Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker had a stroke along with his irregular heartbeat last week and will take another week of rest before returning to manage the team.

According to ESPN.com, Baker spoke to the team on Tuesday before their game against the Milwaukee Brewers and told them about his condition.

Bench coach Chris Speier has been managing the team since Baker started dealing with the issue.

"He's lost a lot of water weight," Speier said to ESPN.com. "He was anxious [to get back]. It was great to see him. Again, he looks really, really good. We're all anxious to get him back in charge."

Speier will manage the team as they take on the Brewers for a three-game series and also for three games against the Pirates over the weekend. Baker said he may return for the final three games against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Reds have already clinched the NL Central division title for the second time in three years. The team clinched after beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-0 on Saturday.

Baker has had an irregular heartbeat before and felt sick last Wednesday when the team was in Chicago to play the Cubs. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment and later found out he had suffered a "mini-stroke."

"I'm feeling much better, and it's great being back here in Cincinnati," Baker said, in a statement released after he met with owner Bob Castellini and his players. "Chris Speier and my staff are doing a terrific job, and I look forward to getting back to the dugout."

Baker is expected to make a full recovery.

"He had some slurred speech," pitcher Bronson Arroyo said, describing the symptoms Baker experienced on Friday. "The diagnosis was a slight stroke. The stroke team was right there and got after it. He said they said they see it all the time. They took care of it."

The manager will meet with team doctors before he makes his return to the bench.

"He looked fine," Arroyo said. "He looked like he'd been on a diet the last two months. He was holding a lot of water. He looks like he went on Jenny Craig. They want him to rest. He said he's ready to go now."

Luckily for the Reds, they were able to keep their minds on Baker rather than worrying about the division title. The team is 92-61 and is only one game behind the Washington Nationals for the best record in the league.

"You take care of each other," Rolen said. "We're a team and friends and could even go as far as family at times. We're concerned about him and his health. We're worried about Dusty. That's the bottom line. You take care of life first."

Related