Phillies Notes: Victorino placed on 15-day disabled list with thumb injury

For the Phillies, another day at the ballpark has come to mean another day of worrisome medical news.

Not long after the Phillies announced Friday that Shane Victorino was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a partially torn ligament in his right thumb, Placido Polanco revealed he has a bulging disk in his back that is currently being treated with anti-inflammatory medication.

The injuries left the Phillies without two of their most important hitters as they began a three-game series against the hard-charging Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park.

Victorino's stay on the DL is retroactive to Monday, meaning he can return for the July 19 game against the Cubs in Chicago. The centerfielder suffered the injury when he stumbled and fell in the outfield during Sunday's game in Toronto. Victorino is optimistic he won't require a longer stay on the DL.

"The swelling has definitely gotten better, and the range of motion has definitely gotten better," said Victorino, who was wearing an immobilizer on the thumb. He added that he can't hold a bat or throw. "I tried it today when I walked in, and it wasn't very friendly."

Victorino and Polanco are the club's two position players who were voted onto the National League all-star team. Victorino said he plans on going to Phoenix for Tuesday's All-Star Game even though he won't play. For the second time in his career, he gained a spot on the NL roster through MLB's Final Vote.

"It's definitely an honor," Victorino said. "So I want to go out there and put my Phillies uniform on and represent the Phillies at the All-Star Game."

The Dodgers' Andre Ethier, who finished second in the Final Vote, will replace Victorino.

Polanco's injury status is less certain, though potentially more troublesome because of the unpredictable nature of back injuries. Roy Oswalt, for example, is on the disabled list because of two bulging disks and there is no assurance he'll return this season. Oswalt's condition, however, is more severe.

Polanco has struggled at the plate since a torrid April.

He sat out for the third straight game Friday. He said he hasn't ruled out playing either Saturday or Sunday against the Braves and remained hopeful he can play in the All-Star Game, where the fans voted him the starting third baseman.

"It's a day-to-day thing," Polanco said. "We'll see how I feel tomorrow or the next day. I would like to play, maybe tomorrow or the next day, and that way maybe I can take an at-bat or two in the All-Star Game. It's an honor to be in the All-Star Game. You never know if you're going to go back."

But Polanco admitted his back has caused him discomfort for the past month and that he's felt numbness in his leg and pain along his lower back and side.

"You start compensating. You don't swing good. You don't move good. You don't feel your leg. There's numbness. It doesn't feel right," he said. "You feel it in the front of your leg when I run. When I bend I feel it in the lower back, when I twist I feel it on the right side, and it's all because of the bulging disk."

Polanco said he learned of the bulging disk during a visit with a back specialist on Thursday. He said he began treating it with oral medication he must take every day for about a week. If the medication doesn't bring him relief, he will be treated with injections, possibly cortisone, which he hopes to avoid.

"Nobody wants to get a shot, especially in the back. That would be a second choice," he said.

After finishing April with a .398 average, Polanco's production has steadily declined. He hit .248 in May and .213 in June and went hitless in 15 at-bats this month before manager Charlie Manuel decided to rest him.

There's little doubt the Phillies would prefer Polanco use the break for the All-Star Game to rest his back, but Polanco won't get resistance from Manuel.

"If he's hurting I wouldn't want him to go play in the game," Manuel said. "I'm not planning on asking him not to play."

Pete Orr was recalled from triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Victorino's spot on the 25-man roster. Orr had appeared in 26 games with the Phillies this season, all at second base. He's batting .230 in 61 at-bats. . . . Brad Lidge is scheduled to pitch for Lakewood on Saturday in his third rehab assignment.