Philadelphia Phillies injured rookie second baseman Freddy Galvis will be in a back brace for at least three weeks instead of at least six weeks. Galvis received a second opinion on his fractured back (pars fracture of his L45 vertebra) from Dr. Peter Moley at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York (via Philly.com).
The Phillies acknowledge that Galvis will miss a significant amount of time but have not said that his 2012 season is over. With the second opinion, the time Galvis will spend in the back brace has been potentially cut in half. However, if he does not show enough improvement after three weeks, Galvis could be spending more time in the brace.
The Phillies were not able to pinpoint a certain play during which the injury occurred.
In 58 games for Philadelphia this season, Galvis hit .226 with three home runs, 24 RBI and seven walks.
Injuries just keep piling up for the Philadelphia Philies. The latest is second baseman Freddy Galvis who was added to the 15-day disabled list on Thursday morning. Galvis is dealing with a lower back strain, according to the team.
To fill the hole in the lineup, Philadelphia will be adding infielder/outfielder Michael Martinez, who was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Martinez, 28, played in 88 games for the Phillies last year, hitting .196/.258/.282.
Galvis was hitting .256/.254/.363 in 58 games with the Phillies. He is in the lineup in place of the injured Chase Utley, who is dealing with a knee injury. Utley is currently rehabbing in extended spring training. No timetable has been established for his return to the big league club.
Besides Utley and Galvis, Philadelphia's disabled list includes Roy Halladay and Ryan Howard.
The Phillies are in last place in the National League East, and riding a five-game losing skid. They are six games out of first place.
