Matt Kemp, the struggling superstar center fielder of the Los Angeles Dodgers, has injured his hamstring for the second time in two seasons, and pending an MRI today, could be headed for a stint on the disabled list.
Kemp left last night's 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, after hurting his hamstring running down a Mike Trout double in the seventh inning. Kemp called for assistance from Dodgers trainers before walking off the field in pain.
Kemp is no stranger to injury problems. Last season he missed 51 games with a hamstring strain and had shoulder surgery in October. Some have attributed his poor numbers this season (.251, 2 HR, 17 RBI) to his offseason operation.
After the game, Kemp told reporters he was unsure of the severity of his most recent injury, but he did note it didn't feel as bad as last year. Kemp clearly will proceed with caution though, saying, "When you feel it grabbing and things like that, you've got to take it easy and make sure you're careful with it, because it can get worse."
The Dodgers, who are in last place in the National League West, can ill afford an injury to another star player, no matter how poorly he was performing. Manager Don Mattingly did not exude optimism when asked about Kemp's hammy and a possible trip to the disabled list.
"I guess I shouldn't say it, but any time you hear the dreaded 'hamstring' word, usually it lasts a little bit," Mattingly said. "But they said it was mild. Hopefully, Matt caught himself before he got it good. We'll see."
A possible replacement for Kemp if he requires a DL stay is highly-touted Cuban prospect Yasiel Puig, who is mashing in Double A. Puig is batting .309 with eight home runs, 39 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 38 games.
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