Boone set for major league return after heart surgery
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Houston Astros infielder Aaron Boone was preparing Wednesday to play his first major league game since undergoing open heart surgery five months ago.
The 36-year-old was named in the starting lineup for Houston's game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
"I'm kind of mellow now, but I'm sure when I take the field I'll be excited," Boone told the team's official website (http://houston.astros.mlb.com).
The 11-year league veteran, who had heart surgery on March 26, joined the team last weekend in Arizona after playing 11 games in a minor league rehabilitation assignment.
"It's just remarkable he's come this far," Astros manager Cecil Cooper said. "When this first happened, my thoughts were just on him getting healthy. The guy's shown you he's got some will and determination to get all the way back."
Boone, who signed with Houston as a free agent after playing last season with the Washington Nationals, was an All-Star in 2003. He has a career .264 batting average with 126 home runs.
(Writing by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Ed Osmond)
