Austin Kearns

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**Austin Kearns**

Washington Nationals — No. 25
Right field
Born: May 20, 1980 (1980-05-20) (age 28)
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
April 17, 2002 for the Cincinnati Reds
Selected MLB statistics (through May 22, 2008)
Batting average	.261
Home runs	98
Slugging average	.439
Teams
Cincinnati Reds (2002–2006) Washington Nationals (2006–present)

Austin Ryan Kearns (born May 20, 1980 in Lexington, Kentucky) is a Major League Baseball player. He currently plays right field for the Washington Nationals. After a stellar career at Lafayette Senior High School, he was offered a scholarship to play baseball at the University of Florida. However, he decided to sign with the Cincinnati Reds after being selected seventh overall in the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft.

After just three seasons in the Reds' minor league system, he made his MLB debut on April 17, 2002. He is known as one of the best fielding outfielders in the National League. He throws and bats right-handed. His 2005 salary was $930,000.

Kearns was traded to the Nationals on July 13, 2006 along with Felipe Lopez and Ryan Wagner from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Gary Majewski, Bill Bray, Royce Clayton, Brendan Harris, and Daryl Thompson.

On September 23, 2006, playing against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium, Kearns and first baseman Nick Johnson collided while making a sliding attempt to catch a fly ball. Kearns originally remained in the game relatively unhurt, but was removed shortly after play resumed by Manager Frank Robinson. Kearns was replaced by Ryan Church, who played in Kearns's spot for most of the rest of the season. Kearns suffered severe bruising down his left side as well as soreness. Johnson sustained a broken femur and underwent surgery that night to repair his injuries.

Johnson missed all of 2007 recuperating from his injuries. Kearns, however, had career highs in several key areas, including 161 games played and 74 RBIs. On May 12, 2007, in a game at home against the Florida Marlins, Kearns hit a bases-empty inside-the-park home run, the first ever for a Nationals player. The ball bounced off the glove of Florida Marlins player Reggie Abercrombie. Kearns scored after receiving the sign to keep running by 3rd base coach Tim Tollman. He excelled down the stretch, including 4 hits in 11 at bats (with 2 homers) in a late-season Nats' series sweep over the division leading New York Mets that kept the Mets out of the playoffs.

The Nationals placed right fielder Austin Kearns on the 15-day disabled list Thursday May 22nd because of loose bodies in his right elbow. Kearns will have elbow surgery on Friday and is expected to be out three to four weeks. Dr. Tim Kremchek, the Reds' physician, will perform the surgery. Kearns hurt the elbow on Saturday during batting practice and hasn't played since.

"Dr. Kremchek felt that Austin should not wait. It's not going to get any better," general manager Jim Bowden said. "We hope to get Austin back by July 1st."

On Thursday June 5th Kearns spoke to the media for the first time since having surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow. He believes he will be back in action soon, but the Nationals have not announced a timetable.

Kearns said he can feel a big difference in the elbow since the surgery. He also said that he was not hurting before feeling pain in the elbow on May 18. Prior to the injury, Kearns was off to a slow start, hitting .187 with three home runs and 16 RBIs.

"On the field, I could do what I should do -- help out," Kearns said. "I don't think that was the cause for anything."

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