Is Injured Pence Worth Keeping?

July 25, 2007 @ 16:00:00

By Art Morath
Edited by Ryan Dodson

Houston Astros outfielder Hunter Pence likely saw his bid to become NL Rookie of the Year end on Monday. He was put on the disabled list with a right wrist capsular sprain with a small chip fracture. Initial reports suggest that Pence will miss four to six weeks, so most likely he won't be back until September. For the season the 24-year-old is batting .330 with 12 home runs, 45 RBI and eight stolen bases. The 6-foot-4, 210 pound Pence hurt his on a swing over the weekend.

To replace Pence the Astros called up 30-year-old outfielder Jason Lane from Triple-A. Lane has appeared in 37 games for the Astros this year, and he is hitting .160 with four home runs and 10 RBI. He appeared in 42 games for Triple-A Round Rock hitting .308 with eight home runs and 35 RBI. Other possible replacements for Pence in centerfield are outfielder Chris Burke, who also splits time with veteran Craig Biggio at second base, and utilityman Eric Bruntlett, who started in centerfield on Monday.

Biggio has announced he will retire at season's end, but his swan song is unlikely to end with a playoff appearance. The Astros are 43-57, fourth place in the NL Central, and most significant, 11 1/2 games behind in the wild card race. Now that they have temporarily lost Pence, they will more than likely be sellers as the trade deadline looms on Tuesday. Infielder Mark Loretta and others could be on the move. However, the team said closer Brad Lidge isn't available.

The loss of Pence for this long is a big blow to fantasy owners, and none of the Astros outfielders are likely fill the void adequately. One possible replacement, who is red hot, is Kansas City Royals 21-year-old outfielder Billy Butler. In 36 games this year he is hitting .320 with three home runs and 26 RBI. Butler is hitting .386 since the All-Star break.

Another possible replacement is the enigmatic Milton Bradley, who has been on fire since being traded to the San Diego Padres at the end of June. On the season he is hitting .324 with only five home runs and 16 RBI. In his last seven games Bradley has hit three home runs and has six RBI.

Place Pence on your disabled list for the time being. When he returns, it will be September, so if you need the space, we can see dropping him in mixed leagues. Burke isn't a good option to replace him. He should get a few steals, but other than that - he has little value.

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Art Morath
Art Morath has been a contributor to KFFL since 2007.

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