Chase Headley to miss at least a month with fractured thumb
By Matt Welch
March 3, 2013; Peoria, AZ, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Chase Headley (7) hits against the Chicago White Sox in the second inning during a spring training game at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
The San Diego Padres All Star third baseman, Chase Headley, found out yesterday that he’ll miss at least a month of action with a fractured left thumb. That means he’ll miss the last two weeks of Spring Training plus the first two weeks of the regular season. Headley is coming off one of the best seasons a Padre has ever had.
The injury started out with a diagnosis of a “jammed thumb” and reports were that he would be just fine. After an X-Ray, he went back to San Diego to get a second opinion. That’s when a hand specialist broke the bad news.
Healey sustained the injury trying to break up a double play on Sunday against the Angels. He jammed in on the bag when he slid in hard.
Headley’s hit .448 this spring in just 29 at-bats. Last season he led the National League in RBI’s with 115 and hit a career-high 31 home runs. Having his bat out of the lineup will certainly big a huge blow for the Padres.
To fill in, Bud Black will look to Logan Forsythe and possibly Jedd Gyorko. Forsythe has been battling a foot injury all spring but hopes to be ready to go by opening day. Gyorko is projected to be the team’s starter at second base.
“There’s a lot of options,” Black told the team’s official website.
The Padres will open up on April 1st, just 13 days away, against the New York Mets on the road.