AL home run leader Quentin breaks wrist

[September 06, 2008]  CHICAGO (AP) -- American League home run leader Carlos Quentin has a broken right wrist stemming from his own temper, and the Chicago White Sox left fielder will have surgery Monday that could sideline him for the rest of the season.

Quentin was injured Monday night in Cleveland. After fouling off a pitch while batting against Cliff Lee, Quentin hit his right hand on the bat as he was holding it with his left.

"What did happen was kind of unfortunate. It's kind of something that, you know, I still have trouble believing that it happened that way," Quentin said Friday.

"My last at-bat, the second pitch I fouled off against Lee. Something I've done thousands of times since I was a kid - a little frustrated. I had the bat in my left hand, and I just kind of hit down on the bat head with my right hand with a closed fist. I kind of hit a little bit low, nicked my wrist and finished the at-bat.

"Forty minutes later, I started feeling something in my wrist. I woke up the next morning and that was that. Something I've done a lot, and unfortunately it hit the bone perfectly. Not a good spot."

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen also said he doesn't expect third baseman Joe Crede to play again this season because of a bad back.

But the big news involved Quentin, who was removed from the lineup before Tuesday's game and sat out Wednesday. During the surgery, a screw will be inserted into the wrist, and he will be re-evaluated in two to three weeks. Quentin is batting .288 with 36 homers and a team-high 100 RBIs.

"The last two days we've gone over every scenario possible, every option possible. We've explored everything that would allow me to get on the field as fast as possible," Quentin said. "We're going with this option because it gives me a chance to get back on the field."

Quentin said he was also assured this approach would not have any long-range consequences for his wrist.

"It's unfortunate the way it happened. Players have to learn from that. Every time you get frustrated at the plate and all of the sudden you use you hands or your body, you're not going to win that one," Guillen said.

"You're always going to get hurt. And you're just not hurting yourself; you're hurting the ballclub. Right now, we just have to move on. We played two ballgames without him; we won one. I think we still have a strong lineup in the middle, and somebody has to pick it up."

Quentin came to the White Sox in an offseason trade with Arizona after an injury-filled 2007 season. He had shoulder surgery last October and after the December trade had to fight for a spot in spring training.

But unexpectedly, he blossomed into the team's surprising star, and Chicago has been on top in the AL Central for 127 days this season. Quentin also was picked for AL All-Star team.

Swinging the team's most consistent bat, Quentin was moved into the No. 3 spot in the batting order. The White Sox are 57-36 with him batting third.

"If not for him, we're probably five-to-10 games out. That's about the only thing I could say that sums it up," White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko said. "We have enough to win this division and get in the playoffs. It definitely would be a lot easier with him."

Nick Swisher moved to left field Friday night and Jermaine Dye remained in the No. 3 spot in the batting order. But Quentin's timely hitting and power will be missed

"You're talking about a guy who legitimately has a very good chance to win the MVP. When you take him out of the lineup, it kinds of changes everything up," designated hitter Jim Thome said. "It's very tough. We all probably get down about it, but you have to move on."

Quentin missed two games after he was hit on the left forearm by Boston's Josh Beckett on Aug. 11. When Quentin returned Aug. 14 and was plunked by Kansas City's Kyle Davies, Quentin became the first player hit by a pitch in six straight games since at least 1920, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Quentin has been hit 20 times in all this year, the most in the American League.

And this injury was self-inflicted.

"When I first found out, I was very disappointed and very upset about how it did happen," Quentin said. "It's a freak thing that happened."

Chicago said Quentin will be operated on by hand and wrist specialists, Dr. Mark Cohen and Dr. John Fernandez along with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Charles Bush-Joseph of Midwest Orthopedics at Rush University.

And Quentin isn't the only injury concern for the White Sox. Crede, who had back surgery last year, had tightness in his back and left Tuesday's game. Guillen said Crede 4-for-23 after coming off the disabled list last month, will go for a second opinion.

"Joe is not going to be with us and I don't expect him back in the season," Guillen said. "He was playing with a lot of pain. ... We could see the way he was moving. He couldn't take it anymore."

The White Sox also activated outfielder DeWayne Wise from the 15-day disabled list. Wise has been on the DL since Aug. 25 with a strained left adductor muscle. Wise has batted .288 with two homers and seven RBIs for the White Sox in 35 games.

[Associated Press; By RICK GANO]

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