Victorino heads home; Mayberry is back
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Victorino heads home; Mayberry is back
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The swollen right thumb that kept Shane Victorino out of Monday's game could prove to be a larger problem than the Phillies and their centerfielder originally expected.
Victorino left the team Tuesday to fly to Philadelphia for an appointment with hand specialist Randall Culp, as initially reported by MLB.com. Victorino could not swing a bat Monday and had a large wrap around his hand to help decrease the swelling.
"It's a little sore," Victorino said Monday, "but it's all right."
The injury occurred Sunday when Victorino's left cleat gave way on the Rogers Centre turf and he crumbled to the ground. In the process, he fell on his thumb.
His replacement in center could be the newest member of the roster.
Needing only four starters for the remainder of the first half, the Phillies will go with an extra bench player, and he is a familiar one: John Mayberry Jr.
Mayberry was officially recalled Tuesday from triple-A Lehigh Valley to replace Vance Worley, who was optioned after Monday's 1-0 win.
The 27-year-old began the season with the Phillies and stayed on the major-league roster until June 1. He hit .231 in 104 at-bats and had the game-winning single on Opening Day.
But because he had an option remaining, he was the odd man out on the Phillies roster. His stint in the minors wasn't all too impressive with a slash line of .265/.287/.442 in 122 plate appearances. He had four home runs but only five walks against 23 strikeouts.
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Does BenFran have any options left?— johnny eagle- He does, but you won't see him getting shipped off, unless Mayberry is tearing it up at the plate...(Doubtful) IT is a shame, because Shane was really hot and hitting well in the 5th hole, and that is really going to affect our lineup again...It always seems like when someone starts to get hot, they get injured... — PhilliefaninAZ
- Ibanez is done. Stick a fork in him. Mayberry is playing to try to be Ibanez's replacement next year. But its looking more and more like neither he nor Francisco is the answer. Rube is going to have to get creative.— SteveS11
- Saying Mayberry is a better defender than Ibanez is like saying a 6 cylinder Honda Accord has more performance than a 4 cylinder Toyota Yaris. It's a true statement but an unimpressive one, ANY Outfielder in MLB is better than Ibanez (this is a statistical fact, check it out!). We just lost our 8 cylinder Ford Mustang. I'm hoping he'll be back tomorrow!
- Why do people hate Mayberry, he has better #s than Ibanez and is a better defender.— thenutz72
Comment removed.- Are major league baseball players made of glass? Every time I see a Philly player dive, trip, run too hard to first (problem Jimmy Rollins will never encounter) they are constantly pulling this or straining that. Beer league softball players can stay healthier than these guys. Victorino goes nose first into the ground and somehow manages to hurt an ankle and a thumb. Unreal.— pokerface
- Beer league softball is in slow motion compared to the pros. — escapedcamden4monterey
- Comment removed.
- UNREAL, 5 OUTFIELDERS AND ONLY 1 CAN HIT, AND HE'S HURT. THE PHILLY CURSE!— DONDEN31
- UNREAL, 5 OUTFIELDERS AND ONLY 1 CAN HIT, AND HE'S HURT. THE PHILLY CURSE!— DONDEN31
- John Mayberry, Jr. has the potential to become an outstanding major league outfielder. He is probably the most athletic player in the entire Phils organization, and can do many different things, offensively and defensively, to help a team. In a few brief stints with the Phils, he has had moments of greatness, but has been unable to put together enough sustained success to warrant his staying in the bigs. I would love to see him finish the first half of the season strong and help the Phils win a few games in Vic's absence. Regardless of Mayberry's performance, I think the Phils are already committed to acquiring a right-handed hitting outfielder who can bring in runs. I think the Phils' best move at this time would be to acquire Melky Cabrera from the Royals who are about to start trading veterans for young prospects. Cabrera is only 26 years old and already has playoff experience. He is a switch hitter who can play all three outfield positions very well. He is currently hitting .286 with 102 hits, 21 doubles, 11 homers and 48 RBIs. He is only making $1.25 million this year. Everything considered, Cabrera could upgrade the Phils offensively and defensively in the outfield and become a fixture in the Phils outfield for many years to come. I still think Mayberry could become a major league star, but he still has to acquire consistency to get to that level. In the meantime and between time, Cabrera is an option the Phils should seriously consider.
- Finally, after 3 months of the same brilliant 'We need a right-handed bat!' drivel, someone throws out an actual name that makes sense. Affordable, pretty young, and by all means an upgrade. Only question is do the Royals view him as being in their future plans...
- Is Mayberry now out of options? If so, I'm curious to see what the Phils do when they need Worley and Shane comes back (hopefully).— phils_tnj1
- I called this...I called this last night on an earlier report.— Philly Fan in Kuwait
