CHICAGO (AP) – Chicago Cubs shortstop Nomar Garciaparra missed Monday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers because of a strained left wrist and his status is day-to-day.

Garciaparra said he strained his wrist in batting practice Friday in Houston. It’s the longest the five-time All-Star has been out since being traded to the Cubs July 31 from the Boston Red Sox, the only team he had ever played for.

“He’s good, but not great,” manager Dusty Baker said. “We are hoping he will be all right tomorrow with treatment.”

Garciaparra took batting practice Monday.

In 2001, Garciaparra played just 21 games after surgery on his right wrist. He missed the first 57 games of the season with a sore right Achilles’ tendon and said that his tendon “checked out well” at Northwestern Memorial Hospital on Monday.

There was no decision Monday on putting Garciaparra on the disabled list because of his wrist.

“We just have to wait this thing out and see,” Baker said. “There’s going to come a point where we have to make a decision and hopefully it’s a good decision, not a bad one.”

Garciaparra said that option hasn’t been talked about.

“None of that has been discussed right now, we haven’t even talked about that,” he said.

Garciaparra, who was traded to the Cubs in a four-team, eight-player deal, is now in the final year of his contract and is eligible to become a free agent after the World Series.

AP-ES-08-23-04 1947EDT