DENVER -- Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Raul Mondesi, his pay withheld for most of the season because of a civil suit, has told a reporter in the Dominican Republic that he will sit out the rest of the year.

Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Raul Mondesi says he "can't concentrate enough to play baseball" and doesn't want to be a "distraction" for the Pirates. Click photo for larger image.

"I won't play another game this season," Mondesi told The Associated Press. "I can't concentrate well enough to play baseball. I don't want to become a distraction for the team. This is the best for the Pirates, for myself and my family."

But the Pirates say Mondesi's future isn't clear.

Pirates' general manager Dave Littlefield said last night he has been in frequent contact with Mondesi's agent, Jeff Moorad, but had not been told by Mondesi or his representatives that Mondesi has played his last game this season.

The report from Santo Domingo, carried complications of its own. Two weeks ago, Mondesi was also quoted by the AP as saying he would not play again until he was paid. Through a team spokesman, Mondesi subsequently said that report was erroneous.

Lending credence to yesterday's report, however, was that when the team was in Houston on Thursday, Mondesi told a teammate that he was done because he was concerned about his four children.

"I'm not coming back. I'm through," Mondesi told the teammate, who did not want his name used.

At the time, when asked if everything was all right, Mondesi said he preferred not to talk about it.

Mondesi's name was written into the lineup Friday, but he was scratched just prior to game time and did not play in a three-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He told team officials he needed to return home to look after his family, apparently because of complications stemming from a civil suit filed by Mario Guerrero. Guerrero claimed that he was owed $640,000 for helping Mondesi get to the big leagues, a claim that Mondesi vigorously denied.

Mondesi's first two paychecks with the Pirates were placed into a bank account but were unfrozen last week by a Dominican court order. However, Mondesi believed his wife or four children may have been in jeopardy, and he returned home to insure their safety.

"We continue to support him and help him get through this," said Littlefield, who would not elaborate on the personal issues facing Mondesi. "He's still sorting some things out. He's going through some tough times. We'd like to have him back sooner than later."

In essence, Mondesi is on paid leave and the Pirates are one player short until the issue is resolved.

As a general rule, if a player is away for a prolonged period of time, a team could ask to have him placed on a restricted list that would allow for the addition of a roster replacement, and the player on leave would not be paid. If a player decides not to return from an excused absence, he would not be owed the remaining money on his contract.

To fill the need for offense, the Pirates signed Mondesi as a free agent to a $1.15 million salary this season with a $600,000 buyout if they decide not to exercise a club option for a second year at $8 million.

Mondesi told the AP that his decision was only for this season and that he would consider returning to the game next year.

"I've played 20 straight years of baseball all year round," Mondesi said. "I deserve a rest even if it's only for a few months. Today I took my children to school for the first time in my life. It was an amazing feeling."

Although his hitting had tailed off recently, Mondesi had a .283 batting average with two home runs and 14 RBIs this season. A former All-Star, he was rookie of the year in 1994 with the Dodgers.