The Detroit Tigers have placed outfielder Magglio Ordonez (oblique) on the 15-day disabled list with a pulled oblique.
He originally left the club's game Saturday, June 28, with what the team described as a spasm along his right side, but the injury was later determined to be more severe. Ordonez had trouble getting up the morning of Sunday, June 29. He said he expects to remain in Detroit to rehabilitate the injury during the team's upcoming road trip to visit the Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners.Ordonez is batting .307 on the year with 12 dingers and team-high 50 RBI. The news comes at a poor time for the Tigers, as they finally brought their record up to .500.
The team has called up outfielder Matt Joyce to take Ordonez's spot on the roster. Joyce hit .208 with five homers and 10 RBI in 53 at-bats earlier in the year. With Triple-A Toledo, Joyce was hitting .270 with 13 home runs and 41 RBI in 200 at-bats.
Ordonez owners will obviously want to hang on to the slugger. It's uncertain how long he'll miss. Oblique injuries are easy to aggravate, so the Tigers will likely wait until they're absolutely certain Maggs is healthy. Detroit designated hitter Gary Sheffield missed nearly a month with an oblique strain before returning this past week. The Tigers also lost utility man Brandon Inge (oblique) to a similar injury earlier in the week; he was placed on the DL Wednesday, June 25. Fantasy owners should back with KFFL for more on the severity of Ordonez's injury as well as his progress in early rehab.
Joyce is worth picking up in AL-only leagues since he has some power and could provide a small boost to a fantasy team in home runs. He is a candidate for ample playing time because he plays good defense, has been manning right field (Ordonez's position) and provides a left-handed bat for a team with many right-handed hitters. However, he likely will be a detriment in average, and owners will want to be wary if they are already struggling in that particular category.
