Cameras swarmed as Howard finished dressing. The hulking first baseman felt it was necessary to stand when addressing the team’s ultimate failure. A year ago, after leaving his 34-ounce bat on his shoulder on the season’s final pitch, he reacted with anger. On Friday, Howard was in a state of disbelief after his team’s 1-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the National League Division Series.
“You don’t want to be a part of that,” Howard said about making the final out of the season.
The Phillies said a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam Saturday revealed a ruptured Achilles’ tendon that will require surgery once swelling goes down. The team said there is no guarantee he’ll be ready for spring training.
Howard could miss anywhere from six to nine months. The possibility of Howard’s starting his five-year, $125 million contract extension on the disabled list is very real. Even if he does return sooner rather than later, a catastrophic injury is no way to commence a lucrative contract.
For years, Howard was a very durable player — one of the best in baseball — but is now afflicted with significant knee, ankle, and foot problems.
Howard has taken great care of his body but he went on the disabled list last season with a severe left ankle sprain. Howard played through bursitis in his left ankle during the final month of this season until his Achilles tendon popped in the ninth inning of Game 5.
Howard’s injury only complicates what will be a fascinating winter for the Phillies. There are decisions to be made on Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Madson, and Roy Oswalt. Raul Ibañez and Brad Lidge played a combined seven seasons with the Phillies but could be elsewhere in 2012. Cole Hamels is due a long-term extension.
The Phillies have $107 million invested in nine players for 2012. That makes a large-scale retooling of the roster difficult. But there will be moves.
Not including Hamels, whom the Phils will likely keep, 10 players from the postseason roster — Rollins, Madson, Oswalt, Ibañez, Lidge, Brian Schneider, Ross Gload, Kyle Kendrick, Francisco, and Wilson Valdez — are not guaranteed contracts for next season.
YOUNG TO MISS ALCS
Delmon Young’s bat will be silent during the AL Championship Series.
If the Detroit Tigers can get to the World Series without him, they might get back the slugger who hit three homers in the ALDS.
Young is out of the ALCS against the Texas Rangers because of an oblique injury.
He reaggravated an earlier ailment against the New York Yankees and the Tigers left him off their roster for the best-of-seven series that began Saturday night.
Manager Jim Leyland said that even though an MRI “doesn’t show anything real significant,” the Tigers were taking no chances with Young.
“I learned a long time ago when the word oblique is mentioned, I get nervous. ... I’ve never seen an oblique all right in a day or two. It’s never happened as long as I’ve been managing,” Leyland said. “This way, not having him on the roster at the beginning of this series, if he would be ready and if we were fortunate to move on, he could be activated for the World Series.”
