Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Colby Rasmus may consider it a clean baseball play, but his dirty work has put Omar Infante on the 15-day disabled list.
Rasums slid in studs-up on Infante while he was attempting to turn a double play. The unwritten rules of baseball say it was a clean play because Rasmus slid in the vicinity of the bag, but the manner in which he did so was outlandish. At best, it was pushing the limits.
It’s one thing to get in the way, but Rasmus went in with his cleats out and didn’t leave the ground until he had practically passed second base. Originally, Infante’s shin was the object of his ailment, but he will reportedly have an MRI on his left ankle.
The move is retroactive to July 4, so the Detroit Tigers shouldn’t have to wait too long before getting Infante back. He already missed the entire series against the Cleveland Indians and the Tigers did alright without him, but he was holding down the bottom of the batting order like no one else in baseball.
Hernan Perez will replace him in the lineup, which comes as a bit of a surprise because because Danny Worth has been the player the Tigers have called up in the recent past when they needed to add a middle infielder.
Ramon Santiago will get most of the reps in Infante’s absence, but Perez should get a few opportunities with the way Jim Leyland likes to platoon. Santiago is hitting just .162 this season, so Leyland won’t hesitate to give Perez a shot at the plate.
David Fouty is a columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davefouty, “Like” him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google+.
