Could Carlos Guillen Miss the Rest of the Season?

by Ian Casselberry on Jun 16, 2009 1:25 PM EDT in News Comment 18 comments

Carlos Guillen could soon join Jeremy Bonderman in the "My Shoulder Injury Might Keep Me Out For the Rest of the Season" club. According to FOXSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi (whom you might remember from such gigs as Tigers beat writer for the Detroit Free Press), if Guillen's shoulder doesn't begin to show improvement within the next month or so, his agent says surgery could be the most likely option.

Guillen's agent told Morosi that they're trying to determine a "drop-dead" date in July, and if the shoulder hasn't recovered by then, Guillen will shut down his 2009 season and try to give himself the best chance to get ready for 2010. A July decision would also give the Tigers time before the trade deadling to try and find a suitable replacement for Guillen in the outfield or at designated hitter.

Morosi also gives us an idea as to what's actually going on in Guillen's right shoulder:

Guillen has consulted with three surgeons and been diagnosed with stretched ligaments, some rotator cuff fraying and a bone bruise. He is currently rehabilitating with a trainer in Miami.

Much like Bonderman, who went from "on the 15-day disabled list," to "shut down for a week," to "possibly out for the season" in a matter of days, Guillen's injury has seemingly deteriorated fast. 10 days ago, we were told that Guillen didn't need surgery and the Tigers would pursue "more aggressive" rehab, but apparently that's not yielding any positive results. At least not fast enough for anyone's liking.

But this has seemed like an inevitability since Guillen went on the disabled list back in early May. From all accounts, he hasn't been able to throw a baseball or swing a bat during his recovery. That's hardly encouraging.

If Guillen ends up not playing another game this season, his final numbers will be a .200/.267/.244 average, with no home runs and six RBIs in 101 plate appearances. (And, as Morosi points out at the end of his article, two years and $26 million remain on Guillen's contract.)

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They're starting to drop like flies

We need new, young talent

by Tagne13 on Jun 16, 2009 1:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Is it just me

or does the whole Guillen saga seem a little bit fishy? They go from no structural damage to needing surgery. Hmmmmm

He couldn’t have been too happy being the one displaced coming into this season, and then not hitting worth a darn on top of it. I hope he can get straightened out and make a great comeback. I don’t believe that will happen though

ballgirl13

by ballgirl13 on Jun 16, 2009 1:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

different doctors’ opinions, the aggressive rehab causing a strain due to something the first set didn’t see, or didn’t anticipate, I can see how the diagnosis and outcomes might shift without reaching for an answer….

unfortunately, I agree with your bottom line, and think ruefully back to something I recall scribbling back in April, where I thought that most teams would love to have a 1-5 lineup of Granderson/Polanco/Guillen/Cabrera/Ordonez

by ahtrap on Jun 16, 2009 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thats What We....

…All We Hoping For I Think.

by BennieBladesFan on Jun 16, 2009 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm starting to think

the Tigers need to steal Arnie Kander from the Pistons or something …

Mack Avenue Tigers

by MackAveKurt on Jun 16, 2009 1:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

maybe he can get the minus ions flowing and fix the Tigers right up….

by ahtrap on Jun 16, 2009 2:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This Is Horrible News....

….we Need His Bat Big Time!!!!

by BennieBladesFan on Jun 16, 2009 2:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Get th surgery in July

Maybe he’ll be back to normal by ST of 2010. He useless to us the way he is now.

"It's designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything is new again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops, and leaves you to face the fall alone". A. Bartlett Giamatti

by densogirl on Jun 16, 2009 2:22 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

wow...

Tigers are screwed with a bunch of contracts right now.

by madpoopz on Jun 16, 2009 2:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Positive spin:

Guillen didn’t have a position other than DH. He couldn’t play left. This means Thames should get more playing time, barring more Leyland lineup insanity. Also, it might force Dombrowski to acquire a bat — there can’t be any “Well, we’re getting Carlos back at some point” mentality.

by StringTheory on Jun 16, 2009 4:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

A 180

The offense was supposed to be pretty good for this season and the pitching suspect. While the pitching has been great to awful the offense has been about as potent as those “natural male enhancement” pills advertised late at night.

I’m not sure who or what is going to be moved to try and re-ignite this offense.

by 13194013 on Jun 16, 2009 6:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

At what point

Does Dombrowski start catching flak? Yeah, I know, right, he brought Cabrera in, gotcha. But I think I would argue at this point that the way he has hamstrung the payroll and blown out the minor league system is leaning against him. We all know the list: Willis, Robertson, Sheffield, Guillen…and I know that hindsight is 20-20 and they seemed like decent signings at the time. At what point, however, does “at the time” mean jack diddly?

Other teams have gambled on contracts and won. We seem to be almost incapable of such a thing.

by SkylineSeats on Jun 16, 2009 6:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

What this guy said.

by Tagne13 on Jun 16, 2009 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

other than the Jurrjens deal

are there really a lot of the minor leaguers you really want back?

I think it’s also unfair to dump too much on Dombrowski when we don’t know what deals he made because of Ilitch.

Mack Avenue Tigers

by MackAveKurt on Jun 16, 2009 6:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

Ilitch is one of those owners that likes the big name, so DD may have been pressured into some of those deals. Not usre if it’s true, but it’s very possible.

I’m ok with no Guillen the rest of this year. His bat isn’t going to help this lineup and his defense wouldn’t help either. Stick with the young guys with some speed in the OF and get Thames more AB’s. Please stop the wacky lineups Jim.

ABC baby, always be closing.

by ALWAYSBCLOSING on Jun 16, 2009 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

AGREE!!!!!

by BennieBladesFan on Jun 16, 2009 7:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’ve been guilty of this myself, but I think it’s ridiculous that we keep pinning everything we don’t like on the shadowy figure of Ilitch. Hell, I claimed, and I think I’ll stand by, the idea that Henning was in Ilitich’s pocket to start suggesting that Maggs should be cut.

But unfortunately, he can’t be our bogeyman forever. He just writes the checks, he doesn’t decide what left-hander has an arm. The Jurrjens deal is a freebee and I don’t count that against Dombrowski; this is more of a negative proof and so I’m not calling for his head exactly. It’s just that it’s hard to look at all these contracts in retrospect and think about the fact that one single person is directly responsible for all of them. Bad luck perhaps, but if it is it’s REALLY bad luck. Now if Ilitch is responsible,then he should man up and take over the GM spot (yeah right, nice toupee Mike… at least DD has the hair)…but if DD is the GM, then the blame falls at his feet. That’s all.

May it be known that this argument is aimed mainly at the “Fire Leyland since August ’06 (WAIT! Except the playoffs!)” crowd…

by SkylineSeats on Jun 16, 2009 8:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

IMHO this is good news for the Tigers

Lets be honest, unless Guillen starts back on roids he isn’t a very good hitter and is an awful defender, he is below replacement level and that isn’t going to change. It would be better for the team and fans that he is out the remainder of his contract. Leyland has already demonstrated with Sheffield, Willis, Mags, Nate he will still run guys out there repeatedly no matter how obvious it is they have no chance to suceed, you know he isn’t afraid to lose a game or go against the odds. So it is everybody’s best interest not to give him the oppourtunity. Another reason I would just cut Mags, Nate and Willis.

by Raz74 on Jun 16, 2009 10:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs