Despite the crackdown on baseball body armor, baseball's director of field operations told the Contra Costa Times on Saturday that Giants left fielder Barry Bonds can continue to wear the hard plastic elbow pad on his right arm.

Baseball is cracking down on so-called body armor, but Bob Watson said Bonds is exempt because of a pre-existing injury to his right elbow.

"It's in compliance," Watson said. "He's got a medical exemption. It's the same one he wore last year. It's in compliance, but he can't have it down his wrist and up to his shoulder."

Giants trainer Stan Conte said center fielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo and shortstop Rich Aurilia also might wear braces on their left arms this season.

Last week, Watson said a rule put into place last year limiting the type of body armor that can be worn will be enforced.

"It's the same rule as last year," Watson said Thursday. "We will make sure that the rules are complied with."

An edict was put into place last year that elbow pads can't be longer than 10 inches and must be covered by nylon. But that did little to keep hitters from crowding the plate. Bonds, Craig Biggio, Mo Vaughn and Jose Canseco are among the prominent wearers of body armor.

"In my case, I have to wear it because I've been hit by so many pitches," Montreal first baseman Andres Galarraga said. "I know pitchers complain because guys dive over the plate and sometimes try to get hit. I just try to get out of the way."

In order to wear a pad longer than 10 inches, a player will need to show a medical reason for it.

"There's probably seven or eight guys that will apply for that," Watson said. "All of that has to be done with doctors' notes and has to be sanctioned by my office."

There has been a steep rise in hit batsmen in recent years as players stand closer to the plate and pitchers struggle to command inside pitches. Last year, 1,890 batters were hit by pitches -- 17 percent more than in 2000.

"It's a difficult rule because a lot of guys wear the protection because they've been hit there and don't want to get hurt again," Expos catcher Michael Barrett said. "It's the worst place to get hit. When you're hit in the elbow, the pain doesn't go away for months.

"But I have seen a few guys wear it and intentionally dive into pitches to get a base," Barrett said. "So it's not an easy decision."

In Vaughn's eyes, the decision is clear.

"They're just making sure there's no distinct edge to the hitter," Vaughn told USA Today. "I can understand that, but I've been on top of the plate my whole career. I personally wear my elbow pad because if I get hit in the wrong place on my arm, it's going to break because it's been hit so many times."

Padres manager Bruce Bochy agreed with the decision.

"It's the right thing to do," he told USA Today. "Too many batters are hanging over the plate. They are overdoing it with the body armor. It seems like every advantage keeps going to hitters."

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.