"Steve Smith has yet to attend a Panthers workout.

But the disgruntled wideout took his family out to the ballpark Monday to take batting practice with seven of his teammates before the Charlotte Knights' minor-league baseball game against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Smith, who has indicated he wants to be traded after the lockout, said a health issue involving his wife, Angie, has prevented him from taking part in the informal workouts attended by as many as 50 players at Charlotte Christian the past two weeks.

"Right now there's a lot of things on my plate with my wife and her health. My family needs me at home, and that's the most important thing," said Smith, whose wife and three children accompanied him to Knights Stadium.

"Football right now is the last thing on my mind when it comes to some of the things in the last month that we've been dealing with as a family."

He did not divulge any specifics about his wife's health, but said she was doing OK.

Smith was noncommittal about his future. He has two years and about $15 million left on his contract with the Panthers, who selected him in the third round of the 2001 draft.

He has been to four Pro Bowls and is the franchise's all-time leader in touchdowns and 100-yard receiving games. But he caught only 46 passes for 554 yards and two touchdowns - career lows in a full season - in 2010 for the NFL's worst offense.

Smith was visibly frustrated at the end of the season. He mockingly celebrated an out-of-bounds catch in one game, and suggested quarterback Jimmy Clausen should have apologized to his offensive teammates when told he apologized to linebacker Jon Beason after a poor performance in a 31-10 loss to Atlanta in December.

But Smith spoke highly of new coach Ron Rivera and No. 1 overall draft pick Cam Newton, the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner who led Auburn to the BCS title last season.

Rivera said last week he plans to sit down with Smith after the lockout ends to determine what would be best for Smith and the organization. The two met shortly after Rivera was hired to succeed John Fox in January."