The Injury Bug

As we get ready for the weekend, there are a whole host, and I mean a boatload, of players dealing with injuries. In what follows I’m briefly dissect a few of those injured ball players as well as touching on a potential lineup change in the Windy City.

The MVP of the 2009 season may be the doctor/trainer that can determine why seemingly half of the players in the majors are dealing with an oblique strain of some kind. I never heard of a fat guy straining a side muscle, and while I’m not calling him fat, when was the last time that Miguel Cabrera missed a substantial amount of time? The answer is never as he has been in the lineup for at least 157 games in each of the past five seasons. Maybe those extra 20 lbs that he is carrying on his frame actually help him in that he isn’t as tightly wound as a yo-yo on the verge of the walking the dog maneuver. All that musculature of the modern day player maybe actually be harming their ability to stay on the field. Strength is great, but perhaps the players should spend some more time working on their flexibility and less trying to look like a Muscle and Fitness reject. Just a thought.

Cole Hamels had further tests done on his shoulder and they confirmed the original diagnosis of just a bruise. Don’t know about you, but even with this good news I’m starting to get the feeling that this might just be one of those years for the Phillies hurler. Hopefully you aren’t counting on him to be your fantasy ace. I’m not saying he is going to collapse or anything, but I think he will be hard pressed to come even close to last year’s numbers (14-10, 3.09 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 196 Ks).

Adam Miller’s season, and possibly his career is over. He will have surgery to repair an injured middle finger on his throwing hand, and there is some serious concern about whether or not he will ever be able to make it back to the hill to fire his filthy stuff at batters. The reason is that the surgery is very tricky, and with a high incidence of scar tissue resulting from similar surgeries on others, follow up procedures are almost always called for. The bottom line here is that this golden arm has never been able to stay healthy long enough to make his mark, and that’s a shame.

Joakim Soria will miss the weekend series and possibly some time next week as well due to some shoulder discomfort. An MRI revealed no structural damage which is good news, though we cannot rule out a potential DL stint. Which Royals name do you want to grab? There are two names in the mix in Kyle Farnsworth and Juan Cruz. The Royals seem to have an unhealthy love of Farnsworth and his game blowing skills. For my money, I would roster the superior hurler, i.e. Cruz (163 K in his last 119.1 IP, good for an amazing 12.29 K/9 mark), and hope that the often scattered brain trust in K.C. makes the right call. Cruz only has one save in his career, and often breaks down, but that stuff is Carlos Marmol-like, and that is saying something.

Alfonso Soriano will move to third in the Cubs’ lineup on Friday with Milton Bradley continuing to be sidelined with a sore groin. Ryan Theriot will be inserted into the leadoff role. I doubt this is a long term change, even though Soriano’s skills say that he is a better bet for a middle of the order spot than his customary leadoff role. Honestly though, he isn’t a third hitter either. In truth, if he didn’t have the speed that sets him apart from others, the rest of his skills would scream out dynamite fifth hole hitter. In 631 career ABs in the third hole, Soriano owns a .761 OPS, .135 points below his .896 mark in 3,097 career at-bats as a leadoff hitter.

Alex Rodriguez is a bit ahead of schedule in his rehab from hip surgery, and he figures to be back on the field with his Yankee teammates in about two weeks. Perhaps he has been doing some yoga and meditation with Madonna.