To manager Manny Acta, the loss of right fielder Shin-Soo Choo to a broken thumb is bigger than big.
View full sizeThe realization that right fielder Shin-Soo Choo would be lost for at least six weeks after suffering a broken left thumb on Friday was a sobering thought indeed for Indians manager Manny Acta on Saturday.SAN FRANCISCO -- Manny Acta said the loss of right fielder Shin-Soo Choo to a broken thumb was a "big blow" to the Indians.
He stopped for a moment, recalculating his thoughts, and said, "big blow is an understatement."
Choo suffered a broken left thumb Friday night, when he was hit by a Jonathan Sanchez pitch in the fourth inning against San Francisco. He returns to Cleveland Sunday, where he is expected to undergo surgery sometime this week.
"It looks like I'll need surgery," said Choo, his left hand in a cast, Saturday morning. "It will probably be Monday or Tuesday. It depends what the doctor says."
Cleveland Clinic hand specialist Dr. Thomas Graham will examine Choo on Monday. If he needs surgery, Graham will do the procedure. Indians trainer Lonnie Soloff said it takes at least six weeks for a broken bone to heal. He would not speculate on Choo's timetable until Graham examined him.
"There is a high suspicion of surgery," said Soloff.
Choo needed stitches to close a laceration on his thumb. Choo said his batting glove was filled with blood and had to be cut off. Choo said fat or muscle was hanging out of the laceration and had to be pushed back into the hand.
"I feel bad for the team because I can't help," said Choo. "This is the same as in 2007 when we went to the postseason and I couldn't help because I had Tommy John surgery. I've been thinking about that a lot."
Travis Buck, who joined the team late in Saturday's 1-0 loss from Class AAA Columbus, will take Choo's spot on the roster. Acta said he'll platoon Buck and Austin Kearns in right field.
"We're looking at our options externally and internally," said Acta. "Right now it's tough to make a deal because a lot of teams are still in it."
He said if Kearns and Buck don't do the job, Ezequiel Carrera and Chad Huffman would be their next options. Utilityman Luis Valbuena is another possibility.
This season has been a struggle for Choo. In May he was arrested on DUI charges. On the field, he's hitting .244 (65-for-266) with 10 doubles, two triples, five homers and 28 RBI. Choo hit .300 in each of the last two years with at least 20 homers and 20 steals.
"This is the first year I've had a bad season," said Choo. "In the minors I got better every year. The same in the big leagues. Maybe this is just one of those years, but I'm trying to stay positive."
Choo knew his thumb was injured as soon as he was hit by the pitch. "I've been hurt before, and I knew this was bad," he said.
Choo said his first thought when he hit the dirt at home plate was his family. His wife, Won Mi Ha, and two sons, Alan and Aiden, were at Friday's game.
"My wife started crying," he said.
Choo bore no ill will toward Sanchez. "I don't blame him," he said. "He didn't do anything wrong. It was just an inside fastball. Pitchers have to throw inside. It's just part of the game."
The Giants placed Sanchez on the disabled list before Saturday's game with biceps tendinitis. If they'd done that a day earlier, it would have saved Choo and the Indians a lot of pain.
Swing away: Justin Masterson, Saturday's hard-luck loser, went 0-for-2 against Matt Cain.
"It was interesting," he said. "You get about 30 swings before you face a guy that's throwing 93 mph.
"It's like 'here you go, feed me to the lions.' I was OK until he started throwing those sliders. I haven't seen one of those for a while."
Masterson flied out to center in the third and struck out on the fifth.
It's always something: The Indians can't seem to keep their A lineup together. If Grady Sizemore isn't hurt, it's Travis Hafner. If it's not Hafner, it's Matt LaPorta. If it's not LaPorta, it's Choo.
"You have to give these guys a lot of credit," said Acta. "Everything they've done so far, they've done as a team. Someway we've continued to survive."
Finally: Tribe starters Carlos Carrasco and Masterson are a combined 0-2 despite allowing just one earned run in 15 innings in the first two games of this series.
On Twitter: @hoynsie
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2011/06/surgery_like_for_shin-soo_choo.html
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