Domonic Brown fractures bone in right hand

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Saturday, March 5, 2011
Posted: 4:39 p.m.Updated: 6:14 p.m.
By Jim SalisburyCSNPhilly.com

CLEARWATER, Fla.The glare of attention on Domonic Brown has shifted from his performance on the field to his health.

The Phillies rookie outfield prospect suffered a broken right hand while fouling off a pitch in Saturdays game against Pittsburgh.

An X-ray showed that Brown fractured the hook of the hamate, a bone at the base of the hand, near the wrist. This injury, not uncommon with hitters, typically requires surgery.

General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Brown would return to Philadelphia for further tests. Brown will likely see hand specialist Randall Culp, who over the years has treated a number of Phillies players.

Hell be seen Monday or Tuesday to make sure the X-ray diagnosis is correct, Amaro said. I would think if he has to have surgery he would need three to six weeks of recovery time.

That three-to-six-week time period usually reflects how long a player is off the field if surgery is performed. It can take longer for a player to regain his normal power at the plate.

The injury ends Browns quest to win a spot in the Phillies outfield this spring. His bid had not gone well. He entered Saturdays game hitless in his first 15 at-bats with nine strikeouts.

Ironically, Browns fortunes appeared to be turning during the at-bat in which he was hurt Saturday. He suffered the break while fouling a ball down the rightfield line. Brown shook his hand, stayed in the batters box, fouled off another pitch, and eventually stroked a pitch up the middle for his first hit of the spring. Brown ran the bases then left the game and the field with an athletic trainer close behind.

He probably got a base hit with a broken bone in his hand, Amaro said with praise in his voice.

Brown left the ballpark for X-rays and was not available for comment.

Hes disappointed, said Amaro, who spoke with Brown. Its part of the game.

Browns injury gives Ben Francisco an even stronger hold on the lead in the competition for the rightfield job. Francisco had two more hits Saturday, including a home run, as he improved his spring batting average to .421 (8 for 19).

Nobody has won the rightfield job but Ben has done very well for us, Amaro said.

It has been said that the only poor health could hold the Phillies back this season. Three weeks into spring training, health is a major issue. Second baseman Chase Utley has not played because of patellar tendinitis in his right knee and now Brown is lost indefinitely.E-mail Jim Salisbury at jsalisbury@comcastsportsnet.com
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