The Astros left-hander strained an intercostal muscle on his left side during his outing against the Nationals in Viera, Fla., on Friday
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Tejada changes his mind, will play in the WBC. New plan at short
Tejada spoke with Dominican Republic manager Felipe Alou, who guaranteed Tejada would play shortstop and third base and also possibly serve as the designated hitter.
Link
“We fully support Miguel’s decision to play in the WBC,” Wade said.
Cooper wasn’t as happy,
“My preference would be for him to be here with me, but that’s his decision, his choice,” Cooper said. “Apparently he got convinced to do it and I’m OK with it. The big key for me is him continuing to get work at shortstop.”
“It’s not like we can stop him from doing it,” I’m OK with it, but hopefully he’ll get his work in.” Link
But when Tejada first said he wasn’t going, Cooper was happy about it because,
“I’m sure it’s disappointing to other people that he won’t play, but I’m happy,” Cooper said. “He’ll get a chance to do his regular routine from working on his defense. That’s stuff that he does every day with (bench coach Ed) Romero, his early work. He says he brought it from Oakland way back in the day and he’s always used this routine. He felt like going there and not being able to do his stuff and not being able to play his position, he’d lose that.”
“… I think he might have gotten away from (his routine) a little bit when he was playing with the Orioles. And he got it back last year and he was a very, very good shortstop last year. So I’m tickled that he’s here. We’ll get him on his routine and we’ll go from there.” Link
They’re going to go to Plan B.
Cooper had planned to play Tejada’s every other day in ST and try to find time for Edwin Maysonet, Tommy Manzella, Jason Smith, Matt Kata, Drew Sutton and Geoff Blum.
“I got six guys. I have to find out who can play it. It might not be fair. They might not all get a shake, but I’ll get them the best I can. I’ll try to move them around to get as many as I can to play it and as much as I can. .. Divide it among all those guys.” Link
The shake just got fairer. Which could turn out for the best as Cooper has said he intends to rest Tejada more this season. And the Astros have 2010 to consider as well.
Bourn has to “be that guy”
“He’s got to be the guy to help us jump-start our offense at some point in the season,” Cooper said. “I don’t want to say right out of the chute that he’ll be the guy out front and the guy at the top of the lineup setting the stage or setting the tone. But Michael has to at one point be that guy.” Link
Tejada Out of the WBC
The reason why is interesting,
Breathless News From ST
In today’s intrasquad, Ortiz reports, Catcher Lou Palmisano, the Rule 5 pick the Astros acquired in December, hit a monstrous two-run home run to left off Clay Hensley.
Palmisano is competing with Humberto Quintero and J.R. Towles, who struck out in his first at-bat, for one of the two catching spots up for competition this spring.
Negative MRI further squirrels Astros’ Options at Catcher in the Post Ausmus Era (update)
Catcher Toby Hall’s MRI on his right shoulder revealed “an unstable shoulder and a torn labrum.”