Carlos Guillen has a pinched nerve (likely from a disc herniation) in his lower back that is causing him low back pain, as well as right leg and foot pain. Though it is reported that he is expected to be out for the next 2-3 days, the fact that he has pain that extends below the knee, in conjunction with back pain and leg weakness, indicates that this is likely a more serious disc herniation that will take far longer to recover from. The leg weakness is the key symptom here, and in fact, this seems to be a situation more serious than that of Rafael Furcal. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Expect Guillen to be on the DL within the next couple of days.
Andruw Jones is back on the DL, reportedly due to Patellar Tendonitis in his left knee. Fantasy owners likely could care less, as the 2008 season for Andruw Jones has been one of the worst in recent memory from a fantasy standpoint (.161 BA, .254 SLG, 3 HR - ouch!). It is uncertain how this left knee pain came about, but it could be compensatory, as he did return early while recovering from a right knee arthroscopy during the season. The injury to Juan Pierre made it "necessary" for him to return early.
Mike Lowell is on the 15-day DL now with a left Oblique strain. It is believed to have occurred during an at-bat in the seventh inning of Tuesday night’s 19-17 barn burner with Texas. Sean Casey will take over at first base, while Kevin Youkilis will move across the diamond to third base. Expect Lowell to be out for about three weeks.
Hank Blalock is going on yet another rehab assignment, and should be back on Monday following a few games down in the minors. If a vote were taken today, Blalock would be in the running for Most Injury-Laden Player of 2008. It is time to call this season a wash for Blalock. I cannot recommend adding him if he is floating around on your free agent list, unless you are in desperate ways (Mike Lowell injury), or if you are in an AL-only league.
Joel Zumaya may have thrown his last pitch this season. The initial report by team Doctors was that he tore scar tissue in the shoulder and did not have any new or major damage. Said Zumaya, of the fastball that inflamed his shoulder, "I felt like my arm exploded. I blew a big chunk of it (scar tissue)." Zumaya had his right shoulder repaired during the offseason, but Doctors were confident that he did not re-injure himself. He was placed on the DL and ordered to not throw for just under two weeks. The Tigers should not push him back into action this season prematurely, as it is now clear that he had been pitching with mobility restrictions. This quote from Jim Leyland leads me to believe they are at least thinking he may be out for the remainder of the year: "…Hopefully, he’ll be ready by Spring Training or possibly again this year."
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