Kal Daniels

Two days after learning that Kirk Gibson has been sidelined for the season because of a leg injury, the Dodgers announced Wednesday that his replacement, Kal Daniels, will undergo diagnostic arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Friday. Daniels and infielder Lenny Harris came to the Dodgers in a July 17 trade with the Cincinnati Reds for Tim Leary and Mariano Duncan. Daniels had undergone two operations on each knee.

So former Dodger Henry Rodriguez has blossomed into a star? What else is new? Just add him to the impressive list of Dodger youngsters who were traded before their time: Eric Young, John Wetteland, Pedro Martinez, Dave Stewart, Sid Fernandez, John Franco, Rick Sutcliffe, etc. More ex-Dodgers are on major league rosters than any other team. And what does Fred Claire usually get in return? How about the likes of Eric Davis, Kal Daniels, Juan Samuel, Roberto Kelly, Cory Snyder. . . . See a pattern here?

Sacrificing pitching for potential, the Dodgers traded 1988 pitching hero Tim Leary and infielder Mariano Duncan to the Cincinnati Reds Tuesday for struggling outfielder Kal Daniels and rookie infielder Lenny Harris. The Dodgers said goodby to a pitcher who helped take them to the world championship but no longer fit into their rotation. They are greeting a hitter, Daniels, who they hope can fill their hole at the top of the batting order. And for now, everybody is happy.

The Dodgers, looking for some offense to salvage a disastrous season, traded pitcher Tim Leary and infielder Mariano Duncan to the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Kal Daniels and rookie infielder Lenny Harris, General Manager Fred Claire announced late this morning. Daniels, 25, has been bothered by a persistent knee injury this season and was hitting only .218 with two homers and nine RBIs. Last season, though, the left-handed hitter batted .

The ringing of the telephone shattered the early-morning quiet of Kal Daniels' Montreal hotel room. The quiet of his season was shattered moments later. "I tried to be as calm as I could be, but I couldn't hide it," recalled Faye, his sister. "Our mother was in trouble." With his Dodger team in the middle of a title race, Daniels hung up on that July day last summer and began packing for the trip home to Georgia. It was the hardest decision he has ever made. It was also the easiest.

The Cincinnati Reds suspended outfielder Kal Daniels for one game without pay for throwing his bat into the club dugout after a ninth-inning strikeout Friday against Chicago. Daniels will miss today's game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Should the Dodgers elect to keep Kirk Gibson, they would certainly have three of the more pleasant human beings in the history of the game together in one outfield, now that Darryl Strawberry has joined Kal Daniels on our merry blue crew. It serves to remind us once again that it's not the person but the performance that endears the athlete to our hearts. JEB STUART Anaheim

Dodger outfielder Kal Daniels was traded Saturday to the Chicago Cubs for a player to be determined within the next six months. Daniels was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on June 19, which basically meant the Dodgers could trade him, release him or assign him to a minor league club, a move Daniels could veto. The Dodgers had until midnight tonight to trade Daniels, the preferred move because of Daniels' $2.5-million guaranteed contract.

Frustrated in their attempts to trade him, even more frustrated in their attempts to play him, the Dodgers finally removed Kal Daniels from the roster Friday and took the first step toward releasing him. The Dodgers designated Daniels for reassignment, which means they have 10 days to try to get something for him before officially releasing him. The chances of a deal are slim, and the Dodgers will probably have to eat the rest of his $2.5-million contract.

After quietly smoldering for the first seven weeks of the season, Kal Daniels became the disruptive influence Tuesday night that some teammates claimed he would be. Except, the people he disrupted were the St. Louis Cardinals. With a last laugh in his sights, Daniels hit his first home run of the season and added a double to lead the Dodgers to a 5-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals before 22,494.

After putting Eric Karros in the starting lineup against San Diego Padres' left-hander Craig Lefferts on Thursday, Manager Tom Lasorda said he has not dismissed the idea of platooning either Karros or Todd Benzinger with Kal Daniels. Despite getting three hits in his first seven at-bats this season, Daniels is better known for having a career average of .308 against right-handers and .248 against left-handers. "I'm not going to be definite about that one way or another," Lasorda said.

The ringing of the telephone shattered the early-morning quiet of Kal Daniels' Montreal hotel room. The quiet of his season was shattered moments later. "I tried to be as calm as I could be, but I couldn't hide it," recalled Faye, his sister. "Our mother was in trouble." With his Dodger team in the middle of a title race, Daniels hung up on that July day last summer and began packing for the trip home to Georgia. It was the hardest decision he has ever made. It was also the easiest.

Have the Dodgers totally given up on defense? With an outfield of Kirk Gibson, Juan Samuel and Kal Daniels or Hubie Brooks, there is not enough gold in their gloves to fill a tooth. Maybe Fred Claire thinks he can return to the gunslinger days of power and pitching, where you try to shoot it out with the other team. But as the Dodgers have found out in the past, that strategy means that mistakes often prove fatal. I just hope that in launching his Dodger perestroika Claire hasn't dropped the ball.

Kal Daniels avoided an arbitration hearing scheduled for Friday when he agreed to a 1992 contract with the Dodgers Wednesday for $2.5 million. Daniels made $2.025 million last season, when he hit .249 with 17 home runs and 73 runs batted in. He had filed for $3.5 million in arbitration compared to the Dodgers' offer of $2.25 million. The agreement does not prevent the club from trading him.