Velez will be without second-team captain Jean Segura for up to three months.
Segura, who fractured his right index finger in Tuesday night’s game against San Francisco, learned of his fate after a check-up on Wednesday. According to director Joe Girardi, the fracture is “displaced” and will require surgery later this week.
An hour after Gerardi announced the extent of Segura’s injury, Velez scratched designated hitter Bryce Harper from the starting line-up on Wednesday night with a sore right forearm.
Harper has not played court since April 16 due to a ligament tear in his right elbow.
Girardi was not immediately available to comment on Harper’s condition or how long the player would be out. He commented on Segura, who had an x-ray on Tuesday night and further tests on Wednesday.
“I don’t know if any of us expected that to be the case,” Girardi said. “This is a tough loss for us. I am not going into the poncho. Jen is a productive everyday player for us.”
Segura was injured when he tried to break into a base with a runner in the beginning and did not run out in the seventh game of the match 3-3 on Tuesday evening. Segura made the decision to try hitting alone but his technique was poor. His index finger on the bat was exposed and sucked into a bone fracture slider from Tyler Rogers.
“It hurts,” Girardi said. “He’s a good defender too. That’s the thing. We lose that part of her too. He’s a guy who can steal your bases. We lose that part too. I mean, Jane can do a lot of things.”
The Velez made a series of list moves before the match. In addition to putting Segura on the injured list, they assign defensive player Roman Quinn to the task. Player Nick Matton and left bowler Christopher Sanchez of Triple A have been called up. The team considered activating Didi Gregorius from Elle, but decided it needed more bats in Lehigh Valley. Gregory, who sprained his left knee, was scheduled to be the DH in Lehigh Valley on Wednesday night. He could be ready to head back to Philadelphia and short position in a matter of days.
Mattoon was scheduled to start at shortstop on Wednesday night and Johan Camargo on second base. After Harper’s scratch, Mattoon moved up to second, Camargo to third and Alec Boom became the designated hitter.
Girardi said that Phils will try to fill in the second base at home with Camargo, Maton and Bryson Stott, although it is likely that someone will go to the palace when Gregorius returns. Scott Kingery is in Triple A, but he’s not on the 40-man roster and makes it under 200.
With Segura out for so long, it’s hard to imagine head of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and GM Sam Fuld not trying to get a full-time second baseman.
“We haven’t talked about that yet,” Girardi said. “They are always looking to improve the club in any way they can. I am sure they look into everything.”
Fuld confirmed it.
“We love the group we have internally,” he said. “We’re always looking for potential opportunities that might make sense.”
In 44 games, Segura has .25, second on the club after Harper’s .303, with six eyebrows, 19 RBIs and .731 OPS.
“It’s tough,” Fuld said of Segura’s loss. “He’s rock steady as they come. I think we sometimes take what he does at night on both sides of the ball for granted. He’s a guy you can count on. We’re going to miss him.”
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