Arizona Diamondbacks left fielder Eric Byrnes will miss four to eight weeks after breaking a bone in his left hand during an at-bat in Thursday night's game against the Texas Rangers. In the second inning, an errant pitch from the Rangers' Scott Feldman plunked Byrnes in the hand. Byrnes stayed in the game for the rest of the inning but was replaced before the D-Backs took the field in the top of the third.
Byrnes, a former fan favorite, was hitting .216 with a pathetic five home runs and 24 RBI this season, a far cry from the numbers he put up during the 2007 season and became the face of the franchise. That year, he hit 21 homers and stole 50 bases as the D-Backs won the National League West and swept the Chicago Cubs in the National League Division Series. After that season, the D-Backs signed Byrnes to a hefty three-year deal.
He is making $11 million in the second year of the deal, but he has done virtually nothing with the bat since 2007. In 2008, in 52 games, he hit. 209 with a lousy six homers and 23 RBI.
Byrnes has heard a lot of boos from the fans because of his lack of production at the plate and some questionable play in the outfield as well.
Byrnes' injury will likely the open the door for rookie Gerardo Parra to play every day. In 35 games, Parra is hitting .266 with three homers and 21 RBI -- and a helluva lot more upside than Byrnes.
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