Kuo going on the DL is terrible news but not unexpected given his struggles and past health history. Without Kuo the bullpen dynamic changes as I'm looking at this with the possibility that we won't see Kuo again this year. This could be a big blow to the team as we had hoped that Kuo would solidify the shaky setup when he got back into the groove he displayed last year.
The left handed possibilities are Elbert, Leach, Garate, or possibly Estes. None will bring what Kuo brought us last year. Leach and Garate are doing good work but in AA while Estes is Estes and would cost someone a spot off the 40 man unless Kuo gets moved to the 60 Day if he is going to need season ending surgery. Do we eschew the left hander and bring up Lindblom ?
40 Man Roster Possibilities:
Elbert - has the stuff but not the command. Joe was reluctant to use him while he was here in leveraged situations. He was starting in AA when we brought him up. Maybe we should leave him in AA and concentrate on setup so he can be of use in a few weeks.
Leach - hottest LHP in organization, hasn't allowed a run in his last eight outing. Struggles with command but has been showing excellent dominance. This 26 year old would be my first choice.
Garate - Has been almost as effective as Leach with a little better control.
Non 40 Man Roster Possibilities:
Estes - Almost retired in spring training then said he wanted to give it a try as a LH relief pitcher but he's only been starting for the Isotopes with good results.
Josh Lindblom - he's scheduled to start today, if he makes the start then forget about it. He probably has the best chance for success of all the players mentioned but we'd be starting his clock early.
If you are Kuo it is easy to complain that he didn't tell anyone he was hurt but look at it from his point of view. He's already had the surgeries, he is not making any real money, one more surgery probably ends his career and what you have is a young pitcher with no future and probably very little financial cushion unless he invested his original bonus wisely. So he stubbornly hoped he could pitch through the pain and lost.