Lance Berkman, the oft-injured slugger for the Texas Rangers is unsurprisingly hurt again, this time after taking a spill on the Rangers' team plane, according to reports.
Berkman fell on the plane, doing some damage to his right knee. When asked if it was a freak accident, Berkman jokingly told reporters "No, premeditated." The severity of the injury is unknown, but the Rangers don't believe they will be placing Berkman on the disabled list. He described soreness in the knee saying, "It doesn't tolerate trauma that well. It hurts."
Injuries have been a constant for Berkman throughout his career; last year a bad calf limited him to just 32 games. His career appeared on the downslope long ago, but a resurgent 2011 in which he batted .301 with 31 home runs and 94 RBI, reminded the baseball world of what he's capable of when his body cooperates.
In his prime as a Houston Astro, Berkman was a lock for 25 or more home runs, close to 100 RBI and a batting average in the high-.200s to mid-.300s. He is far removed from that prime though; this year when he has been on the field his effectiveness hasn't. His average is down to .263, and his power has not show up (six home runs, .754 OPS).
The Rangers were expecting the six-time All-Star to provide pop in the wake of Josh Hamilton's departure to the American League West rival Los Angeles Angels, but instead it has been Nelson Cruz, another injury-prone bopper, who has replaced Hamilton's production.
Cruz, an All-Star in 2009, has played in 79 games, tallying 20 home runs, 61 RBI, a respectable .271 batting average and an .858 OPS. He has also rapped 15 doubles for the Rangers and scored 32 runs, while they have fared much better than Hamilton's new mates in LA.
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