Jacoby Ellsbury seemed to fall victim to a freak Friday the 13th accident yesterday afternoon.
Ellsbury was at first base, and Dustin Pedroia was at the plate. On a hit-and-run situation, Ellsbury took off for second as Pedroia simultaneously swung at the pitch from right-hander Burke Badenhop.
The ball was directly hit to second base, where it was fielded by Reid Brignac. Brignac stepped on second, and as he attempted to complete the double play by throwing the ball to first, Ellsbury slid into Brignac’s legs, which caused him to fall and land on Ellsbury’s extended arm, near his shoulder.
Ellsbury immediately grabbed his shoulder and began to grimace in pain. According to boston.com, Ellsbury told teammates that he “felt something move in his shoulder.” He left the game with what was believed to be a dislocated shoulder—an injury that will cost him at least six weeks of the season.
If the injury turns out to be a tear, Ellsbury could possibly require surgery, which would mean BoSox fans could be without their star center fielder for a good portion of the regular season.
The Red Sox will have a few options when it comes to replacing Ellsbury in center field.
Cody Ross has had experience at the position throughout his career, but he is a natural left fielder. Going down to the farm system, the Sox could call up either Che-Hsusan Lin or Jason Repko. Lin is struggling at the plate in Triple-A with a .150 batting average and has never played a major league game during his brief professional baseball career. The 30 year-old Repko is also struggling in Triple-A, but he does have major league experience.
When it comes down to it, the center field job will probably come down to Ross and Repko while Ellsbury is out. The Red Sox should receive X-ray results within the next couple days.
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