Victorino Lands on DL, Dominic Brown Will Replace Him
By: Mike Reisman
Well, it seems that Shane Victorino's hamstring injury that he got on May 14th against the Braves is more serious than originally thought. After taking an MRI, results revealed that Victorino had hamstring strain, although Victorino said he believed he was making progress. So, with this information, the Phillies have decided to place him on the DL. Victorino was having a good, not great year average-wise, hitting .284, however he had six home runs, a good number at this point for him.
This move allowed the Phillies to bring Dominic Brown on to the major league roster for the first time this year. Brown has just recovered from a minor hand injury unrelated to the one he suffered in spring training. Brown has batted .341 with two homers and 10 RBIs in 11 games with Lehigh Valley this year.
This move is ultimately bad due to the obvious loss of Victorino, however, it's not all bad. If Victorino had been on the active roster, he would have just taken up space, forcing Michael Martinez, or Ross Gload to play every day. This move should bring stability to the line-up, assuming that Brown produces the numbers he is capable of producing. If not though, this move could just make waiting for Utley, and now Victorino more painful.
The Phillies are also expected to move Joe Blanton to the DL for the second time this year according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. We'll keep you updated on that situation.