Jimmy Rollins headed to the DL

In a bit of news that most Phillies fans were expecting, the team announced today that shortstop Jimmy Rollins will be placed on the 15 day disabled list with a calf strain. He's likely to miss two to four weeks, and Juan Castro will take his place in the starting lineup for the time that he's out.

This really is a piece of bad news for the Phils, who have been rolling along at the start of this year, but now have to deal with an injury to their leadoff hitter. Rollins was off to the best start of a season in his career this year, hitting .391 with eight runs scored. For the time being, it looks as if Shane Victorino is going to take the leadoff spot, with Castro moving down to the number eight hole, and Carlos Ruiz batting seventh.

Honestly, it's like I said the other night, though. I'd rather have Rollins miss some time at the start of the year than have him go down with this injury later in the season, or try and play through it and end up like Jose Reyes did last year. If he misses about a month or so, then he misses that time. As long as he ends up healthy when he gets back, that's what matters to me. The Phillies will find a way to get by, the offense is still solid, even with Rollins not in the lineup. Shane Victorino is going to have to step up his game a bit, but I think that a mve to the top of the lineup might be exactly what he needs to get going again. He's going to be the spark plug now for this team, and he's going to have to get himself back into a groove, or else Charlie Manuel is going to have to find someone else to bat leadoff.

In the meantime, Wilson Valdez looks like he's going to be called up to the 25 man roster while Rollins is out. Valdez actually started for the Mets for a bit last year while Jose Reyes was out with a calf injury. Hopefully this time, he doesn't have to start many games, but the rest of the options that the Phillies have at shortstop aren't any better, either. I'm just hoping that Rollins can get back at 100% and not have to worry about reinjuring himself later in the season. When he gets back, everything will be back to normal in the lineup, and his hot start will hopefully carry over. Regardless, I still think Juan Castro is a better option than Eric Bruntlett was two years ago when Rollins got hurt.

Philly.com: Rollins placed on DL