Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Brett Myers rejoined the team yesterday and is expected to pitch tomorrow after taking a leave of absence following his arrest on charges that he hit his wife in the face on June 23 near Fenway Park in Boston.

"I've been humbled greatly by this problem and I deeply regret any incident that happened," Myers said yesterday before the Phillies played the San Francisco Giants. "Over the last several weeks I learned a lot about myself and I have a lot more to learn."

A somber Myers spoke for 45 seconds and left without taking questions.

"I want to apologize to my wife, my family, my teammates, the entire Phillies organization and especially the fans," he said. "I would like to thank you for respecting our privacy. We've both decided it is time for me to rejoin the team."

Phillies catcher Mike Lieberthal said his teammates remain supportive of his efforts and are just glad to have Myers back.

"The players are behind him," he said. "We need him in the rotation. Any chance we have we need him to pitch well."

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, who dealt with a similar situation while with the Cleveland Indians, said it's going to take time.

"I hope we can put it behind us," Manuel said. "I think he has to learn to handle it. Eventually it will go away."

Meanwhile, catcher Mike Lieberthal was activated from the disabled list yesterday.

Lieberthal, who needs 21 games to become the Phillies all-time leader for games caught, has been out since suffering a left hip strain against the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 5.

ELSEWHERE

Angels: Los Angeles placed right-hander Kelvim Escobar (5-5 with a 3.96 ERA in 10 starts this season) on the 15-day disabled list yesterday because of irritation in his pitching elbow. The move is retroactive to July 7.

Blue Jays: Toronto right fielder Alex Rios will miss at least another 10 days because of an infection in his lower left leg. Rios hasn't played since June 27 when he fouled a ball off his leg, which led to accumulation of fluid.

Cardinals: St. Louis left-hander Mark Mulder, on the 15-day disabled list since June 21, is expected to miss another month with a shoulder injury, described as rotator cuff irritation and impingement in the left shoulder.

Cubs: Chicago right-hander Mark Prior went back on the 15-day disabled list, this time with a strained left oblique muscle, suffered while taking batting practice last Saturday in Milwaukee.

White Sox: Chicago catcher A.J. Pierzynski said that his fine for inciting the crowd after a brawl in a game against the Cubs was reduced to $250 after his appeal. Pierzynski was originally fined $2,000 for his role in the brawl in the White Sox's 7-0 victory on May 20.