Ryan Ludwick To Miss Three Months
Reds’ outfielder Ryan Ludwick has had an interesting MLB career. His stats aren’t the best and he’s never the best player on the field, but he’s always a great model of consistency. He is now done until around the All-Star break. Unfortunately Ludwick dislocated his shoulder on Opening Day, marking a depressing start to his 10th major league season.
Just three innings into the game, Ludwick was injured on a head-first slide into third base.
An MRI on Tuesday revealed that the injury was no minor one and Ludwick will miss about three months. Chris Heisey came in to replace Ludwick and will likely be the replacement for now despite the callings for Billy Hamilton. Hamilton is at AAA for the Reds and is seen as the fastest player in all of baseball. After beginning his career as a short stop, this is his first year after being transitioned to an outfielder.
The 34-year-old Ludwick hit .275 with 26 home runs in 125 games with the Reds last season. He’s been a bit of a journey-man for most of his career. It started in 2002 with the Texas Rangers. After short stints with the Indians and Tigers he moved on to the St. Louis Cardinals where he spent most of his career. His breakout season was in 2008 when he hit .299 for the Cardinals with a WAR of 5.3. After briefly being with the Pirates, Ludwick landed with the Reds in 2011.
Todd Frazier could also fill-in for Ludwick as he’s a jack of all trades-type guy. Xavier Paul could also see time there.
The Reds added Shin-Soo Choo in the offseason at center field and they have All-Star, slugger Jay Bruce in right field. This leaves the Reds’ only fault for the most part in left as Ludwick and the team will endure his lengthy absence. As with any team, health is a big factor in your performance.
Cincinnati was seen as the favorite to win the division coming in to 2013 and although that doesn’t change too much, the Ludwick injury could provide an advantage for a team like the Cardinals, who are plagued with injuries themselves, or the Brewers could step up and take control of the division lead. It will be interesting to see how the Reds cope with the loss of Ludwick. They should be just fine. For now.
Follow @AFR_Sports
To Contact Zack, or any AFRsports Contributor, please E-Mail: Contact@AFRSports.com
Comments
Get With The AFR Program!
