MESA, Ariz. -- Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood will take the weekend off in hopes of getting the inflammation in his right shoulder to calm down before he resumes throwing on Monday.

Wood, the Cubs' Opening Day starter, rejoined the team on Friday after flying to Chicago on Thursday to be examined by the team's orthopedic specialist, Dr. Stephen Gryzlo. The trip wasn't easy as Wood had to deal with weather-related delays in Chicago.

"(Gryzlo) took a look at it, and everything seemed all right," Wood said. "It's just a little inflammation so we'll treat it with some anti-inflammatories and get it going in a few days.

"It was probably more cautious than we should've been but at this time in Spring Training, you can't be too cautious," Wood said. "It was a pain to go up there with the weather and get delays and all that stuff. But it's better to be cautious now than have something pop up later."

Wood had surgery on his right elbow in 1999, and missed two months last season because of a strained right triceps. Shoulder problems are new.

"We're hoping it's one start and then he'll be ready to get back on the mound next time," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said Friday. "We'll see how he feels on Monday. It didn't hurt or (anything), it just felt tight and strange."

Baker said he was surprised more pitchers don't have arm trouble.

"I think we got it, whatever it is, early," Baker said. "It's an unnatural thing to throw the ball overhand. Our trainers and doctors are on top of it. This could happen to anybody on any day. It's a wonder more guys don't come up with things."

But when one hears the words "inflammation" and "cuff" and "pitcher," it usually means a serious injury.

"Those are panic words at any time," Baker said. "When I was playing, it was the same with an outfielder or an infielder. Inflammation means something's swollen. It doesn't mean something's wrong. I have inflammation on my knee all the time. You guys wake up with inflammation sometimes and you don't even know where it came from."

"My job is to go out and get ready to pitch," Wood said, when asked if he was concerned about rumors starting regarding his health. "I can't worry about that stuff."

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Told that bursitis can be painful, Baker seemed surprised.

"I didn't know it's bursitis," he said. "That's the first time I heard the word bursitis. Back in the old days, everything was bursitis."

"I don't really know what bursitis is," Wood said.

Bursitis is defined as inflammation of the fluid-filled sac that lies between a tendon and skin, or between a tendon and bone. Hope that helps.

Baker said he wasn't going to worry about his right-hander. He was concerned.

"There's a difference between concern and worry," Baker said. "Worry keeps you up at night. Worry eats your stomach up. Knock on wood, I haven't had an ulcer yet. Worry doesn't help anybody anytime. Concern, yeah. It's in the hands of the doctors."

Knock on wood? Just a play on words, folks.

"I'm glad we did what we did and got all this stuff taken care of and checked out," Wood said. "You hate to miss time, especially in Spring Training, especially after what happened last year. It's better to be cautious than have something creep up later."