Boy, if this isn’t symbolic of the way the Pirates have collapsed in the standings recently, I’m not sure what is.
The Pirates just announced that Derrek Lee has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a bone fracture in his left wrist. Lee has missed six out of the last eight games due to lingering soreness in his left hand as a result of being hit by a pitch from Carlos Marmol back on August 3.
Needless to say, the acquisition of Lee hasn’t worked out the way the Pirates hoped it would. The 35-year-old first baseman has been limited to just 19 plate appearances since being acquired from the Orioles on July 30, batting .278 with two homers, a triple and three RBI.
Of course, the Pirates are all but out of things in the National League Central now, so they shouldn’t really waste at-bats on someone who has no future with the team. This probably won’t happen, but why not give Pedro Alvarez a look at first base sometime in September? That’s where he’ll likely end up eventually.
UPDATE: According to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Lee is expected to be sidelined for 2-4 weeks.