Reds: Baker had 'mini-stroke,' is better

CINCINNATI, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Cincinnati Reds Manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday he is "feeling much better" after suffering a mini-stroke while at a Chicago hospital last week.

In a statement, the team said Baker was initially rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital Sept. 18 while the Reds were playing the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, the 63-year-old Reds skipper was treated at the hospital and was in the process of being discharged when he suffered a mini-stroke.

Baker was "immediately was treated by the hospital's stroke team, which minimized the effects of the stroke," the team said, adding he returned to Cincinnati Sunday with his condition "dramatically improved."

Baker's Cincinnati neurologist, Dr. Joseph Broderick, and cardiologists, Dr. Dean Kereiakes and Dr. Daniel Beyerbach, said they expect him to recover and he may return to the dugout as soon as the season's final series next week in St. Louis.

"Dr. Broderick and Dr. Kereiakes are going to make sure I'm ready to handle the duties of managing before I return full time," Baker said in a statement.

"I'm feeling much better, and it's great being back here in Cincinnati," he said.