The Phillies announced today that they've placed Shane Victorino on the 15-day DL with a "grade 2" hamstring strain. Victorino has been out of the lineup since the weekend, but he appeared in a game as a pinch hitter on Wednesday, meaning his DL stint won’t be retroactive. He’ll be out for two weeks.
In his place, the Phillies made a surprising move calling up top prospect Domonic Brown. Brown has been tearing up AAA pitching since he recovered from a broken bone in his hand suffered in spring training. However, as late yesterday both GM Ruben Amaro Jr and manager Charlie Manuel said that Brown would not be coming up this week.
Amaro told reporters yesterday, "We don’t think he’s ready."
Today however, they apparently do. Phillies fans will be hoping the man who was named the top prospect in baseball last year provides the Phillies struggling offense with a shot in the arm. With Ben Francisco struggling and Victorino out, John Mayberry could be deployed to center with Brown in right. Assuming Brown doesn’t get hurt or hit as poorly as he did in the spring, he should be up for good.
The team also put Joe Blanton on the DL after he complained of elbow soreness last night. Blanton only managed two starts since his last DL trip. Vance Worley would be the most likely candidate to take his place on the roster. Scott Matheison was optioned to AAA to make room for spot David Herndon. With the Phillies’ bullpen taxed after last night, the team clearly needed a fresh arm to back up Roy Halladay tonight, especially given that there’s a chance of rain in the forecast.