The Phillies will be without second baseman Jean Segura for up to three months.
Segura, who suffered a broken right index finger in Tuesday night’s game against San Francisco, learned his fate after an examination Wednesday. The fracture, according to manager Joe Girardi, is “displaced” and will require surgery later this week.
An hour after Girardi announced the extent of Segura’s injury, the Phillies scratched designated hitter Bryce Harper from Wednesday night’s starting lineup because of soreness in his right forearm.
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Harper has not played the field since April 16 because of a ligament tear in his right elbow.
Girardi was not immediately available for comment on Harper’s condition or how long the slugger would be out. He did comment on Segura, who had an X-ray on Tuesday night and further tests Wednesday.
“I don't know if any of us anticipated that it was going to be this,” Girardi said. “This is a difficult loss for us. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Jean is an everyday player that is productive for us.”
Segura suffered the injury when he tried to bunt for a base hit with a runner on first and no outs in the seventh inning of a 3-3 game Tuesday night. Segura made the decision to attempt to bunt on his own but his technique was poor. His index finger was exposed on the bat and absorbed a bone-breaking slider from Tyler Rogers.
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“It hurts,” Girardi said. “He's a good defender, too. That's the thing. We lose that part of it, too. He's a guy that can steal you bases. We lose that part, too. I mean, Jean can do a lot of things.”
The Phillies made a series of roster moves before the game. In addition to placing Segura on the injured list, they designated outfielder Roman Quinn for assignment. Infielder Nick Maton and left-handed pitcher Cristopher Sanchez were called up from Triple A. The team considered activating Didi Gregorius from the IL, but decided he needed some more at-bats at Lehigh Valley. Gregorius, who has been out with a left knee sprain, was scheduled to serve as the DH for Lehigh Valley on Wednesday night. He could be ready to return to Philadelphia and the shortstop position in a matter of days.
Maton was scheduled to start at shortstop Wednesday night and Johan Camargo at second base. After Harper was scratched, Maton moved to second, Camargo to third and Alec Bohm became the designated hitter.
Girardi said the Phils would attempt to fill second base in-house with Camargo, Maton and Bryson Stott, though it’s possible someone could go to the minors when Gregorius returns. Scott Kingery is at Triple A, but he’s not on the 40-man roster and is hitting under .200.
With Segura out for such an extended amount of time, it’s difficult to imagine president of baseball ops Dave Dombrowski and GM Sam Fuld not trying to acquire a full-time second baseman.
“We haven't talked about that yet,” Girardi said. “They are always looking to improve the club any way they can. I'm sure they’re looking at everything.”
Fuld confirmed that.
“We like the group we have internally,” he said. “We’re always looking for potential opportunities that could make sense.”
In 44 games, Segura was hitting .275, second on the club to Harper’s .303, with six homers, 19 RBIs and a .731 OPS.
“It’s tough,” Fuld said of the loss of Segura. “He’s a rock, as steady as they come. I think sometimes we take for granted what he does on a nightly basis on both sides of the ball. He’s a guy you can rely upon. We’ll miss him.”
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