Written by R.J. Anderson CBSSports.com
Prince Fielder’s rough season just got worse.
Less than a week after being placed on the disabled list with a herniated disc, Fielder is expected to undergo neck surgery in the coming days that would end his season.
This would be the second time in three seasons Fielder has had his campaign end prematurely due to a neck operation. Back in 2014, he required fusion surgery to deal with a different herniated disc.
Presuming Fielder does miss the rest of the season, he’ll end 2016 with a career-worst .626 OPS.
Here are four things you need to know about Fielder’s injury.
1. Texas’ playoff hopes largely unaffected
It doesn’t speak well of us as a society that our collective concern often turns to the team whenever a player suffers an injury. That awful reality acknowledged, Rangers fans can take comfort in knowing Texas remains a good bet to crack the postseason. The Rangers entered the week with a 51 percent shot at the postseason, per SportsLine, and a 73 percent shot according to Baseball Prospectus. Wherever Texas’ “real” chances land, Fielder’s poor play was only dragging down their efforts. As such, in a super perverse way, Fielder’s injury could help the Rangers make the playoffs. Icky, but it’s the truth.
2. Rangers still have a ton of options
With the trade deadline a week away, the natural inclination is that the Rangers will go shopping for a new bat. Jon Daniels might take that path, but he doesn’t have to settle for a straight-up replacement — in part because he has numerous potential solutions to consider. Here lately, the Rangers have alternated between using Jurickson Profar at DH and giving one of their regulars a day off from the field. In theory, Texas could continue doing that … or it could promote Joey Gallo and his elite raw strength … or it could trade for an upgrade elsewhere that pushes the incumbent starter to DH … or it could do some combination thereof. Basically, Daniels is dealing with a loaded farm and few restrictions on what he needs in a potential target. That’s a great place to be, relatively speaking.
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