least a little step backward, because it'll cost him a lot of at-bats." "