Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
In a year overflowing with injuries and rehab assignments, the news of Matt Kemp’s most recent setback came Friday afternoon and was first reported by Dodgers reporter, David Vassegh, on Twitter:
Matt Kemp felt tightness in one of his hamstrings and has been shut down “indefinitely”
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) September 6, 2013
Vassegh went on to say that the hamstring in question was the same one he injured back at the end of May. In regards to whether or not he thought Kemp would return before the end of this year, manager Don Mattingly said, “I’m not ready to concede anything, but at some point we run out of time.” At this point, the Los Angeles Dodgers need to say enough is enough and sit their former star outfielder down for the rest of the year.
Kemp has made three official trips to the 15-day Disabled List in 2013 but has a total of 77 missed games due to his hamstring, shoulder and ankle injuries. His play was not awful, but certainly less than outstanding when he was not injured this season.
The Dodgers are playing well, have developed great team chemistry and have three outfielders who are playing at efficient levels. Yasiel Puig is back in the lineup after a couple days off and will look to continue his torrid play. Veteran Carl Crawford has surprised everyone by hitting almost .300 in 2013 and perpetual outfield fixture, Andre Ethier, has been a great defensive rover. Ethier has maintained a respectful .279 batting average and hit 11 home runs while playing 52 games in his natural right field position, 66 games in center and even eight games in left.
With Kemp’s continual bad news and uncertainty clouding the Dodger locker room, the best thing for the ballclub would be to move and hope for a better 2014. The club needs Kemp to sit down and not provide any distractions as the Boys in Blue head into the postseason.
I would love to hear your opinion on what the Dodgers should do with Kemp this year, so please leave a comment below. Thanks for reading!
Isaac Comelli is a Los Angeles Dodgers writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @IsaacComelli, “Like” him on Facebook or follow him on Google.
Related:
Should Los Angeles Dodgers Shut Down Matt Kemp For The Year?
