Apparently, Boof Bonser’s shoulder pain is worse than originally thought.
MLB.com reports that Boof has a torn labrum and rotator cuff and will miss the remainder of the 2009 season. Boof was to be a contender for the Twins 8th inning setup man role along with Jesse Crain and Luis Ayala.
This opens the door for Phil Humber to make the 25 man roster if Minnesota opts to go with 12 pitchers on the team. Ron Gardenhire already stated that he feels comfortable going with an 11 man staff, but after last season’s high inning counts among relievers, we may see a change of heart. Much of this will be determined by Brian Buscher’s performance (after going 2-2 last night in the Spring Training opener) as Gardenhire will have to decide about leaving another bat on the bench or adding a pitcher to the pen.
The 2008 campaign for Boof Bonser was an up and down ride. However, Boof was in the midst of refinding his form near the end of last season. Boof boasted a K/IN ratio of over 9 as a reliever, something that almost no other Twin could say. Boof’s injury will hurt, but it should open the door for Phil Humber, Jose Mijares, or R.A. Dickey to prove their worth at the MLB level.
The Twins also have ended talks with free agent reliever Juan Cruz. Don’t expect Boof Bonser’s injury to restart those discussions.
Boston
In other news, Boof Bonser opted to undergo surgery next week on his ailing shoulder. Expect him to be placed on the 60 day disabled list shortly. This means that the Twins may make a harder push for Juan Cruz, or that Phil Humber’s odds of making the opening day squad drastically increased over the last 48 hours.
