April 21st, 2049
Bucharest, Romania
Bittersweet improvement on a lackluster start for the Sticks this week, as GM Drew Visscher confirms the season's over for star RF Manny Gomez, who broke his kneecap while running the bases last Thursday. Gomez, who posted 77 RBI and 114 OPS+ last season, broke his kneecap rounding first after a well-hit double in the 8th Inning against Cairo. While it's unclear if the injury is career-threatening, Dr. Fernao Pereirinha assures us that Manny will be "back to his old self in no time."
The Gomez news comes with a spread of unfortunate injuries to Bucharest this week, though none so brutal in nature;1B Ricardo "Chunk" De Jesús is out for two weeks with plantar fasciitis (commonly called "Policeman's Heel"); LF Shirai Matsumoto tore his hamstring the same day Gomez broke his kneecap, and star LF Tadataka Yoshikawa is out with a strained back. Here's hoping that the Impalers are getting through their season's worth of injuries early. If I was Dr. Pereirnha, I'd be preparing a very convincing deflection of blame to the new Front Office.
Despite the setbacks, Bucharest took 2 of 3 from Cairo at home and are 3 of 4 up on Athens in a long homestand that continues all the way to May 5th. This allows some breathing room who nervously watched the former BANC Champions go 7-7 in the opening two weeks of the 2049 season.
3B Santiago Durán and RF Boris Aplechnev were promoted from AAA.
