Henry Blanco to rehab at Peoria
Blanco is expected to catch five innings and it is not yet known if he will play more than one game in Peoria. He will likely be available in a press conference to accredited Chiefs media after he comes out of the game and receives treatment.
Blanco has been on the Cubs disabled list since May 31st with a herniated disk. So far this season in 14 games he is hitting .194 (7-for-36) with two doubles and three RBI. Last season, Blanco caught 74 games for the Cubs when Michael Barrett was on the DL. He hit a career high .266 with six homers, 15 doubles and 37 RBI. Blanco was rewarded in November with a two-year deal to stay in Chicago.
For his career, the 35 year old Venezuelan native has appeared in 680 games with a .224 batting average. Blanco has 49 career homers, 228 RBI and 113 doubles. He was originally signed by the LA Dodgers in 1989 and made his MLB debut in LA in 1997. He came back into the majors in 1999 with Colorado and was traded to Milwaukee in a three-team deal in December 1999. After three seasons with the Brewers, Blanco was traded to Atlanta for Paul Bako in March 2002. He signed with the Minnesota Twins for the 2004 season and came to Chicago as a free agent in December 04. His best season at the plate was in 2004 when he hit 10 homers for the Twins with 37 RBI in 114 games. He appeared in the playoffs with the Braves in 2002 and the Twins in 2004 collecting three hits in 14 at-bats.
Blanco follows Cubs pitcher Wade Miller who rehabbed with the Chiefs last Sunday tossing three innings and allowing two runs on three hits while striking out five. Blanco is the second Cubs position player to rehab with the Chiefs in the last three seasons. Shortstop Nomar Garciaparra played two games in Peoria in July 2005 collecting a pair of RBI. Pitchers Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Juan Mateo and Scott Williamson have all rehabbed with the Chiefs over the last three seasons. All but Williamson pitched at O'Brien Field.
Saturday is Jimmy Buffett Night at O'Brien Field with a post-game Fireworks show presented by Waste Management and a post-game concert performed by Coco Loco. Chiefs players, including Blanco, will wear special Hawaiian style jerseys that will be signed and auctioned off during and after the game. All the proceeds from the auction benefit the Pediatric Resource Center and the jerseys are presented by Kohl's. There are still lawn tickets and standing room only tickets available for Saturday's game by calling 1-866-MYTICKET, in person at the O'Brien Field Box Office or online at www.peoriachiefs.com.