Wladimir Balentien, Seattle's top MLB-ready outfield prospect, injured himself in last night's ballgame while attempting to make a sliding catch. It is currently unknown exactly what he hurt, most likely his knee, but Ryan Divish reports that he slid into some sort of concrete barrier and had to be carried off the field.
There is no official report indicating the severity of the injury, but it's not looking to good. Jason A. Churchill of Prospect Insider is saying that the injury is "almost certainly a break or a tear," which obviously doesn't bode well.
With current Seattle right fielder Brad Wilkerson struggling at the plate, Balentien may have had a shot at a MLB starting role before the All-Star break. It is now more important than ever for Wilkerson to snap out of his season long slump.
Nothing is certain and hopefully the injury isn't as devastating as the initial speculation. I'll update this post when I learn more.
UPDATE 12:29 pm PST - Ryan Divish, now my favorite Mariner insider, has an update on Wlad. Mariner manager John McLaren told him that the x-rays were negative and that it's looking like a deep bone bruise.
It's okay, you can breathe now.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Wladimir Balentien Injured (UPDATED)
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4 comments:
Lets just hope that it's not season ending and that he can at least come up for last season call ups...
Whew
Good to hear that the injury isn't that bad...Looks like he could get a call up pretty soon if Wilkerson doesn't snap out of his slump...
He'll be up midseason by the time that Vidro and Wilky prove they can't hit in the middle of the line-up. Hopefully he comes back 100%!
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