Dellucci hopes to regain stroke

Getting released can be a humbling experience for a professional baseball player, but not for 51s outfielder David Dellucci, who said he was "relieved" when the Cleveland Indians discarded him June 1.

"When I left, I thought it was a good opportunity for me to sign with another team in need of a left-handed hitting outfielder," said Dellucci, 35, who landed with the Toronto Blue Jays on June 10. "It was a positive for me, and the change of atmosphere is going to be real good as well."

After stringing together two solid seasons with the Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies in 2005 and 2006, Dellucci signed a three-year, $11.5 million contract with Cleveland.

But partly because of a torn left hamstring that caused him to miss almost two months of the 2007 season, he struggled with the Indians.

"It was difficult to get back in the swing of playing the game after that," said Dellucci, who hit .230 in 56 games in 2007 and .238 in 113 games last year.

After starting this season on the disabled list, a healthy Dellucci hit .275 (11-for-40) in 14 games for Cleveland.

"It really wasn't long enough to settle in," he said. "It was a situation where they had some young outfielders they wanted to get some more playing time and I was the odd man out."

Batting third and playing left field for the 51s on Friday at Cashman Field, Dellucci went 0-for-4 with an RBI groundout in Las Vegas' 4-3 comeback victory over Portland.

Overall, he's hitting .217 (5-for-23) with two RBIs in six games.

"There are some things I need to work on at the plate and defensively," he said before the game. "I'm taking this as if it's spring training for me. ... If I get my swing back and have my timing down, I think there's a good chance (I'll get called up)."

Originally a 10th-round draft pick of the Baltimore Orioles in 1995, Dellucci was selected by Arizona in the second round of the 1998 expansion draft and played in parts of six seasons for the Diamondbacks.

He led the National League in triples with 12 in 1998, batted .394 in 59 games in 1999 and also played well for Arizona in 2001, when it won the World Series.

Dellucci was traded to the New York Yankees in 2003 and then signed with Texas in 2004. He recorded career highs in homers (29) and RBIs (65) in 2005 and was traded to Philadelphia in 2006, when he hit .292.

"He's been a professional hitter his whole career," 51s manager Mike Basso said. "I think he can help the Blue Jays; it's just a matter if they want to call him (up) or not."

Dellucci, who will be paid the rest of his contract by Cleveland, said he's enjoying his time in the minors.

"This is baseball at its finest," he said. "You're not playing in stadiums with three tiers on it and 50,000 fans. But this is the same game down here, and guys play it for the love of the game."

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.