Placido Polanco has slumped horribly following a great first month, hitting just .219 with a .541 OPS in 56 games since May 1, and admitted yesterday that he’s struggled to play through a back injury that has led to leg numbness and “doesn’t feel right.”
The injury and two-month slump didn’t keep him from being voted into the All-Star game as the National League’s starting third baseman and it won’t keep him from playing in the game either.
“I won’t probably make it any worse,” Polanco told Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
He’s been playing through the injury for two months already, so another few innings isn’t going to dramatically change anything, but given how poor his performance has been during that time it would seem like an opportunity to completely rest for a few days in an effort to get on track in the second half.
Charlie Manuel told Zolecki he doesn’t have a problem with Polanco playing, calling it “a big honor for him.”
