As a result of his nasty collision with Jim Edmonds Friday night, Reggie Sanders will miss the next 4-6 weeks with a slight fracture in his right ankle. Reggie has rebounded nicely from a tough season in 2004, posting .281/.344/.553 after .260/.315/.482 last year. He's hit 18 home runs already, nearly eclipsing his 22 total from all of '04 in just over half a season. So, it's definitely a blow to the lineup.

But it could've been worse. First, as much as I hate to lose Reggie, we certainly got the better end of that collision. Losing Edmonds for several months would be a huge problem. I like So Taguchi, but seeing him start long-term in CF isn't an attractive option. Second, it gives an opportunity to see John Rodriguez at the major league level -- Rodriguez, as shown previously on this site, has absolutely hit the cover off the ball since coming to Memphis from the Buffalo Bisons. Rodriguez posted a .924 OPS for the Yankees' AAA affiliate in Columbus last season, but has not yet cracked a major league roster. He'll possibly be making his major league debut tonight against the Brewers. Needless to say, it could be an interesting situation.

Hopefully, the bone will heal as planned, and the Cards will have Reggie back for October. Either way, they avoided a much worse situation -- and should probably have enough in the tank to maintain their double-digit lead in the Central Division.