The Tigers announced Sunday that veteran outfielder Magglio Ordonez will miss the remainder of the postseason after an x-ray and CT scan revealed a fracture in his ankle. This is the same ankle that was fractured last season that ended up putting Ordonez on the shelf for the rest of the 2010 season. According to MLB Tigers beat writer Jason Beck, Ordonez reportedly told a Venezuelan newspaper that he twisted his ankle during batting practice and that he attempted to play on it afterwards.
This obviously puts the Tigers in a huge hold in the outfield given that Delmon Young (oblique strain) and Brennan Boesch (thumb) have already been lost because of injury.
However according to James Schmehl of Mlive.com, it could be those same players in Young or Boesch that are reactivated to replace Ordonez on the roster. Neither player was on the ALCS roster that was submitted Saturday morning however because of the injury to Ordonez either one of the those players could be re-added to the roster. If however Ordonez is going to be taken off the roster in the ALCS, he would be unavailable to the team during the World Series given that Detroit advances.
Leyland though confirmed Sunday that Ordonez would in fact be done for the rest of the year.
The speculation now is that if Young or Boesch are activated they would be relegated to designated hitter roles.
The left-handed-hitting Boesch told the Detroit Free Press earlier this week he had set a goal to return in the World Series.
“I’m really impatient with it because that’s just my nature,” Boesch told the Detroit Free Press. “But I told (trainer) Kevin Rand that my goal is to be able to hit in the World Series. He doesn’t think it’s possible. But he’s definitely allowing me to have that goal ’cause I think every athlete needs a goal when they’re injured.”
It’s expected that utility man Don Kelly would take Ordonez’s spot in right field with Andy Dirks looking to get more pinch-hitting spots as well.
If Boesch or Young are going to be inserted as designated hitters that would mean Victor Martinez would need to be put at a position. Tigers fans may remember Miguel Cabrera fielding ground balls at third in anticipation that the Tigers make it to the World Series and the DH being removed from the lineup at National League Parks. We could see that here in the ALCS with Cabrera moving over to third and Martinez taking over the first base position.
There have also been mumbled that the Tigers could bring up left-handed hitting outfielder Clete Thomas.
Ref: Mlive.com, Twitter, MLB.com, AP (image)
