Dodgers @ Royals June 24, 2014: Just Another Hanley Ramirez Injury Issue

royalsWarning: do not attempt to adjust your computer. Yes, Justin Turner, Jamie Romak, Carlos Triunfel, and Miguel Rojas are all in the same lineup. In an official game sanctioned by Major League Baseball. For a team with realistic playoff hopes. In 2014. We have entered the singularity.

In theory, you can put some sense behind each of these. Turner has of course been more than adequate, and is the best option at third base until Juan Uribe returns. With Yasiel Puig playing DH tonight, another outfielder is needed, and with lefty Danny Duffy on the mound, it absolutely shouldn’t be Andre Ethier adding a big slump against all pitchers lately (.190/.236/.310 over the last month) in addition to his usual lefty troubles. So that’s how Romak gets in, making his second start in right field. Dee Gordon can’t hit lefties either, and plays every day, so this is a sensible scheduled day off, pushing Rojas in.

Dodgers
Royals
5:10 pm PT
Kansas City, MO
3B
Turner
RF
Cain
LF
Kemp
1B
Hosmer
DH
Puig
DH
Butler
1B
Gonzalez
LF
Gordon
CF
Van Slyke
C
Perez
C
Ellis
2B
Infante
RF
Romak
3B
Valencia
SS
Triunfel
CF
Maxwell
2B
Rojas
SS
Escobar

However, seeing Triunfel in there is hard to reconcile, since Hanley Ramirez only DH’d last night. The original version of this paragraph had a joke about “if Ramirez pulled his hamstring brushing his teeth this morning it wouldn’t surprise me,” but no, it’s just more discomfort in his right shoulder, which he felt in his first plate appearance last night. I’m terrified about Ramirez trying to push through pain; I’m even more terrified that Don Mattingly doesn’t seem to be worried, with David Vassegh saying

Even though Matt Kemp went thru same injury last year that put him on DL, Mattingly still not concerned about Hanley ending up on DL.”

Look for Ramirez to be diagnosed with bonitis within the week.

Oh, and Clayton Kershaw attempts to become the first man in 76 years to throw back-to-back no-hitters. The way that lineup looks, he might just need to.

* * *

Speaking of notable injuries that Mattingly isn’t concerned about, Joc Pederson! We won’t know more about his shoulder until tomorrow, but we do have video of how it happened today:

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About Mike Petriello

Mike Petriello writes about lots of baseball in lots of places, and right now that place is MLB.com.