Polanco to the DL

Another day of baseball, another Phillie to the disabled list. 

The Phillies are kicking off the second half of the season with a bang, as they announce that third baseman Placido Polanco will be heading to the disabled list due to lower back inflammation, according to CSN's Jim Salisbury.

This news comes as little surprise to no one, considering that the last time Polanco saw game action was on July 4th. He sat out the next couple of games, thanks to a nagging back injury. MRIs revealed a bulging disc, which essentially shut him down while he received treatment. He is eligible to return from the DL on July 20th, but it would be a small miracle if he only missed five additional games. 

While DL news is way too common with the Phillies these days, this Polanco news is far from dire, because he may as well have been on the DL since May, anyhow. After a scalding April in which he hit near .400, Polly’s bat has all but disappeared. He’s hit only .216 since then, with all of six extra base hits in his last 57 games.

The key here is to get Polanco healthy, so that he may regain his usually-steady bat come crunch time.

The Phils did receive some good news today -- they have activated closer Ryan Madson from the disabled list, where he spent some time due to a hand injury suffered in May. The right-hander’s presence in the back-end of the ‘pen will make things a bit deeper, as both Michael Stutes and Antonio Bastardo will be moved back to their usual seventh and eighth inning roles. 

To kick off the second half of the season, the Phillies head to Queens for a three game set with the Mets. Vance Worley will take the hill on Friday night, followed by Cole Hamels on Saturday and Kyle Kendrick on Sunday. 

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