So Brandon Phillips is hurt, a strained left calf, according to this piece by Mark Sheldon:
“To tell you the truth, I’m not going to be playing for a while. Dr. [Kremchek, Medical Director] looked at it and he said it was worse than what they expected. I didn’t know. I just knew it felt bad. I just feel like I let people down, especially because we’re in first place and the race is real close. You already have one person out, so I don’t want to be the person coming out. It just really [stinks].â€Â
Go check out the entire piece for all of BP’s quotes. One of the money quotes pointed out that Phillips aggravated the injury during Monday’s game.
Everyone saw this quote, however — “I’m not going to be playing for a while. — and promptly freaked out, as Reds fans are wont to do. Shortly thereafter, on Twitter, BP said he’d be out “a day or two.”
So which is it? My guess: he’s out for ten to twelve days, but the Reds won’t put him on the disabled list; instead, they’ll choose to play with a 24-man roster.
Okay, that’s only speculation on my part, but it’s informed speculation. I’ve seen the Reds do this a hundred times before (including earlier this season, with Scott Rolen). At this point, all we can hope is that Phillips will only be out a day or two, as he estimated. Fingers are crossed.
One final note: I don’t know enough about the situation to criticize the Reds medical staff. Something stinks here, but I’m not prepared to hurl accusations yet. I’m sure you won’t feel the same restraint in the comments section. Feel free: it’s America!