Phillies place Schneider on DL. Again.
Schneider placed on DL; more playing time for Kratz.
Phillies place Schneider on DL. Again.
Ryan Lawrence, Daily News Staff Writer
Brian Schneider quietly returned from the disabled list on July 31, the day the Phils made a massive roster makeover, with Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino being shipped out west.
Brian Schneider went back on the DL Friday.
The veteran backup catcher, who was sidelined for a month with a right ankle sprain earlier this summer, has a left hamstring strain.
Steven Lerud was called up from Double-A Reading to act as the Phils backup catcher. With Carlos Ruiz already out (left foot) and not expected to begin running until next week, it will be the Lerud and Erik Kratz show for the foreseeable future.
Who is Lerud?
He's a 27-year-old who has never played in the big leagues. Lerud, a third round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2003, has hit .221 in nine minor league seasons.
Lerud was hitting .235 in 35 games at Reading, where he has acted as the backup for the Phils two catching prospects; first, Sebastian Valle and then Tommy Joseph, who came over in the Pence trade.
"This was the right guy for us at this time," assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said when asked why Lerud and not either of the aforementioned prospects.
More relevant than who acts as the backup catcher until Ruiz returns from the DL is the increased opportunity Kratz will be getting as a result of another catching injury.
Friday night marked Kratz's 15th start in the Phillies last 20 games (since Ruiz landed on the DL). Kratz has hit .304 with a 1.038 OPS, four home runs, four doubles and 11 RBI in the first 14 of those games.
The 32-year-old Kratz has already put himself in a strong position to be considered to replace Schneider, a free agent, as the Phils primary backup catcher next season. But the opportunity to play more - as reserve catchers have to be able to do in the event of injury - is another test for Kratz.
"It’s very important to know if he’s capable of going two weeks or even a month," manager Charlie Manuel said. "Maybe even two months. That’s very, very important."
Is it the 25,000 day DL?— s- just waive him already. enough is enough. Rube just can't seem to let go of the garbage.— coloradoeagle
- I'm all for blowing this team up just like the Red Sox are seemingly set to do. Utley, Howard , Rollins, Polanco are all over the hill. We can begin the rebuild with Justin Upton and Cole Hamels as our two star pieces. It is not realistic to think we can contend in 2013 with the sorry state of this franchise. This would mean some big time money write-offs but the last five years have been very profitable.
Amaro needs to curtail his habit of giving out long term deals...this franchise has nothing to build on as La Mar pointed out before he left the organization. We should try to rehire Arbuckle to get us back on the right track. The Phils are currently a boring product to watch because they have no offense to speak of. It's tiring watching Howard strikevout all the time.— fafink - Amaro needs to rid himself if his bad habit of accumulating retreads and other teams trash in the offseason and get the promising prospects and their enthusiasm in the mix.— wo_fat
The deceit is so obvious: as if Schneider could play 6 out of 7 days for two months without being in the intensive care unit. Different standards for Kratz. So weak.
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- Perfect opportunity for Ruin to get someone up here with a future in the organization, and once again, he failed.— drbob1
- The last thing we want to do is to push our genuine catcher prospects too fast. We did that with Brown and we are just now straightening that mistake out. Howard and Utley are not over the hill; they are why we are winning more games; why pitchers have to be more careful; probably why Brown is progressing; their absence could be why Victorino and Pence could not produce. Vic and P were thrust into roles that they weren’t suited for.— terrycindyian
- Hey, how did you get on here? Your response was thought out, well said, and thought provoking. Go away!
— joeibt - Bye bye Brian— Ssteve115
- why don't you actually watch a game, and think a bit fafink? The team had half of its infield on the DL until all star game, has had its ace on DL for 6 weeks, and had to put everyday players in wrong places in field and batting order. Since the deadline, with a team resembling AAA in many places, they have a winning record and look good. The rest of this year is to see how to move forward for next year.— jeff gross
- I moved on to next year back in May. I saw what a disaster was brewing with this team then and look where they are. Howard back and striking out at an alarming rate, more than ever. Put him on waivers and see if any idiots are out there who want him striking out for them. Utley will be done next season for sure. Rollins signing was a mistake. He should also be put on waivers. Mayberry, Nix, and Wigginton were and will always be disappointing. Polanco should be released because nobody else wants to be saddled with his declining stats. And Schneider should not ever play for the Phillies again. $800,000 was way to much for a guy who does what he does. But a big waiver push now, might end up being a big move like Boston just did. It would free up money to bring in people who can make contact with the ball and not keep swinging at air.— eaglesman1
- Schneider is not nearly as good as Kratz, in batting or fielding......Do the team a favor and get rid of him...— westie33
