Losing Revere is an injury the Phillies couldn't afford

July 14, 2013

By Nick Tricome

UPDATE: Revere will have surgery on Tuesday and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks.

ORIGINAL

Ben Revere didn't get off to the best of starts in April. He hit .200 and had a .234 on-base percentage for the month, causing many fans to speculate or even give up entirely on the idea of having the 25-year old as the Phillies' centerfielder for the long-term future.

But Revere turned things around pretty quickly, batting .347 since May 1 and becoming one the Phillies' most consistent hitters.

So when Revere broke his foot in the last at-bat of the first game in Saturday's doubleheader, it was a big loss for the Phillies.

Driving in runs has been a big inconsistency for the Phillies in 2013. They are currently 11th in the Majors in batting average (.257), but sit at 18th in on-base percentage (.311) and 22nd in runs (367) and RBIs (344).

With a team that struggles to score, having a player like Revere in the leadoff spot helps out so much.

After that bad start in April, Revere is now batting .305 and has a .338 on-base percentage in 315 at-bats across 88 games. He hast hit for a .393 average and on-base percentage in the last seven days alone.

Revere also has 22 stolen bases in 2013, good for seventh in the Majors.

He has been doing what every leadoff man should, by getting on base from the get-go, then finding a way to get into scoring position to give his team a shot at an early lead.

As the only player on the team to be hitting over .300 after 300 at-bats, especially during a key part of the season when the Phillies are trying to prove themselves as postseason contenders, the Phillies really couldn't afford to lose Revere in the lineup.

As unfortunate as it is, however, it did happen.

Revere fouled a ball off his foot in the 11th inning of a 5-4 loss to Chicago in the first of the doubleheader. He did finish the at-bat, but only to ground into a game-ending double play.

The Phillies placed him on the disabled list and have him scheduled for evaluation by a foot specialist on Monday.

It's pretty safe to say that Revere will miss time, even though no official word has been given on how much time he will miss. 

Hopefully the four days off from the All-Star break will work in the Phillies' and Revere's favor in terms of helping recovery time, even though it may not be that much.

The Phillies have one more game against the White Sox on Sunday before the break. They split the doubleheader with them on Saturday-- after 24 innings of baseball-- and are really looking to get a win to hit the .500 mark and finish the homestand strong.

(Image from USA Today)