Carl Crawford Oblique Tear The Latest Injury Blow To Hit Dodgers

The annual Carl Crawford disabled list trip has begun. Earlier than usual but here we are. The Dodgers were hit with another injury blow as the club placed Carl Crawford on the 15-day disabled list with a strained/torn oblique. There is no timetable for his return right now, but these oblique strains normally take anywhere from 6-8 weeks. The Dodgers called up Kike Hernandez from Oklahoma City to replace him on the roster. Hernandez is in the starting lineup and playing center field. Crawford was batting .245 (12 for 49) with one home run in 50 plate appearances.

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Crawford tripled in last night’s 8-3 win and then had to be removed from the game after the inning was over. The injury was originally reported as a sore side, but today we learned the extent of the ailment. Crawford called it a tear himself, and said it is so bad that he can’t even cough without pain. Here’s hoping Crawford can start coughing as soon as possible. The veteran actually suffered the injury on a swing, and not on the slide like we originally thought. On a swing! Oh Carl….

This leaves the Dodgers with an outfield of Joc Pederson, Scott Van Slyke, Andre Ethier, and Hernandez. Alex Guerrero can play left field as well, and should get some reps out there. Guerrero is also in the lineup on Tuesday in left field. Look for Van Slyke, and Guerrero to get playing time against left handers.

This is the fourth Dodger in the last few days to be put on the disabled list. Brandon McCarthy suffered a torn UCL and is out for the year. He may have to have Tommy John surgery. Reliever Joel Peralta had to be put on the DL with a neck strain. It was originally reported that he had dead arm. The Dodgers have Scott Baker, Mike Bolsinger, Carlos Frias, and Joe Weiland available to start. Baker is staying with the club for now, and so is Frias. 

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Then there was the hamstring injury to Yasiel Puig. The Cuban outfielder strained it on April 13. The Dodgers kept him out of the lineup for a few days and Puig eventually re-aggravated the injury. Eventually the Dodgers had to DL him too.

Puig, McCarthy, Peralta, and Crawford join closer Kenley Jansen, who had offseason foot surgery (Kenley is preparing to begin a rehab assignment at Rancho on Friday. He could be back soon) and hasn’t pitched at all this season, and starter Hyun-jin Ryu who is battling shoulder soreness. Ryu hasn’t pitched at all either. Jansen is expected to return in a couple of weeks, while Ryu’s return date is unknown. Reliever Brandon League is also on the disabled list, unable to pitch with a blown shoulder. He won’t return until midseason at the earliest.

Naturally we’re hearing the word “depth” uttered in record numbers on internet and television. Let us review, that’s three relievers, two starting pitchers, and two outfielders on the DL for the Dodgers. Expect more injuries to come. The Dodgers better wrap Pederson and Guerrero in bubble tape before the games.