Slated to be the Milwaukee Brewers opening day first baseman, Mat Gamel is out for the season after tearing his ACL for the second time in less than one year.
The Brewers other first baseman, Corey Hart, is slated to miss three to four months after right knee surgery in late January.
For Mat Gamel, Hart’s injury was going to allow the 27-year-old bench player a chance to prove he should be an everyday starter. In 106 career games over five season’s, Gamel has batted .229 and hit six home runs.
According to CBS Sports , Mat Gamel aggravated his original ACL tear during a recent batting practice. Brewer’s manager Ron Roenicke sounded surprised after an MRI Sunday revealed the new tear:
“I figured, okay, he tweaks it. Coming back after a rehab you figure it is not always going to go smooth. I figured a couple of days and he’d be back on the field.”
With Mat Gamel out for the season with his second ACL tear and Corey Hart out three to four months, the Brewers have little to no depth at first base going into the 2013 season. ESPN reports that candidates will come from inside the organization. Possibilities include Alex Gonzalez, Bobby Crosby, Hunter Morris, Sean Halton, and Taylor Green.
First base is not the only question mark for the Brewers before opening day though. The team doesn’t know what will happen with Ryan Braun after the former MVP got caught in a second steroid scandal. Management may be wishing they never let super star Prince Fielder go to the Tigers in free agency before last season.
Fielder and the Tigers ended up facing the Giants in the World Series. The Brewers missed the playoffs.
Do you think Mat Gamel’s ACL tear, ending his season, is bad news for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2013?
