Keppinger Fractures Patella

[HalMorrisRules]

From what I have seen even if surgery isn't required, the knee will need to be immobilized 4-6 weeks before rehab can begin. If surgery is required, I doubt Keppinger is back this season. Seems that surgery would mean it would be 4-6 weeks before weight can even be placed on the knee. Absolutely horrible news.

[HeatherC1212]

Boy I hope that MRI doesn't show the worst case scenerio tomorrow. Poor Kepp. :(

[Kingspoint]

Thanks, Kep for all you've given us so far.

Tough break.

[sjjones]

Is now the time to finally see if Brandon Phillips can handle shortstop?

[Kingspoint]

When's Gonzo due back?

[CarolinaRedleg]

What are the choices now?

Gonzo's still a while away.

BP hasn't played SS in a while.

Hairston can play there, so can Freel.

Call up Janish?

Going to be hard to replace Kepp's consistency at the plate.

[NarrowStairs]

This really sucks. Our best position player is out for at the very least 8 weeks.

Get well soon, Kepp.

[HeatherC1212]

Maybe this is the kind of thing that has to happen to get the other bats in this lineup to wake up and stay awake. I'm sure that entire team is more than aware of what Kepp brings to their lineup and I would hope they're all ready thinking about ways to not let this get them down. :eek:

Paul Janish wasn't bad in spring training from what I remember. I bet he's on his way to Cincy tonight.

[Kingspoint]

Have the best defender play.

There isn't any mediocre defender who's bat is worth putting in the lineup instead of the best defender.

As a team, they're out of their hitting slump, so they can afford the best defender to play shortstop.

[OesterPoster]

That really stinks. Plus, it's a double-edged stink for me, as Kep is my fantasy shortstop.

[AccordinglyReds]

Bad break for Keppinger and terrible news for the team. :(

[NarrowStairs]

Have the best defender play.

There isn't any mediocre defender who's bat is worth putting in the lineup instead of the best defender.

As a team, they're out of their hitting slump, so they can afford the best defender to play shortstop.

The best SS on this team WITHOUT Kepp and Gonzo, is Brandon Phillips. But, you don't want to move him to SS.

Jerry Hairston is not a good SS. He's only had NINE games there in his CAREER.

Thus, you have to dip into the farm system. Janish is hitting nearly .300 and is a better defensive SS than anyone in the Reds organization.

Time to get him up here.

[Kingspoint]

Infielder (2B, SS, 3B)
Ps Age Levels Played G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS SB CS E Positions
+------------------------+--+----+---------------+---+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+-----+---+--+--+---------+
Keppinger, Jeff SS 28 MAJ 38 147 17 47 7 1 3 20 11 8 .320 .365 .442 .807 2 0 3 SS-37, 1B-2
Encarnacion, Edwin 3B 25 MAJ 38 138 22 36 9 0 8 18 19 20 .261 .350 .500 .850 1 0 11 3B-38
Phillips, Brandon 2B 27 MAJ 37 145 22 42 10 2 7 18 10 27 .290 .333 .531 .864 6 2 4 2B-36
Green, Andy 2B 30 AAA 34 134 22 32 7 1 0 4 13 21 .239 .315 .306 .621 2 2 4 2B-33, LF-1
Janish, Paul SS 25 AAA 34 121 19 35 4 1 4 18 8 18 .289 .336 .438 .774 2 0 3 SS-33, 2B-1
Rosales, Adam 3B 25 AAA 34 112 11 26 4 2 1 13 7 26 .232 .296 .330 .626 2 0 6 3B-26, 2B-4, 1B-2, DH-1, SS-1
Bolivar, Luis 2B 27 AA,AAA 34 116 20 32 6 0 3 10 11 21 .276 .344 .405 .749 5 3 4 2B-12, SS-7, 3B-7, LF-3, 1B-3, RF-2, DH-1
Griffin, Michael 3B 24 AA 37 139 16 38 11 2 1 9 9 15 .273 .336 .403 .739 7 2 5 3B-27, 2B-4, DH-2, RF-1, LF-1
Anderson, D. M. 2B 25 AA 34 99 18 20 5 0 4 15 16 15 .202 .313 .374 .687 1 0 2 2B-25, DH-3, LF-1
Eymann, Eric SS 24 AA 28 79 6 17 5 0 0 5 4 15 .215 .253 .278 .531 2 0 5 SS-16, 3B-5, 1B-4, 2B-1
Castro, Jose SS 21 AA,H-A 27 80 7 20 4 1 0 8 5 4 .250 .310 .325 .635 0 1 5 SS-26
Valaika, Chris SS 22 H-A,AA 37 155 24 53 10 0 8 33 8 31 .342 .377 .561 .938 3 0 4 SS-33, DH-4

[goreds2]

He's the type of player you root for. We all hope he heals soon.

[Kingspoint]

When people were worrying about what we were going to do with Gonzo when he comes back, many understood that these things tend to take care of themselves.

I wish it hadn't been in this way, as it was the worst possible scenario.

[Stephenk29]

Just when you thought it couldn't get anyworse. That marks 3 shortstops on my fantasy team that have gone on the DL recently. Furcal, Tulowitzki, Kepp.

[Red in Atl]

Do we know this for fact that he fractured the patella?

[muethibp]

Do we know this for fact that he fractured the patella?

yes

[Kingspoint]

Just when you thought it couldn't get anyworse. That marks 3 shortstops on my fantasy team that have gone on the DL recently. Furcal, Tulowitzki, Kepp.

Get rid of all of your REDS' players, please.

[HeatherC1212]

Do we know this for fact that he fractured the patella?

They said it during the game earlier and they just confirmed that Janish was taken out of the game in Louisville tonight. I bet he's on his way to Cincy as we speak. I hope he takes advantage of the opportunity and plays well both for himself and the Reds.

[muethibp]

It's at least possible he was removed from the game to avoid a freak injury and then the front office will assess things later. It's no guarantee that Janish is coming up.

[Ghosts of 1990]

It should be bruce not janish.

[Kingspoint]

Kepp was hitting .425 with RISP and leading the team in RBI's with 21.

[HeatherC1212]

It should be bruce not janish.

They need a shortstop right now and Bruce plays outfield, not SS. What is so hard to understand about this situation!?

[jmac]

It should be bruce not janish.

Personally I say Bruce & Janish.
Now is the perfect time to insert Bruce with Janish going to ss.
Maybe Bruce's bat would help compensate the Kepp loss and Janish I am sure will pick it at the ss position.
The blocking part is CPatt has had a good 2 games.
I am sure Jocketty knows his hitting will not continue like that (CPatt I am referring to ).

[jmac]

Forgot to add this:
Get well soon Kepp !!

[captainmorgan07]

Im guessing janish comes up and splits time with hairston jr. Janish provides more of the defense than hairston but hairston has a mucn better bat.

[George Foster]

The best SS on this team WITHOUT Kepp and Gonzo, is Brandon Phillips. But, you don't want to move him to SS.

Jerry Hairston is not a good SS. He's only had NINE games there in his CAREER.

Thus, you have to dip into the farm system. Janish is hitting nearly .300 and is a better defensive SS than anyone in the Reds organization.

Time to get him up here.

Hairston said after the game he came up in the minors as a SS, he said he felt very comfortable at SS....we will see. No way you move Phillips.

[757690]

Saw Janish in spring training the last two years. He is major league ready defensively and is a very smart, fundamentally sound all around player. He actually is a very similar player to Keppinger, except much better defensively. He is spray hitter with little or no power, but he makes a lot of contact. He will be fine until either AGon or Keppinger gets

[Kingspoint]

Hairston made 11 errors in 34 games at SS during his Minor League career.

(2 errors in 4 games this year for an .881 Fld%!)

(1 error in 3 games in 2007, and then you have to go back to 1999 when he played SS)

He's only an emergency SS like Hatteberg is an emergency Catcher.

I'll pass.

[Red in Atl]

Damn I'm so bummed. Live in Atlanta, and when I went to the games, nobody knew Kepp played for Georgia and won a National Championship. These folks here don't know __it about baseball.

[lo ryder]

I think this will be a bigger loss to this team than most people realize. Keppinger was a sparkplug, which this team sorely lacks now that he is gone. Yes, I know Freel is still here, but Kepp produced in the clutch.

Just when things start to look a little brighter the lights are begin to dim.

[Kingspoint]

Kepp never slumped.

That's huge.

[Red in Atl]

Keppinger was a sparkplug

Many days he was a frakin* crash cart!

*Love me some Battlestar Galactica

[Ghosts of 1990]

They need a shortstop right now and Bruce plays outfield, not SS. What is so hard to understand about this situation!?

you're the one not understanding aparently.

Hairston/Freel at SS, moreso Hairston. Hairston no longer the 5th OF. Bruce should be the 5th OF. Not a career minor leaguer.

[_Sir_Charles_]

It doesn't matter. Marty already announced it during the postgame. Janish has already been informed he's coming up.

[jmac]

you're the one not understanding aparently.

Hairston/Freel at SS, moreso Hairston. Hairston no longer the 5th OF. Bruce should be the 5th OF. Not a career minor leaguer.

They do not plan on Freel at fulltime ss and Hairston has minimal time there so Janish is the logical choice.
Bruce's bat would offset Janish and he isnt the "5th" best OF on this team.
Even though he has never swung a bat in bigs before, I feel pretty safe in saying that !

[757690]

you're the one not understanding aparently.

Hairston/Freel at SS, moreso Hairston. Hairston no longer the 5th OF. Bruce should be the 5th OF. Not a career minor leaguer.

Anyone who wants Freel to play more than a few emergency innings at SS is always the one not understanding.

Freel is a bad fielder, and an even worse infielder, and NOT A SS. Hairston has played 9 games in the majors at SS. Not a viable option either.

Also, I only want Bruce up here if he is starting everyday. A total waste if he is the 5th outfielder. I do agree that he should be here now playing everyday, but that is another argument.

[HeatherC1212]

ITA, I don't want Bruce here unless he's playing everyday. He's too good to sit on a bench. Hairston is a good backup SS for us but I would rather have someone playing that position who has a lot of experience there. Jerry said in the post game interview that he came up as a SS but he hasn't played that position a lot in the major leagues recently. I'm sure he'd be fine in a pinch but Janish looked fine at SS in spring so if he's coming up, that's fine with me.

[Kingspoint]

ITA, I don't want Bruce here unless he's playing everyday. He's too good to sit on a bench. Hairston is a good backup SS for us but I would rather have someone playing that position who has a lot of experience there. Jerry said in the post game interview that he came up as a SS but he hasn't played that position a lot in the major leagues recently. I'm sure he'd be fine in a pinch but Janish looked fine at SS in spring so if he's coming up, that's fine with me.

Jerry may have said that he came up as a shortstop, but it's not true.

He only has played 34 games in his 10-year career at SS in the minors. He stopped playing it completely after 1999 before he played 3 games there last year (1 error) and 4 games there this year (2 errors). He's not a SS. He's had 11 errors in only 34 games there. That's absolutely atrocious!

Sorry, Heather, but I just wanted to try to stop Jerry Hairston, Jr. from spreading false rumors about himself. I wasn't trying to be rude.

[HeatherC1212]

Jerry may have said that he came up as a shortstop, but it's not true.

He only has played 34 games in his 10-year career at SS in the minors. He stopped playing it completely after 1999 before he played 3 games there last year (1 error) and 4 games there this year (2 errors). He's not a SS. He's had 11 errors in only 34 games there. That's absolutely atrocious!

Sorry, Heather, but I just wanted to try to stop Jerry Hairston, Jr. from spreading false rumors about himself. I wasn't trying to be rude.

Oh it's no problem. :) I just posted what he said tonight and honestly, I remember him more as a second baseman myself. I remember when he and Brian Roberts were battling it out to be the starting 2B for the O's. He would probably do all right playing SS behind someone like Volquez who gets a lot of K's or pop flies but I wouldn't want him behind Bronson or a pitcher who gets more ground balls. I'd rather have Jerry spelling Brandon or Dunn/Griffey than starting at SS every day. Jerry may have been referring to college when he said he came up as a SS. He may have started out at SS but he hasn't played there for a while. Brian Roberts also started out as a SS growing up but obviously he's not playing (nor will he be playing) SS instead of 2B for the Orioles. :thumbup:

[ChatterRed]

Wow. My favorite Reds player may be out for the season. Why is he my favorite Reds player? He brings it every night and plays offense and defense to the best of his ability, which is pretty darn good. I question alot of guys on the team, but not Keppinger.

Huge loss. And I'm not sure many on this message board realize the loss that has just happened.

Feel good story of last year and this year just turned bad.

Get well soon. Love you Kepp. You are an unsung hero. But I appreciate you.

[bounty37h]

Is now the time to finally see if Brandon Phillips can handle shortstop?

Why would you want to move him at this point, he's the most reliable defensive infielder we have, dont mess with that for a bandaid at another position.

[goreds2]

Dr Kremchek is going to be on 700WLW / XM173 in a few minutes.

[goreds2]

Dr Kremchek said, at the moment, he is not allowed to say how long KEP will be out.

He did say KEP is in a brace.

EDIT: Before the Kremchek interview, SEG talked to Brandon Phillips and he said it would be a dream come true to go back to shortstop. I am not sure if he was kidding or not. I would guess not.

[Red Rover]

Per Fay's blog

"The MRI on Jeff Keppinger came out as expected. He'll be out 4 to 6 weeks. "That's an esimate," Dusty Baker said."

As he inserts Patterson and Hairston (1&2) in the lineup. :thumbdown

[HeatherC1212]

Let them both play while they're hitting but daggone it, put them on the bench if they're not. Corey and Jerry have actually hit decently this week so I don't mind seeing them again tonight. :eek:

[goreds2]

Let them both play while they're hitting but daggone it, put them on the bench if they're not. Corey and Jerry have actually hit decently this week so I don't mind seeing them again tonight. :eek:

Are you currently tailgating for tonights game? :all_cohol

I see your point, somewhat. :p:

[Slyder]

Outside of about 3 games Patterson has been worthless batting. If Baker refuses to bat him anywhere but leadoff dump the bum I dont care how good the D is. He cancels out anything he does with the glove with his A ball level hitting.

Patterson shouldnt start but once a week but everyone realizes this except for the "great" Duhsty Baker.