D-Backs Lose Stephen Drew For Season

Added on Jul 21, 2011 by Scott in

MLB

The Arizona Diamondbacks playoff hopes were dealt a severe blow last night after starting shortstop Stephen Drew fractured his right ankle while sliding into home plate. Drew will miss the remainder of the season and will require surgery to repair the damage. Regarded as one of the best defensive players at his position, replacing him won’t be easy.

The injury occurred when Drew attempted to score from second-base. He ignored a stop signal from third-base coach Matt Williams and slid feet-first into home, catching his foot on Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy. Adding insult to injury, he was ruled out on the play.

Teammate Ryan Roberts summed up the significance of the loss.

“He’s a shortstop,” infielder Ryan Roberts said. “That’s the captain of the infield right there. Look around the league and all the big-name players play shortstop, so it’s a big loss for the team and we’ll find a way to bounce back from it.”

And therein lies the problem for Arizona. Finding an adequate player to fill the vacancy at shortstop. Utility man Willie Bloomquist, who has seen time at short this season, will get the nod for now. Bloomquist is hitting .271 with a pair of home runs and 11 RBI in 166 at-bats.

Drew was batting .252 with five homers and 45 RBI, but his absence will be felt most in the field. His .980 fielding percentage ranks sixth among NL shortstops and his seven errors is tied for third fewest. The 28-year-old has been relatively durable during his career as well, playing over 150 games in three of the previous four seasons.

The good news for the D-Backs is the trading deadline has yet to pass. General manager Kevin Towers has time to construct a deal if the team feels compelled to do so.

One name assuredly at the top of Towers’ list is Mets shortstop Jose Reyes, who leads the Majors with a .349 average. However, the Mets announced yesterday that Reyes was no longer on the block. Although, anything is possible this time of year.

Arizona currently sits at 52-46 in the NL West, 4.5 games behind the Giants, and five games behind the Braves in the Wildcard standings.

Source: MLB.com