Keppinger out for at least weeks... maybe longer

[missionhockey21]

Per Fay:

Keppinger appeared to hurt himself in the second inning when he fouled a ball off the inside of his leg. Corey Patterson pinch hit for him in the fourth. In the fifth, Jerry Hairston Jr. moved to short stop, Ryan Freel moved to right field, and Patterson moved to center field.

UPDATE: An X-ray revealed that Keppinger fractured the patella in his left knee. He will have an MRI tomorrow.

Devastating news here. Losing a .320 hitter, our best hitter with RISP and our only true SS on the roster is just awful. I doubt Janish is called-up to start so we might very well see Hairston moved to SS... which I am not looking forward to considering how strong Kepp has been out there with the glove.

[brewersfan19]

hey reds fans, this news sucks. i am sorry for the injury to one of your best players. i hope he heels quickly and comes back healthy.

[love_that_reefer]

Terrible blow!!

[redsrbetter]

Nasty blow to an already horrible season. I am not sure what to expect anymore. But outside of Harang and Volquez, this is the worst injury that could happen for this team. Danget!

[missionhockey21]

They were talking about this on the broadcast and it's pretty interesting; Kepp has gone from a zero to a hero in about a year. Here was a guy the Royals gave up, the Mets thought lacked the skills to do anything at the MLB level outside of the bench and we trade a nothing single A prospect for. He comes up last year and rips the cover off the ball, continues that into 2008 and firmly establishes himself as a pretty nifty defensive SS as well. He plays hard, brings a contact element to the team that we desperately needed and he did it with literally no one in the press or on the fan forums expecting him to etch himself into the long-term plans. Hell, even this offseason his role was questioned.

It's a damn shame it happened, I just hope he won't lose too much steam when he comes back.

[browntown653]

I had him in fantasy, so it was bound to happen...Lackey, Gallardo, Escobar, A-Rod, Posada, Willingham, there are plenty more who I've had on one of my 3 teams.

Selfishness aside, I don't think there's much more that needs to be said then a team already lacking offensively loses one of their key players. Obviously an enormous loss.

[missionhockey21]

I had him in the points league, a huge upgrade for me too... so this is a fantasy bummer for anyone else who thought they got a steal here.

[ljshorty89]

This stinks for the Reds. I mean, as a Mets fan I have no clue how he was doing so well, because he showed little to no real promise with the Mets. He was having a terrific season though, and I hope that when he comes back he can continue to succeed.

[Doppelgänger]

Greaaat. I hope he can come back soon, he is someone we will really miss.

[NFLman2033]

well.. i think Janish comes up.. because even if Harriston plays SS everday.. he has NO backup.. he can't play every game at until either Gonzo or Kep comes back.. so a move has to be made.. I think Janish has to be it...

it really does suck.. he is the only pure hitter in the lineup.. full of free swingers.. Votto is a close second.. and Hatteberg doesn't count since he is a bench player.. really if Janish isn't the answer.. a trade needs to be made

[redsfan28]

I think the more logical move would be to bring Bruce up, make Patterson the sub in the OF, and then move Freel to SS.

Having said that, they will probably not do it. BTW, has anyone heard any news on Norris Hopper?

[Slyder]

I think the more logical move would be to bring Bruce up, make Patterson the sub in the OF, and then move Freel to SS.

Having said that, they will probably not do it. BTW, has anyone heard any news on Norris Hopper?

Has Freel even played SS before?

[redsfan28]

Honestly, the only positions Freel hasn't played is catcher and pitcher, and he'd give those positions the ol' college try.

[redsrbetter]

Janish got the call. Lets hope he can show us that slick defense at least. Our offense just took a plunge though. There is no way around it.

My Fantasy team is hurting from this as well. UGH!

[NFLman2033]

I think the more logical move would be to bring Bruce up, make Patterson the sub in the OF, and then move Freel to SS.

Having said that, they will probably not do it. BTW, has anyone heard any news on Norris Hopper?

uh... Ryan Freel has never played SS at the ML level.. so that puts him behind even hariston in that respect

Ryan Freel Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com

in fact you have to go back to 2001 AAA Syracuse since the last time he has even played SS in the Minors .

71 total games in the minors at SS..

Ryan Freel Statistics - The Baseball Cube

so no that is not a logical move.. especially since we all know Dusty Baker won't bench Patterson in favor of Bruce... in fact if you want to talk logic and Freel.. the logical move was always to move Phillips back to SS.. but that is never going to happen.. they have said that.. so really the only logical move was to bring Janish up or make a move