CHICAGO -- Turns out, Sammy Sosa's injury is nothing to

sneeze at.

The Chicago Cubs' star has a sprained ligament in his lower back

and is probably headed to the disabled list.

Sosa missed Sunday's game in San Diego after two violent sneezes

brought on back spasms. He was examined by Dr. Michael Schaefer,

the Cubs' orthopedic specialist, before Tuesday's game against the

Giants, and tests revealed the sprained ligament.

"He's going to receive an epidural tonight to calm down some of

the inflammation and lower back pain," general manager Jim Hendry

said. "It's pretty certain he'll be missing a couple of weeks. So

it looks like it's a (disabled list) situation."

There were no problems with any discs, Hendry added.

"It's something that doesn't seem to be long-term," Hendry

said. "But he's not going to be ready to go in two or three

days."

While Sosa missed the game, another slugger returned. Barry

Bonds was back in the lineup after missing last weekend's series

against Pittsburgh because of back spasms. Giants manager Felipe

Alou made up four lineup cards before the game, with Bonds playing

in one of them, and waited to see how the left fielder felt during

batting practice.

Second baseman Ray Durham, who was on the disabled list from

April 28 until last Thursday with a strained knee, also was in the

lineup.

"If you have back problems or a history of spasms ... this is

not the weather you want," Alou said. "But we need these guys."

Sosa's injury is the latest setback for the Cubs, who are

already without right-hander Mark Prior, reliever Mike Remlinger,

second baseman Mark Grudzielanek and shortstop Alex Gonzalez. Kerry

Wood missed his scheduled start Sunday because of tightness in his

triceps.

"There's no sense hanging your head. You've got to deal with

it," Hendry said. "We'll work our way through it. Hopefully, by

early June, we'll be healthy once and for all."

This isn't the first time Sosa has had back problems. He missed

nine games in late 2002 with a strained back after colliding with

teammate Mark Bellhorn while chasing a popup.

And as hard as Sosa swings, it's bound to put stress on his

back.

"It's a very unnatural movement to swing a bat the way that we

swing bats," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "We're made to go up

and down, we're not made to torque the way guys do side to side.

I'm surprised in baseball we don't have more back problems."

But Sosa is one of the most durable players in the game. He's

made only four trips to the DL in his 16-year career, and his stint

last season was his first since 1996. Sosa missed 20 days last year

after having the nail on his right big toe removed.

"We all know how he is. He's the least likely guy to be in the

training room. He's the least likely guy to want to see a doctor,"

Hendry said. "So if he had some lower back discomfort from time to

time, honestly we don't know about it.

"He felt a little better yesterday and not much better today.

Even as difficult as it is for him to want to see somebody, he knew

he needed medical attention."