I
feel terrible for AJ Burnett, who is going to miss the next 2-3 months following
surgery to repair a broken orbital bone.
It’s
a real shame that such a freak injury happened right when things were finally
starting to look up for the embattled right-hander. After three inconsistent
years, Burnett was finally free of the expectations and pressure of playing in
New York following his trade from the New York Yankees to the Pittsburgh
Pirates. I was rooting for him to do well in his new baseball home, which could
still happen after he returns from his injury (thankfully having nothing to do
with his rather durable right arm). But it has to be deflating to be sidelined
so quickly after joining a new team.
I
do not, however, want to see Burnett’s injury being used as an excuse to expand
the designated hitter to the National League. I am in favor of American League
teams using the DH in NL parks during interleague games only to
avoid injuries such as the one that ruined Chien-Ming
Wang’s career with the Yankees. But eventually I want to see the DH job phased out completely, after
giving the AL teams some time to teach their pitchers proper hitting
techniques, including, apparently, bunting.
Wang,
viewed as a potential ace with the Yankees for a time, has yet to completely
recover from that devastating injury. I wish a better fate for Burnett.
Get
well soon, AJ.
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