Key Tigers prospect Scott Sizemore fractures ankle bone
Lynn Henning / The Detroit News
Scott Sizemore, who has been tabbed as the Tigers' next starting second baseman, fractured a bone in his left ankle during a game Thursday in the Arizona Fall League.
Sizemore will miss the remainder of the AFL schedule but should be fully recovered well ahead of spring training, said Dave Dombrowski, Tigers president and general manager.
Sizemore, 24, suffered the fracture when he planted his left leg on a double-play ball during a game between the Peoria Javelinas, for whom he plays, and the Peoria Desert Dogs. He was rocked by the baserunner's hard slide and suffered a non-displaced fracture, which would be considered the best of some bad news for Sizemore and the Tigers.
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A non-displaced fracture means the bone has cracked but remains in alignment. The Tigers believe he will recover in six weeks and be able to resume offseason training.
"It's a setback in that he won't be playing in the Arizona Fall League, which has another month to go, but the recovery should only take about six weeks," Dombrowski said. "He'll probably be in a walking cast. He'll be fine in a very short time."
Sizemore is expected to become the Tigers' starting second baseman next season if Placido Polanco, who is eligible for free agency next month, decides to sign elsewhere. Dombrowski said Saturday that Sizemore's injury would have no bearing on contract discussions between the Tigers and Polanco.
Sizemore was off to a terrific start in Arizona, which is a showcase league for big league teams' best young talent. He had three home runs, two doubles and nine RBIs in his first five games. He was batting .368.
Sizemore had a fine 2009 season at the Tigers' top two minor league stops. He batted .307 in 59 games at Double-A Erie before moving at midseason to Triple-A Toledo, where he hit .308. He had nine home runs at Erie, eight at Toledo. He struck out 95 times in 599 plate appearances.
Dombrowski said Sizemore, a fifth-round draft pick in 2006, will travel to Detroit on Monday to be evaluated by the team's local medical staff.
"He was playing very well, offensively and defensively, and feeling really good," Dombrowski said of Sizemore's Arizona debut. "But these things happen. You wish it wouldn't have happened. You'd rather have another month (in Arizona) under his belt. But he'll be fine."
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