Injuries have started to ravage the Detroit Tigers' lineup, but thankfully it appears that part-time catcher Gerald Laird will be able to avoid a trip to the 15-day disabled list after injuring his hamstring in Friday's game.
The 32-year-old catcher mentioned that he felt his right hamstring tighten on the step immediately before he unexpectedly dove into first base on a tight play at the bag against the Yankees in a pivotal series opener. With regular catcher Alex Avila already dealing with a hamstring injury of his own, Laird's situation came at the worst conceivable time for a Tigers organization that is ridiculously thin at the position.
Emergency call-up Omir Santos will remain in the lineup until one of Detroit's two catchers is ready to get back behind the plate, even if Laird appears fully confident that he'll be back in time for the next series. "I know my body," Laird said before Saturday's game. "I honestly don’t think it’s going to be very long."
Assuming everything goes to plan and he is able to avoid a trip to the disabled list, Laird figures to see a good deal of playing time in the near future with Avila banged up. With both guys unlikely to be playing at full health for a while, a straight platoon behind the plate might end up being the best situation for both players.
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