CHICAGO - The Philadelphia Phillies will have to make
do without center fielder Aaron Rowand for possibly the rest of
the season.
The Phillies on Tuesday placed Rowand on the 15-day disabled
list with a fractured left ankle suffered in a scary collision
with second baseman Chase Utley.
The Phillies on Tuesday also acquired veteran utility man Jose
Hernandez from the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash.
Rowand, 28, is expected to miss four to six weeks and will
return to Philadelphia to see a foot specialist once he is
cleared to fly, the team announced.
In the eighth inning of a 6-5 win over the Chicago Cubs on
Monday night, Rowand smashed into Utley while chasing a fly ball
hit by John Mabry. The outfielder flipped in the air and had
to be helped off the field.
It is the popular Rowand's second trip to the DL this season. He
also missed two weeks in May with a broken nose and fractures
around his left eye after crashing into the outfield wall at
Citizens Bank Park.
The gritty Rowand is batting .262 with 12 homers, 47 RBIs and 10
steals in 109 games this season. He has been hit by pitches a
team-high 18 times.
Shane Victorino or Chris Roberson should replace Rowand in the
outfield.
Hernandez was batting .267 with two homers and 12 RBIs in 67
games for Pittsburgh this season. The 37-year-old has played
every position on the field this season except for catcher and
center field.
Over a 15-year career, Hernandez is a career .253 hitter with
167 homers and 596 RBIs for eight teams.
The Phillies also had placed reliever Tom Gordon on the injured
list Monday night, retroactive to August 13, with a strained
right shoulder.
Also on Tuesday, Philadelphia recalled outfielder Michael Bourn
and purchased the contract of second baseman Joe Thurston from
Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Bourn was batting .283 with one homer, 15 RBIs and 15 steals in
38 games, while Thurston was hitting .282 with nine homers, 55
RBIs and 20 stolen bases in 127 games.