Nationals Place Wily Mo Pena on 15-Day DL
The Washington Nationals today placed outfielder Wily Mo Pena on the 15-Day Disabled List (left shoulder) and recalled from rehab and reinstated catcher Johnny Estrada from the 15-Day Disabled List. Nationals Senior Vice President and General Manager Jim Bowden made the announcement.
Estrada went 16-for-57 (.281) with a double, homer and 10 RBI during a 16-game rehab assignment with Nationals affiliates in Columbus (Triple-A International League), Harrisburg (Double-A Eastern League), Potomac (Single-A Carolina League) and the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. The 32 year-old Estrada is 7-for-39 with three RBI in 17 games with Washington this season.
After a thorough examination, which included a Gad MRI, the Nationals announced on Monday that Pena will have soon-to-be-scheduled surgery to repair a small tear and impingement in his left rotator cuff, as well as, fraying of the labrum in his left shoulder. The 25 year-old Pena is batting .205 with six doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI in 64 games for Washington.
With Pena now on the Disabled List, the Nationals have now made 21 DL moves this season affecting 15 different players this season. Pena is making the second DL stint of 2008, as he missed 12 early-season games due to a left oblique strain sustained in Spring Training. He is one of six Nationals to have been endured multiple trips to the DL this season, joining Estrada (right elbow, neuritis in right elbow), right-handed closer Chad Cordero (right shoulder, tear of right latissimus muscle), right-handed pitcher Shawn Hill (right forearm extensor tenosynovitis, right forearm strain), outfielder Elijah Dukes (right hamstring, right knee) and catcher Paul Lo Duca (right hand contusion, fourth metacarpal fracture in right hand).
National League All-Star shortstop Cristian Guzman is the only member of Manny Acta's Opening Day lineup that has not endured a trip to the Disabled List this season. In fact, a season-ending right wrist injury to Nick Johnson has assured that Washington's Opening Night lineup will only play together once this season (a 3-2 win vs. Atlanta on March 30 in Nationals Park's inaugural regular-season contest).
As of the All-Star break, Washington's Opening Night lineup has, by percentage, started the fewest games in baseball this season (pitcher excluded). According to Jeff Chernow of STATS, Inc., injuries to Ryan Zimmerman, Nick Johnson, Ronnie Belliard, Elijah Dukes, Lastings Milledge, Austin Kearns and Paul Lo Duca have allowed Manny Acta's Opening Night starting eight to start only 54.4 percent of the time this season (numbers used entering All-Star break). Only one other club, Cincinnati at 59.4 percent, has a starting percentage of less than 60 percent. At 83.4 percent prior to the break, Baltimore paced baseball in this measure of a ballclub's core health.
