Kendrys Morales = OUT for the SEASON (see last post)

[Kelly_Leak]

Morales was recently dropped in one of my leagues. From everything I've read he seems to have made little progress since Spring Training. Does anyone have any guesses as to when he may return? My knowledge is strictly limited to what has been reported by Rotoworld etc. (i.e. no time table yet, but may be heading out with team on next road trip).

The league is a redraft 12 team mixed with 4 bench, 2 DL, and 2 minor league slots. Only having 2 DL spots really limits your patience with injured players (which is why Morales was dropped).

Pagan and Torres currently occupy my DL slots, but it seems like there may be a chance for at least one of them to return sometime next week, thus opening up a DL slot. However, I will have to cut someone from my roster in order to obtain Kendrys this Sunday via FAAB. I will place a bid regardless, but I am currently contemplating how aggressive of a bid to place. There is not an obvious need for Morales on my team, but he is the first potential impact player to be dropped (I do anticipate more to come later as teams are squeezed by injuries and ineffectiveness).

For reference, here is my current team heading into next week (1 C league), but am most interested by any Morales return tib-bits anyone may have:
C: Posada
1B/3B: Miggy, Howard, Beltre
2B/SS: Weeks, Rollins, Espinosa
OF: Cruz, Granderson, Cuddyer (1B/2B elig too), Gordon, Kubel (Pagan - DL, Torres - DL)
Util: Derrek Lee
SP: Weaver, Brett Anderson, Lilly, Wandy, McClellan, Harang, Ogando (Beachy, Pineda)
RP: Soria, Santos (Thornton, D.Oliver)
ML: Moustakas, Ackley

[Trav The Ump]

For what its worth, I'd rather have him than Derek Lee in the Util spot. Why not cut Oliver? Sounds like Feliz is back after his time is up.

[Kelly_Leak]

Why not cut Oliver?

That's the plan. And I too would rather have Morales over Lee, but I'm a bit hesitant to drop a huge bid because I don't understand whats going on with his ankle/leg. In a weird way the situation reminds me of the Twins last year with Morneau, where we kept hearing how he will be back, but no time table was ever established and then he never came back. I know the injuries where completely different (and Morneau had prior concussions), but its the lack of any timeline or goal to be back that I find discouraging.

[Todd Zola]

Except with Morales, we are hearing how he WON'T be back as opposed to being teased about an impending return.

Morales can't even change his name without it being a major story. In this information age, I can't imagine we won't know any update on his condition.

If FAAB is a valuable commodity, I would pass. If you will not be handcuffed with less FAAB, I'd take a shot.

[Captain Hook]

Kendrys has had a setback in his return.....here is the latest from cbs

"The Angels announced that injured Kendrys Morales, who has been out since last May due to ankle surgery, is heading to see foot and ankle specialist Phil Kwong. Morales has struggled with his rehab, still yet to show explosiveness while running. There remains to be no timetable for his return from the 15-day DL. “We’ll get some direction (from Dr. Kwong) as to what we’ll do,” manager Mike Scioscia told the Orange County Register. “If he’s able to stay in baseball activities (i.e. batting and fielding), he’ll most likely make the trip with us (that begins Friday).”
(Updated 04/27/2011).

[Captain Hook]

and today's news is worse......Kendrys Morales needs another surgery and is OUT for the balance of this season.
The recovery time for this surgery is 6 months, so he should be good to go for spring training next year.....assuming no further complications

[da_big_kid_94]

Ok .... guys ....wanna get that soapbox on stage?? ....just move it slighly left of stage right ....by the light .... ah, little more to the left .... mike check ...testing 1,2,3,6 ...just wanted to see if you we're paying attention ....

Ahem - the following is just one more in a series of cautionary tales. I am constantly looking in amazement at what I can only describe as the rampant optimism of the beast known in the ACME Latin dictionary as fantarotosuarus basebarifficus. Spring training must cast some sort of pixie dust over these beasts - because that's when some of the questions come out - "Will he make the team?"; "How will he do?"; "What do you project his numbers to be?".

Then comes the second stage of the syndrome - willing to suspend reality. Some people may say that this is done with the benefit of hindsight - I say thee nay. One only needed to take a look at the facts surrounding Kendrys Morales to say "Whoa! Waitaminnit - there's something wrong here!" He sustained what was to the layman and fantarotosuarus basebarifficus, a broken leg. No problem - how long can that take to heal? He'll be fine.

10 months later - he still hasn't been cleared to participate in "baseball activities" (dontcha love that phrase ....you mean, like running?)

Morales broke his left ankle last May 29 and had his rehabilitation cut short by pain in the ball of his foot and big toe. The Angels are targeting April 7, when their Class A Inland Empire team begins games, for Morales to begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment.

Scioscia said Morales will need roughly 10 days of seeing live pitching before he returns.

"Obviously we're not going to rush it," Scioscia said. "This jump right now from starting baseball activities to starting to run again, to being 100 percent ready for games might come within four days. It might come within 10 days. You don't know." March 31, 2011 - ESPN Los Angeles

Angels manager Mike Scioscia has finally admitted that Kendrys Morales (leg) won't be ready by Opening Day. LA Times, March 20, 2011

Angels manager Mike Scioscia acknowledged Wednesday that Kendrys Morales has hit a "plateau" in his recovery from a broken lower left leg. LA Daily News - March 16th

When a broken ankle takes almost 10 months to heal - and you're still not ready to play - something should immediately come to mind - what kind of broken ankle isn't healed in 10 months? And immediately following that should come the thought - if it took 10 months to get to this point - where he's ambulatory but not ready to play - what makes anyone think he'll be ready in 10 weeks??? Much less three?? Because someone threw out a quote for attribution?

But the fantarotosuarus basebarifficus believes! And he believes because he can't allow for any other possible outcome. He believes that not only will Strasburg pitch this September, but that he will pitch so well that he will be the missing link or secret weapon in his pennant drive. He thought last year that Justin Morneau was really going to be back almost any week now. He just KNOWS that any pitcher who undergoes Tommy John surgery will come back faster and better than before they got hurt because .... well ...doesn't EVERYBODY who has TJ surgery do that?? Well ...maybe if you don't count Joe Nathan or BJ Ryan or ...well ...never mind.

Fantarotosuarus basebarifficus believes the latest minor league call up is the missing piece to his puzzle so he wants to know how much to bid on him - because he represents something that he doesn't currently have ...and the grass is always greener. The fact that this phenom may just be another young kid who will become a very good player but who right now needs time to adjust is moot. The kid is a set of numbers generated in a setting he no longer participates in. The hell with reality - all of those numbers are easily transferable to his new environment ... aren't they Jerry Sands?

Either Lawr or Perry recounted in a post on these boards a story of them talking to a rookie and asking him what his biggest adjustment to the majors was - and the kid said it was the pace of the lifestyle - so many things to get used to outside the game itself. Wise words indeed.

In closing - there can be factors outside what transpires on the field that we should take into acount every once in a while ...how big a grain of salt needed is up to the individual taster ...after all ....your mileage may vary.

Ok ... guys ....wanna come move this soapbox back into storage?? They need the stage .... gotta get prepped for the draft on June 6th - you know - the one where everyone drafts their team's next lynchpin? Yeah ...that one ...and make sure someone kills that light, willya?