Shane Victorino left tonight’s game in the seventh inning with a left oblique strain. At this point we don’t know the extent of the injury or whether Victorino will miss any time. However, if he does, The Good Phight argues that it should be John Mayberry Jr. that gets the call to replace him, not uber prospect Domonic Brown, as everyone seems to be hoping.
If you bring Brown up now, then either Ibanez or Brown will have to play in every game vs. lefties. I think the right choice would have to be Ibanez, but whatever – either way, this cuts against giving Brown the call. If Ibanez gets the at-bats, then Brown will be sitting in a lot of games, which will be bad for his development. If Brown gets the at-bats, then you’re throwing a green kid to the wolves in the middle of a pennant race. Brown has a .673 MLE OPS vs. lefties this year. There is no good reason for making him hit against real-life major league lefties at this time.
Be sure to check out The Good Phight for the full argument as to why Mayberry is the right choice and the discussion that follows.