BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : Mets’ Pulsipher May Miss Season

New York Met pitcher Bill Pulsipher is expected to miss the rest of the 1996 season after team doctors found a torn ligament in his left elbow.

Met physician David Altchek said an MRI exam revealed the ligament tear and it is likely Pulsipher will require season-ending surgery.

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Cincinnati Reds pitcher Jose Rijo has soreness in his surgically reconstructed right elbow and might need more surgery to remove a calcium buildup.

Rijo and minor-league pitcher Trevor Wilson will be examined Monday by Dr. James Andrews. Wilson, who had shoulder surgery in September, is having pain once again.

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Baseball salaries are nearly back to their level before the strike, and Detroit’s Cecil Fielder again is the highest-paid player at $9.2 million.

The average salary was $1,176,967 on opening day, according to a study released by the Associated Press, an increase of 9.9 percent from opening day last year, when the average was $1,071,029.

Trailing Fielder in the pay scale was Barry Bonds at $8,416,667, followed by Ken Griffey Jr. ($7.5 million), Frank Thomas ($7.15 million), Juan Gonzalez ($7.1 million) and Mark McGwire ($7 million), who is on the disabled list because of a foot injury and may be sidelined for two months.

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Former major league manager Jeff Torborg has reached an agreement with Fox Sports to become a game analyst for the network’s inaugural season of baseball coverage. He will join Bob Brenly and Tim McCarver as game analysts.