The Altoona Curve placed second baseman Kevin Kramer on the disabled list today due to a right hand fracture. Kramer was hit by a pitch on the hand in the ninth inning of yesterday’s game and was removed for a pinch-runner. It was the 12th time he has been hit this season.
Kramer was our Player of the Month in April after posting a 1.091 OPS. His stats slipped in May, though he still put up an .822 OPS, so it wasn’t a bad month. He was off to the slow start in June, as his average dropped below .300 this week and he had a .560 OPS in nine games. On the season, he is batting .297/.380/.500 in 53 games.
With less than three months left in the minor league season (ends September 4th), he is going to miss a significant portion of the remaining schedule. The timetable for his return is unknown at this time and will depend on the severity of the injury.
We will announce a roster move to fill his spot once one is made. Chris Diaz would have been the likely replacement, but he was just traded to the Miami Marlins organization in a deal that I’m sure will result in no return announced for the Pirates. Diaz wasn’t playing, so it was more of a favor to a player that has been around for five years and wasn’t being used.
