Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Ausmus out until late summer

Tough news for Brad Ausmus today. He'll need to undergo surgery to repair a herniated disk in his lower back on Thursday. That will knock him out of action until at least late summer.

For a guy that just went on the 15-day DL for the first time in his 17-year career, this has already been a challenging season. At 41, he's contemplated retirement the last couple of years, but the Dodgers have convinced him to keep coming back.

At least this isn't for the rest of the season from all indications. But nonetheless, his veteran leadership will be missed during his time off. He's always been a great defensive catcher, but he actually was swinging a good bat too, hitting .295 in 36 games last season.

A.J. Ellis will be the main backup now, and he can finally settle in as a regular member of the big league roster. He'll have to make the most of it when called upon.

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