Ian Kinsler is going to miss the remainder of the season after having surgery next week to repair a sports hernia. The recovery time for this procedure is not long - typically 4 to 6 weeks - and the outcomes are usually excellent, so he will be back for the ‘09 season and should be considered the #2 second baseman in all leagues.
The American League’s home run leader (with 36) won’t be launching taters any time soon. Carlos Quentin ’s ridiculously productive season is nearly a lock to be done for, after he fractured his right wrist (AP Photo at left). He struck the barrel of his bat with his right hand after fouling off a pitch from Cliff Lee. Said Quentin , "My last at-bat, second pitch, I fouled it off against [Cliff] Lee, something I’ve done thousands of times since I was a kid. I had my bat in my left hand and kind of hit down on the bat head with my right hand [with a] closed fist. I hit it a little bit low and nicked my wrist." Quentin’s injury will require a open reduction with internal fixation (ORIF) using a screw to stabilize the fracture site. A surgery such as this will take 6 weeks to heal, with additional time needed to gradually get back to hitting against live pitching. Needless to say, his season is over.
Joe Crede battled pain in his lower back all season long, but it had recently become too much, so he has been shelved for the remainder of the year. Crede had offseason lumbar disc surgery. Recent tests have shown no structural damage, and further surgery is not indicated. He started off the season on a good note and was very productive until his back started acting up again. What this likely means is that the deep stabilizing musculature along the spine was not strong enough to endure the rigors of such a long season. As long as he does not require further surgery, and he does a good job working on stabilization exercise in the offseason, he should be able to withstand a greater workload next year.
Manager Ozzie Guillen realized how much pain he was in , and how hard he tried to contribute and play through pain: "This kid, I tip my hat to Joe Crede. He was playing with a lot of pain and we can see him playing with pain. We can see the way he was moving. He couldn’t take anymore. He did everything in his power to help this ballclub, and unfortunately that happened."
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