Eddie Williams gets the call to the majors

A few hours after the Las Vegas Stars arrived in Nashville, Tenn., on Monday afternoon for their series with the Sounds, Eddie Williams got the word.

Don't unpack your bags.

The hot-hitting first baseman/designated hitter was informed by Stars manager Jerry Royster that he would be flying to Milwaukee this morning to join the parent club San Diego Padres. Williams will replace third baseman Ken Caminiti, who is being placed on the 15-day disabled list with quadricep, back and knee injuries, on San Diego's roster.

It will be the seventh trip to the big leagues for the 33-year-old Williams, who was one of the final cuts by the Padres coming out of spring training. But Williams, who contemplated retirement briefly after the disappointing news, instead returned to Las Vegas where he has been arguably the Pacific Coast League's most valuable player during the first month of action.

Williams is hitting .393 with eight home runs and 30 RBI, stats made all the more remarkable when you consider he started the season with a 1-for-13 slump. In his last 39 at-bats with the Stars, he has 19 hits (.487), including six homers and six doubles.

He set three team records in a 20-15 victory at Calgary on April 22, hitting four home runs, driving in 10 runs and amassing 19 total bases. He had a two-game stretch where he homered in five consecutive official at-bats.

"Now he's got to go up there and do the job," Stars manager Jerry Royster said. "He's been swinging the bat so good for us. He's been picking up all the RBIs he should be."

Contacted late Monday night at the Stars hotel in Nashville, Williams said he still hadn't heard from Padres officials about their plans for him.

"They haven't called me yet," he said. "So I haven't really heard a whole lot. I still haven't gotten my (flight information)."

Williams, who has four years and 126 days of previous major league service with Cleveland, the White Sox, Padres, Detroit, Dodgers and Pittsburgh, said he's taking a "been there, done that" approach to the promotion.

"I'm not celebrating," he said. "I've been there before. Hopefully I can stay there this time. I'm not shocked or surprised by the news. I just want to try and keep an even keel and help the team win the best I can. Sure I'm happy, but I'm trying not to get too excited."

Royster understandably had mixed feelings about the news.

"I'm happy for Eddie because he certainly deserves this opportunity," Royster said. "It's nice because a guy at his age came down and did everything he had to do to get back up there. He didn't just work hard, but he also was such a leader for us. However, he obviously takes a lot with him up there. He was our No. 4 hitter and our top home run hitter."

Still, Royster believes the Stars (14-10) can continue to contend for the PCL South Division title. They open a four-game series tonight against Nashville.

"We've still got guys in the middle of the order who are swinging the bats well," he said. "It's time for guys like (George) Arias, (Jason) Thompson and (Mandy) Romero to step up."

STARS NOTES: Williams' place on the roster will likely be taken by outfielder Chris Prieto, who made the trip after coming off the disabled list with a nerve injury in his thumb. Prieto tried a protective pad for the thumb last week at Rancho Cucamonga and reported favorable results. He will likely need to have thumb surgery at the end of the season to clean out scar tissue which is pressing against a nerve in his thumb. The scar tissue is from where several pins were inserted when the thumb was broken in 1996. ... If Prieto is activated as expected, he would join twin brother Rick in the outfield on the Stars roster. ... Royster said Mexican League pitching star Roberto Ramirez still hadn't received his work visa and could not be activated. ... Stan Spencer (3-0, 3.62 ERA) goes for his fourth win in tonight's series opener against Nashville's Tavo Alavarez (0-1, 3.98).

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