Brennan Boesch Injures His Oblique, Can’t Afford To Miss Time

September 9, 2012; Anaheim, CA, USA; Detroit Tigers right fielder Brennan Boesch (26) runs after hitting an RBI double in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

According to Chris Iott of MLive, Brennan Boesch was held out of live action today due to soreness in his oblique.

"Boesch said his right oblique was a bit tight entering spring training but that he wasn’t concerned about it. But it bothered him after he took a swing on a pitch from a pitching machine on one of the fields at Tiger Town."

Boesch will be competing this spring to even win a roster spot with the Detroit Tigers’ major league club, and if this injury lingers for any length of time it could hurt his chances. Boesch isn’t going to win a spot as a defensive replacement and he’s not going to be a pinch runner. We all know that if he makes the team it will be for his bat and his bat only. But after a disappointing 2012 season — a season in which many predicted him to break out — he’s going to have to prove that his bat is good enough that it needs to be in the lineup.

And the Tigers very well could need his bat on the roster. As it stands, their other possible/probable bench options are Danny Worth, Ramon Santiago, Jeff Kobernus, Brayan Pena, and Quintin Berry — none of whom are (or have the potential to be) a plus bat. The Tiger’s everyday lineup isn’t one that projects to need a lot of pinch hitting — so not having a power bat on the bench wouldn’t be a killer — but it would be a nice thing to have available.

It sounds like he’ll be resting for the next few days to allow the oblique to heal up, but if the injury keeps him out of too many spring games or hampers his ability to prove his off-season tweaks have improved his swing, he may find making the team to be incredibly difficult.