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Alexander Guerrero, the victim in a ugly ear-biting incident with his former minor-league teammate, will not lose his ear after surgery and some anxious times and is close to resuming his Dodgers career, Guerrero's agent Scott Boras said.
"The ear is going to make it," Boras told CBSSports.com by phone. "The surgery was a success, and he won't need another surgery."
Boras further said Guerrero, a bonus baby who was red hot when the dugout incident caused him to be sidelined five weeks ago, was planning to report to the Dodgers' camp in Arizona, and Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti confirmed that Guerrero can starting working out soon.
The Dodgers originally declined to put a timetable on Guerrero's return, but an ESPN.com report at the time suggested Guerrero could miss five weeks, which is what it apparently will be. Guerrero and ex-Albuquerque teammate Miguel Olivo were in a dugout fight when Guerrero and other witnesses say Olivo, with his arms restained, bit off part of Guerrero's left ear.
The ear piece was recovered, and doctors reattached it surgically. After the surgery, Guerrero remained near the UCLA Medical Center, where he'd report every day for a two-to-three hour stay in a hyperbaric chamber, where increased oxygen increases healing.
For a few weeks after the surgery there was concern whether the surgery would take, and on May 31 Boras said regarding the ear, "We're still not out of the woods. But we're optimistic. The doctors gave us a good report."
At the time of the incident, Guerrero had 10 homers with 29 RBI and was hitting .376 with a .735 slugging percentage at Triple-A Albuquerque, and was on a hot streak, with six homers in his last six games, when he batted .600 on 16-for-25 hitting.
Guerrero was signed to a $28-million, four-year deal. Initially, he was seen as a second baseman, but with Dee Gordon playing so well, the Dodgers were considering using Guerrero in a super utility role. He had just started to play shortstop a few days before the incident.
The teammates were said to have been fighting over a disagreement over whether shortstop Guerrero applied a tag quickly enough on an opponnent who successfully stole second base. Olivo was released by the Dodgers after the team completed its investigation.
