So much for the Phillies trading Placido Polanco.
Philadelphia has placed the third baseman on the disabled list with lower back inflammation and he won’t be eligible to return until a week after the July 31 trade deadline.
Of course, finding a taker for the 36-year-old would have been tough even if Polanco were healthy, as he’s hit just .255 with a .628 OPS in 82 games this season, wasn’t much better last season, and is owed about $3 million for the remainder of this year with a $1 million buyout on his $5.5 million option for 2014.
Ty Wigginton figures to be the primary fill-in at third base, which is a big downgrade defensively and not much of an upgrade offensively considering he’s 34 years old and hitting .234 with a .678 OPS in 86 games.
