Dog Days of Summer a Test of Depth

They're called the dog days of August for a reason. With the trade deadline in the books, major league teams are, barring a waiver trade, stuck with what they've got on the roster for the duration of the regular season. That means injuries, like the one suffered by Arizona's Orlando Hudson in the photo to the right, will shape the pennant races much more than they have over the last four months.

Five teams in the hunt for a playoff spot got bad injury news in the last 24 hours. Here's a look at who's hurt and how each team will cope with the absence of a key player over the final seven weeks.

- Carl Crawford, LF, Rays: The speedy Tampa Bay outfielder injured a tendon in his right middle finger on a check swing last night and was placed on the 15-day DL. The Rays are unsure how much time he'll miss, but a Seattle trainer told him he could miss six-to-eight weeks. If he's out that long, it could be devastating to their chances of holding off Boston in the AL East.

Oft-injured outfielder Rocco Baldelli was called up to take his place, but he hasn't played more than 100 games in a season since 2004, so expect Eric Hinske and Gabe Gross to be a bigger part of the mix. We know the Rays were trying, and ultimately failed, to add a right-handed outfield bat at the deadline, so this injury stings even more. If Baldelli isn't the answer, it's tough to say who will be, since Boston appears ready to block any trade the Rays could make for outfield depth.

- Orlando Hudson, 2B, Diamondbacks: Arizona's slick-fielding keystone with surprising pop will miss the remainder of 2008 after undergoing surgery on a dislocated bone in his left wrist. Hudson is one of the better second baseman in the NL and one of the few Diamondbacks who isn't underperforming at the plate, so this injury is nothing short of devastating.

With top prospect Emilio Bonifacio shipped off to Washington in a trade for reliever Jon Rauch last month, the second base duties will fall to utilityman Augie Ojeda and Chris Burke -- the guy who was supposed to replace Craig Biggio in Houston. There is no replacing Hudson, but the D'backs were in the same position last year, without him for the end of 2007, and they still won the NL West. But 2008 is different because the Dodgers are charging hard and there is no wild card to fall back on. If it wasn't time for Arizona's youngsters to step up yesterday, it sure is today.

- Tim Wakefield, SP, Red Sox: The knuckleballer is headed for the DL and will miss at least two starts with stiffness in his right shoulder -- the same injury that caused him to miss much of the end of last season. Wakefield has pitched very well this year, but he isn't irreplaceable, and the Red Sox have a wealth of pitching. Michael Bowden and Bartolo Colon are the top candidates to replace Wakefield long-term, though Devern Hansack could start in his place Tuesday.

- Jose Contreras, SP, White Sox: The Cuban right-hander's return from the disabled list was short and painful. He'll miss the rest of season after rupturing his Achilles tendon Saturday night. The White Sox acquired Horacio Ramirez from the Royals in the wake of Contreras' injury, though manager Ozzie Guillen seems to prefer D.J. Carrasco in the short-term. Chicago has four solid starters besides Contreras, so it could probably make do with a patchwork collection of pitchers in the fifth spot, but that's far from ideal in a race as tight as the AL Central. FanHouse's own Tom Fornelli lists Jarrod Washburn and Freddy Garcia as potential external replacements. Those two make a lot of sense.

- Carlos Lee, LF, Astros: El Caballo is likely done for the season after breaking his pinky finger against the Reds. Houston was done long ago, but management doesn't seem to realize it. The Astros are probably Barry Bonds' last best chance to play in 2008 (and even that's a longshot). He's the only player readily available who could come close to Lee's production.