Roman Quinn is injured... again

No one doubts the talent of Lehigh Valley outfielder Roman Quinn.

His speed is electric. He makes good contact. He generally doesn’t strike out a ton (although that hasn’t been the case in 2017), and he has surprising pop for a 5-10, 170 pound center fielder.

But the dude just cannot stay on the field.

Health is the major concern when it comes to Quinn, and that same issue has reared its ugly head once again.

Going to see Dr. James Andrews about an elbow problem is usually something a pitcher has to worry about, not a position player. But Quinn seems to find new and interesting ways to hurt himself.

He’s been out of the lineup for more than a week after hurting himself sliding head-first into third base. The injury is to his non-throwing elbow, so even if he is out for a length of time, it’s unclear how long it will be.

But one thing is for sure. Quinn cannot stay off the disabled list, it seems.

He had gotten off to a slow start this year, but at the time of his injury had recovered nicely and was batting .274/.344/.389 with eight doubles, three triples, two homers and 10 stolen bases in 14 chances. As Tom Housenick of The Morning Call noted, Quinn had hit .313 in the 20 games prior to getting hurt.

One of the reasons the Phillies signed Michael Saunders in the off-season was because they were concerned about Quinn’s ability to stay healthy. He has never played more than 88 games in a season, failing to make it through a full year in any season since joining the organization in 2011.

He has missed time with strained obliques, a strained quadriceps, an Achilles injury and a fractured wrist. Some of these injuries have been fluky, but it’s clear a pattern has emerged.

When he is in the lineup, he produces, with a career .276/.352/.400 slash line in 401 minor league games. In 15 games with the Phillies last season he hit .263/.373/.333 in 69 PAs, with four doubles and 5 stolen bases in six attempts.

It would seem as if the minor leaguer most poised to take advantage of Quinn’s absence is Nick Williams, who is batting .288/.325/.515 with 11 HRs so far in 2017, and he has been hot of late (.361/.395/.778 with 9 HRs in his last 19 games). Andrew Pullin could earn a call-up from Reading if Quinn is out of the lineup for an extended period as well.

The news on recently demoted starting pitcher Zach Eflin’s elbow was more encouraging.

Eflin was diagnosed with a minor strain of his right flexor tendon and minor inflammation in the nerve. He will be shut down for a few days and will then work his way back into the rotation.

The young right-hander had struggled of late, 0-4 with a 12.32 ERA in his last four starts. Prior to that, he had posted a 2.81 ERA with the Phillies in his first five starts this season.