Dec. 19 -- PROVING HIS WERTH

The Phillies have added to their bench by signing OF Jayson Werth to a one-year contract. This story should be posted on www.delawareonline.com later today, and I'll have a more complete story in Wednesday's paper.

By SCOTT LAUBER
The News Journal
When the Orioles picked Jayson Werth in the first round of the 1997 draft, Pat Gillick was their general manager.
A decade -- and one debilitating wrist injury -- later, Werth finally will get to play for Gillick.
Werth, a 27-year-old outfielder, has signed a one-year contract with the Phillies. Financial terms were not immediately disclosed. He will be used primarily as a right-handed hitter off the bench and join an outfield that includes Pat Burrell, Aaron Rowand, Shane Victorino and Jeff Conine.
Two surgeries on his left wrist kept Werth on the Los Angeles' Dodgers disabled list for the duration of the 2006 season. He was slated to be the Dodgers' starting left fielder in 2005 but was hit on the wrist by an A.J. Burnett fastball in the first spring-training game.
Werth was limited to 337 at-bats in 102 games and batted only .234 with seven home runs and 43 RBIs. His breakout season came in 2004 when, in only 89 games, he batted .262 with 16 homers and 47 RBIs for the Dodgers.
The Dodgers, not convinced Werth's wrist was fully healed, didn't tender him a contract last week, making him a free agent. Werth told his hometown newspaper, the State Journal-Register of Springfield, Ill., that his rehabilitation is progressing slowly.
"I'm just in the beginning stages of actually swinging a baseball bat," he said. "I'm still healing. I've got to be careful. It will be two years March 1 since I got hit. I can't even think about something that would put me in jeopardy to re-injure it."
Werth is expected to be ready by spring training.
Complete coverage in Wednesday's News Journal and at www.delawareonline.com.
Contact Scott Lauber at slauber@delawareonline.com.