Sweeney to DL
Dave · July 7, 2009 at 3:55 pm · Filed Under Mariners
To make room for Erik Bedard on the roster, the M’s placed Mike Sweeney on the DL. That gives them a 13 man pitching staff for tonight. Now, it looks like they’ll option Vargas out after his start tomorrow to bring up a backup first baseman (hello, Chris Shelton) for the Texas series, with Olson moving to the pen. Vargas will get some starts in Tacoma to keep sharp while the team goes to a four man rotation until July 25, as outlined in the post below.
Now they don’t have a “professional hitter” available for the next 2 weeks or so. how are they expected to win any games?
I say they make this permanent: Create a spot as the DL (designated leader) for Sweeney and let Shelton have his at-bats.
Sweeney can ruffle the kids’ hair and keep everyone motivated, while Shelton knocks in a few runs.
Sounds like a win-win.
Was it DMZ that mentioned the pie in the face was not a good idea for the back spasms? Anyway what a way to get put on the DL. Pieing Washburn.
He tweaked his back on Sunday. They needed a roster spot. He’s not really “hurt”.
I hope the back injury doesn’t prevent him from cheerleading.
Sweeney’s a good guy, though.
Reading these comments, including my own, and it’s no wonder most players detest fans.
Hurt his pride after giving Washburn the pie-to-face last night 😉
Is it me or is the DL really becoming comical in recent years. Is there any oversight regarding how it is used at all?
Not to make light of things like a “tweaked back” – hell, I tweaked my back once and couldn’t sit in a chair for three days – but it seems like it is being used as a convenient roster clearing device with escalating frequency.
Or do we just notice it more now in this day and age of 24/7 coverage or everything?
The DL has long been a joke. It’s not a modern innovation.
I’m still pushing for Mike Sweeney, Designated Hugger. Did you see the way he was going at Washburn last night? The Sweeney hug is really beautiful. He bends a little at the knees, makes meaningful eye contact, spreads those arms wides, and gives a fairly robust (but not uncomfortably so) hug. I love him!
heh….DL “shuffling” is just another way baseball teams cheat. Someone should write a book on that subject. Oh wait.
What about Carlos Silva? Dave posted that he had a made up injury, but he’s been on the disabled list for two months now.
I’m sure his ego is permanently disabled… and probably his appetite too. Newer Slimmer Carlos Silva is getting out pitched and isn’t even missed.
Good to see some more pop on the bench, but hold your head Sweeney back problems aren’t a joke.
from back in May:
this could be the “normal†impingement & fraying any pitcher’s MRI would show … or maybe it really is the kind that benefits from a prolonged rest and then rehab. Who knows.
i agree it is time to see shelton. man he had that stretch with the tigers where he was bombing the ball. that would be a beautiful late inning option. nice spell for a few positions including russ. saunders i would like to see as well.
Silva certainly had been worse than expected over the preceeding several months. He was never going to be worth the contract he signed, but he should have been good enough to hold down a spot at the back of the rotation. He wasn’t really. He was almost a run and a half worse per game than he should have been based on the rest of his career, so I expect the injury is probalby real. Whether rest will fix it, I have no idea.
Shelton up? Finally!
Is there any chance the Ms ever get in trouble with MLB for putting people on the DL who aren’t really hurt? It seemed to happen a lot in 2007 to get fresh arms up from AAA without having to offer back Rule 5s or pass players through waivers.
Given that several teams have used the DL this year for players suffering from “anxiety disorder” (one of the most vaguely specific and semi-meaningless diagnoses in the psychiatric world; it basically means that the guy is worried or spooked about something), I doubt the M’s can get in trouble for Sweeney’s and Silva’s “injuries”
You have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. Anxiety disorder is a very real medical condition.
Why are they going with the four man rotation?
[off-topic]
Thanks, Jeff. You said it in a more civilized way than I was about to.
Jeff, that’s basically a direct quote from a psychiatrist that we have on staff at the drug clinic I work for. He does say there are legit cases of it, but in his opinion about 95% of the time or more it’s a throwaway diagnoses.