Giambi to Get Results of Test Today

New York Yankee slugger Jason Giambi will receive test results today that might explain why he has been feeling so weak for months.

Giambi, sidelined earlier this season because of an intestinal parasite, played down a report that he was being checked for a parasite that can cause a potentially fatal condition.

“We’re not in a third-world country, so we have medication,” Giambi said.

Giambi’s trainer, Bob Alejo, told the Newark Star-Ledger that the All-Star first baseman is being tested for a dangerous parasite called entamoeba histolytica.

Giambi expects to learn more about his status today, when he is scheduled to meet with Dr. Scott Hammer, an infectious disease specialist at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York.

The 33-year-old Giambi is hitting .221 with 11 homers and 36 runs batted in. The 2000 AL MVP, who did not start in eight straight games from June 26 to July 4 because of the parasite, is in an 0-for-21 slump.

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The Cleveland Indians traded infielder-outfielder Russell Branyan to the Milwaukee Brewers for cash.

Branyan, 28, started the year in the Atlanta organization and was traded to the Indians on April 25. Assigned to triple-A Buffalo, he hit .279 with 26 home runs and 79 RBIs.

A power hitter prone to strikeouts, Branyan made his major league debut with the Indians in 1998. He hit a career-high 24 home runs while splitting the 2002 season with Cleveland and Cincinnati.

Branyan hit .216 with nine homers and 26 RBIs for the Reds last year.

The Brewers also designated outfielder Chris Magruder for assignment. Magruder will have 72 hours to accept the assignment to triple-A Indianapolis.

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Ken Griffey Jr. isn’t close to coming back.

Griffey took batting practice Monday before the Cincinnati Reds’ game, but had to scuttle plans to work out in the outfield because of rain.

The center fielder tore his right hamstring while chasing a fly ball on July 10, forcing him to sit out the All-Star game. He ran the bases cautiously and caught flyballs over the weekend, but hasn’t run at full speed.

“Nothing’s changed,” Griffey said. “We’re still on the same plan.”

He won’t be reinstated from the disabled list until he can chase flyballs and run the bases at full speed without problem, trainer Mark Mann said.

“More than anything, he’s got to be comfortable with that, both physically and mentally,” Mann said.

Also Monday, the Reds learned that outfielder Jason Romano has a torn right hamstring that will need season-ending surgery. He was put on the 15-day disabled list.

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Fred McGriff was released by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, ending his bid to reach 500 career home runs with his hometown team.

The 40-year-old first baseman was designated for assignment on July 17 after batting .181 with two homers and seven RBIs in 27 games.

McGriff has 493 home runs. He signed a minor league contract in February, hoping to show enough during spring training that a major league team would give him an opportunity to continue his quest.