63.36 Yes! We Have No Shortstops Today

[Bob Breum]

Erik hears the unmistakable sound of a phone being slammed into its cradle followed by even louder cursing. He heads toward the source: his father's office. And yes, the office still uses land line telephones. The old man grew up with landlines and refuses to change.

He cautiously peers around the door frame. His father has his head in his hands and is still muttering. "Everything okay in here?" he inquires.

Dripping with sarcasm, Bob Breum replies, "Just wonderful. Anybody can play shortstop, right? Maybe we can go over to McGill [University] and recruit their shortstop."

"Did Reynaldo Serrano get hurt AGAIN?" Erik asked.

"Yep. I figured it out. So far this season, he's being paid $170,000 per plate appearance. Good work if you can find it!"

"How long is he out for?"

"A month. Eight games and he's hurt again. I don't believe it."

"So we're calling up Maximo Gousto?"

"Nope. He's out for two more weeks with shoulder bursitis."

"Well, at least we still have Enver Kuscu to fill in for two weeks."

"Not him either. He's done for the season. Broke his ankle on Friday."

"You're kidding!"

"Wish I was."

"Who's left?"

"We're calling up John Jowers."

"He's still with us?"

"Yeah, he got Rule 5'ed by Charlotte a couple of years ago, but they sent him right back."

"He must be in AAA?"

"He was. Hitting a robust .242/.276/.331, which is good for him.

"Oh, my. Will he be starting?"

"No, Loring will be starting."

"I hesitate to ask, but who's left if Jowers gets hurt?"

"Juan Rios in AA who's hitting .182. Pancho Cruz in Single-A who's hitting .216. Orlando Velazquez in Short Season A. It's a wasteland."

"Let me see if I understand our predicament. We started Spring Training with Serrano at shortstop. We had the left-handed Kuscu as our reserve infielder and Koray Kapkin can also play shortstop in a pinch. In the minors we had Jeffrey Loring and Gousto as depth pieces. That's four shortstops plus Kapkin, if my math is correct. Of those four, exactly one is still standing. Have I got that right?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"I don't think anyone can accuse us of not planning for injuries. This is just really bad luck. I can't wait for our first round draft pick Ji-hoon Tokko to make his way to the big leagues. At least we have one legitimate shortstop prospect."

"Don't get your hopes up. He's hurt too."

[lordtoffee]

I hate the dreaded cluster injury bug.