Soriano out of action with bad left knee

Left fielder Alfonso Soriano was a late lineup scratch for Tuesday night's series opener against Washington because his left knee continued to hurt him.

Soriano, who has struggled at the plate most of the year, took early batting practice but said the knee hurt him afterward.

He said he would see a team doctor and that an MRI was a possibility. When asked if off-season surgery was a possibility, Soriano said he hoped not.

"I don't know," he said. "I'm going to see the doctor later, and I want to know what he's going to say. If he sees something wrong, I think I will get an operation. If not, I will be happy because I don't like doing an operation. I hope it's nothing negative."

The knee has bothered Soriano off and on since early this season, when he crashed into the Wrigley Field wall.

Still not ready: Outfielder Reed Johnson took batting practice Tuesday, but he said he is still not able to run or even jog as his broken left foot continues to heal.

Johnson suffered the injury July 30, when he fouled a pitch off his foot. A return to game action for Johnson probably isn't likely for another two weeks. The Cubs had hoped the foot would heal more quickly.

Hello, Riggs: Former Cubs manager Jim Riggleman has been back to Wrigley Field before, but not as manager of another club. He's the boss of the Washington Nationals. Riggleman served as Cubs manager from 1995-99, a run that included a wild card in 1998.

"This is the best," Riggleman said. "This is a great place. There are a lot of good memories here. The five years I was here, that's a long time in today's world to be someplace, and I wish I could have made it 10. It was five good years here. We took our lumps, but we had some good times here."

The best was '98, when the Cubs rode Sammy Sosa's 66 homers and Rod Beck's 51 saves to the playoffs.

"Ninety-eight was a great year, great people," Riggleman said. "(Mickey) Morandini and (Mark) Grace and Sammy and (Gary) Gaetti, Lance Johnson, (Kevin) Tapani, (Steve) Trachsel, (Kerry) Wood and Mark Clark. And Rod Bed Beck and (Terry) Mulholland. A lot of pros who created a lot of excitement for the city."

Roster move: To make room for pitcher Carlos Zambrano, the Cubs optioned reliever Esmailin Caridad to Class AAA Iowa.