I’ll be the first to give Elian Herrera a hearty congrats on a nice start to his career and for playing his role perfectly in relief of Mark Ellis, but let’s also make no mistake about the future. With some speculating that he could be a regular down the road, I just wanted to remind people that his start is almost entirely a mirage.

—–

He hits for no power, is an average baserunner, is a fringe/average fielder, strikes out in almost a quarter of his plate appearances, and has a .362 BABIP that was near .400 a week or so ago. He does have an impressive walk rate of 12.2 percent, and that underlying skill is certainly useful on a major league roster, especially when combined with the ability to play almost every position.

With that said though, the raised expectations and adulation heaped on him after a month and a half stint is quite a bit out of line. Put it this way, there’s a reason he spent ten years in the minors and didn’t hit the show until age 27. In the name of sanity, the obvious must be stated, and after seeing countless pieces praising his contributions, I felt like his 2012 production needed to be put into perspective.

—–

Nobody is saying not to enjoy the ride, just please don’t be surprised if it comes to a screeching halt, which is the direction his season already seems to be going. Herrera is hitting .179/.256/.256/.512 over his last 43 plate appearances heading into play on June 26th.

Regardless, the man has already served his purpose. Herrera helped the Dodgers by eliminating the temptation to call Aaron Miles, and he may even lead to Adam Kennedy‘s release, but that’s where expectations for him should end.

While Matt Kemp figures to be ready by the end of the month, not much else is going right on the injury front.

Matt Guerrier has been shut down in his rehab attempt due to pain, and surgery is now an option.

Dodgers reliever Matt Guerrier, on the disabled list since April 19 with elbow tendinitis, has stalled in his rehabilitation and said the most likely course of action is to shut down completely until his pain is gone.

When a platelet-rich plasma injection failed to resolve his discomfort, Guerrier two weeks ago decided to try to pitch through it. But he was discouraged after a Wednesday bullpen session in which he said he pitched better than he felt.

“It’s not responding as well as I’d like after two bullpens,” said Guerrier. “It’s very frustrating, so up and down and back and forth. It feels good one day, the next day I can’t play catch. The turning point was a couple weeks ago, and I thought I could push through it.”

Guerrier said among the options are exploratory surgery (about which he said, “I don’t think any of us think that’s the case.”), another injection or complete rest.

“Rest is the more likely bet,” he said.

Well then, I guess it wasn’t a fabricated injury to solve a roster dilemma after all, huh?

Fortunately for the team, the bullpen is a strength and they can probably ride out the loss of Guerrier even though it would be far better to have him back.

In other reliever news, Blake Hawksworth might be returning sooner than later, as he finally seems to be on the road to recovery.

Injured Dodgers reliever Blake Hawksworth, who underwent two elbow operations earlier this year, will continue his comeback on Thursday when he makes his first appearance in an intrasquad game at the club’s Camelback Ranch-Glendale complex.

Hawksworth, who spent all of last year with the Dodgers, underwent what should have been relatively minor arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow on Jan. 11 to remove a bone spur and scar tissue. But a post-surgical infection developed that required a second cleansing procedure and powerful antibiotics, setting back his recovery.

At the rate players are dropping, there’s a chance the Dodgers will need him to contribute at some point this season.

—–

Unfortunately, now Justin Sellers is hurting and headed for an MRI.

Just when it looked like the Dodgers were getting healthy, infielder Justin Sellers scratched from Wednesday’s lineup with numbness in his right leg. He will have an MRI exam on Thursday.

Sellers, who was set to start at third base, was replaced in the lineup by Adam Kennedy.

Sellers said the injury could have occurred when he crashed into the stands making a highlight-reel catch of a Miguel Montero foul ball last week at Dodger Stadium.

“I know I played after that and I don’t know if it happened then and got worse. I don’t know,” said Sellers. “It could have happened that way, I don’t know for sure. I do know for sure I was beat up for a couple of days, so it definitely could have been from that.”

Sellers said he’s able to swing a bat, throw and run straight ahead. But when he reaches to make a backhand stop with his glove, “I feel a pinch and a tingle,” he said.

If he’s out for a while, the Dodgers might not have a choice but to turn to Aaron Miles.

You know what? I honestly prefer that option to have Adam Kennedy as a starter. Yikes.

Speaking of middle infielder injuries, even the Dodgers sound a bit pessimistic about Mark Ellis‘ status.

Injured Dodgers second baseman Mark Ellis isn’t out of the hospital yet, or out of the woods. He will be sidelined a minimum of six weeks, possibly longer.

It will take six weeks before Ellis can return just from the two operations on his injured left leg to relieve pressure from swelling.

Still unknown is the condition of Ellis’ left knee and ankle in the wake of being upended by St. Louis baserunner Tyler Greene on Friday night. The club suspects one of the joints, if not both, is injured.

Trainer Sue Falsone said Ellis winced when his leg was flexed, but his ankle and knee became secondary when the pressure increased in his leg at the point of contact near the upper left shin.

After undergoing an emergency fasciotomy to relieve the pressure, a procedure that likely saved his leg, Ellis had a long incision sewn closed on Tuesday. Manager Don Mattingly said Ellis is expected to remain hospitalized until Thursday. Ellis will initially be on crutches.

Sounds like six weeks is more like the minimum time required just to be able to get back on his feet again, much less recover and play at the level he was at previously. Additionally, it certainly sounds like they expect ligament damage in either or both the ankle and knee.

Disappointing, but hope for the best, I suppose.

The Dodgers have signed free-agent infielder Aaron Miles and asked for unconditional release waivers on right-handed reliever Mike MacDougal, who was designated for assignment last Thursday when Ronald Belisario was activated.

How does a player like Miles price himself out of the free agent market? How delusional was he, exactly?

“Oh ho ho! Albert Pujols got paid $240 million this off-season, and his WAR was only six times higher than mine, so it’s $40 million or bust for me in 2012!”

Fail.

Then there’s the Mike MacDougal news, which you may be celebrating about, until you realize that Todd Coffey has somehow managed to be worse.

—–

In “oh well” injury news, Juan Rivera is going to be out for a while.

Dodgers outfielder Juan Rivera has a ruptured left hamstring tendon and could be out as long as two months, trainer Sue Falsone said on Friday.

Rivera — who had been hobbled by hamstring problems for weeks but felt a pop sliding into third base on Tuesday night and was placed on the disabled list on Wednesday — has a rupture where the tendon inserts into the knee. Falsone said it is an unusual baseball injury and there’s a medical debate whether surgery is appropriate.

“We will re-evaluate after two weeks and see where we’re at,” Falsone said. “[Rivera] did some exercises today and was pain-free. The best case is that he’s ready to return in 15 days, but I don’t think that’s what we’re looking at. The worst case is six to eight weeks. He will play this season, for sure.”

In “aw shit” injury news, Jerry Hairston Jr. won’t be back for a while.

The Dodgers placed infielder Jerry Hairston on the 15-day disabled list on Friday with a strained left hamstring and recalled infielder Justin Sellers from Triple-A Albuquerque.

“It would be a foolish thing to go out there and blow it out and miss two months,” said Hairston. “I blew out the right one and was out three or four weeks. This won’t take that long.

Can you imagine a bench of Aaron Miles, Justin Sellers, Adam Kennedy, and Matt Treanor?

I mean … seriously?

On a first place team.

Seriously.

Dee Gordon

Dee Gordon’s season was much like the picture you see above: up and down, up and down. Beginning the year in AAA and just an injury or two away from the show, the inevitable happened and Gordon made his way to the bigs. Coming in with a reputation as a contact hitter with speed to burn and a questionable glove, Gordon lived up admirably to that rep.

After slashing .333/.373/.410 with a .366 wOBA in AAA Albuquerque, Flash hit .304/.325/.362 with a .314 wOBA in 233 plate appearances with the big boys. He walked in just 3% of his plate appearances, but on the bright side only struck out 11.6% of the time, allowing himself the opportunity to beat out ground balls (which he hit 55.9% of the time) for hits with that blazing speed of his.

Gordon was successful on 24 of his 31 stolen base attempts, and considering he’s never going to hit for power (2011 MLB ISO of just .058, and a professional best of .100 in rookie ball back in 2008) Dee will have to improve upon that 77.4% success rate on the basepaths to make his incredible speed a positive. The ability to steal bases is one thing; being able to steal them at an efficient rate is something else entirely.

In the field, Gordon was capable of the spectacular play, but also the simple mistakes that often plague shortstops with great arms. Dee started 54 games at short, and to put it mildly, was bad with the glove. His UZR/150 was an astonishingly terrible -21.5, and that – combined with the lack of plate discipline and power – led to a WAR of just 0.6.

—

Gordon’s season can be nicely divided in two with the All-Star break serving as the divider. Pre-break, Gordon hit just .232/.250/.280/.530, but post-break he showed that adjustments were made, as he hit .345/.367/.408/.776. The late surge included by far his best month as a pro, a white-hot September that saw Dee mash at a .372/.398/.451/.850 rate. September also saw improvements in his pitch recognition, plate discipline (9:5 K:BB after starting with an abysmal 18:2 mark), and his ability to drive the ball, as he smacked 8 extra-base hits after beginning the month with just 3.

All in all, it was a solid rookie campaign for Gordon. He did battle multiple shoulder injuries that curtailed the ample playing time he was given, but we saw the tools – the speed, the great arm, and the energy that mainstream pundits will talk so much about.

If Gordon can steal bases at a higher rate of success and get himself on base more often by drawing walks at a loftier clip, all the while improving his glove, he could be a huge positive factor going forward from atop the Dodger lineup. Barring anything unforeseen, 2012 will see Gordon manning short and hitting leadoff, and if nothing else, we know it will always be entertaining when Devaris Strange-Gordon is up to bat or has a play to make in the field.

Jamey Carroll

Carroll has already been covered in previous incarnations of the Season Review, but to quickly review, here are his numbers at short in the time he filled in for his injured comrades.

.304/.366/.357/.723 in 66 games, a 27/21 K/BB mark, and a -6.2 UZR/150 in the field in over 500 innings.

Rafael Furcal

When healthy, Rafael Furcal is a dynamic player, possessing a good eye at the plate, speed, the ability to successfully steal bags, a bit of pop, and a gun for an arm in the field. Unfortunately, in his time in Los Angeles, he was rarely healthy for an extended period of time, battling an array of maladies.

Furcal averaged just about 103 games a season in his six years in L.A., and even his unfortunate attraction to injury was a tad bit overblown. He actually played in 138 games or more 3 times, and he didn’t injure himself in idiotic ways (hello, Jason Repko). However, it is undeniable that his true impact was not felt over the last couple of years, and that proved true in 2011 as he only played in 37 games before a trade that shipped him to St. Louis in exchange for minor league outfielder Alex Castellanos.

Furcal leaves Los Angeles with a line of .283/.351/.406/.757 in just over 2800 plate appearances in blue. So long, Raffy.

The Three Stooges

Justin Sellers, Juan Uribe, and Aaron Miles combined to start 20 games at short, with Sellers flashing an impressive glove – a 28.2 UZR/150 – in 151.2 innings at the position.

Jamey Carroll

On the back-end of a two-year deal, Jamey Carroll put up another solid season as a super-utility man, and all at the baseball old age of 37. Though his numbers dipped across the board from what was the second best season of his career, he still contributed 2.2 WAR while primarily playing second.

In 146 games and 510 plate appearances, Carroll put up a .290/.359/.347 line with a .321 wOBA and 104 wRC+ while walking in 10% of his trips to the plate, as compared with just over 11% of his appearances ending in a strikeout.

Again, his 2010 numbers were better (.291/.379/.339, .329 wOBA, 12.3 BB%, 2.5 WAR) with the notable exception that Jamey cut down on his whiffs this past season and played worse defense (11.4 UZR/150 at second in 2010, down considerably in 2011 at -8.0 in 330 more innings). However, for a guy who played so much due to injury and ineptitude, he was yet again one of the bright spots in an otherwise dismal year.

Carroll was not traded so as to mentor Dee Gordon, and it would make sense to bring the veteran back on a one-year deal to play rover and continue his mentoring duties. Not that I particularly buy that a mentor is necessary for a young player, but if it means less playing time for Juan Uribe, I’m all for it. After all, a good way to improve the team is to stop playing players like Uribe. Carroll’s OBP in 81 games at second was .355; I sincerely doubt Ewribe could pull off that feat.

Aaron Miles

I don’t feel it’s necessary to re-hash too much of my previous spiel on Miles that can be found in my Third Base Season Review post, so I’ll just give his numbers as a second baseman in 2011, a position which he occupied for 72 games.

.288/.302/.362/.664 and a UZR/150 of 0.2 in over 500 innings.

Sigh? Sigh.

Also-Rans

Five other Dodgers saw time at second base, led by Uribe and Justin Sellers. Ivan DeJesus was given just a brief tryout, and with his exclusion from the September call-ups in 2011, his time as a viable option with the Dodgers is probably over. Which is a shame, because the man has shown a great ability to draw a walk during the vast majority of his minor league career, at least prior to his injury.

I could live with Sellers as a one-year fill-in, but the career minor leaguer is nothing more than that: filler. On the bright side, Sellers did display good leather, particularly at short and third, and was a plus at all three positions on the defensive side of things.

—

FUN FACT: Eugenio Velez and Juan Castro combined to appear in fifteen games at second, starting eight.

Casey Blake

Casey Blake: Bearded Enigma.

There are generally two opinions of Blake, as many believe he has been a key cog to the Dodgers success over the past handful of years, while others loathe the way he came to be a Dodger in the first place. I am firmly in the camp of the latter, though I simultaneously recognize he’s been one of the better third basemen in the club’s history.

Of course, part of that speaks to the lack of quality third basemen this franchise has put on the field. In his short tenure with the Blue Crew, Blake managed a .338 OBP and a .431 SLG, with an injury-plagued 2011 as the culmination of what was a mediocre stint with the team. His fantastic 2009 of 4.9 WAR was followed by a decent 2010, but 2011 saw Blake injured and unproductive when on the field, posting a triple slash line of .252/.342/.371 to go along with a lackluster .314 wOBA and 1.1 WAR. He played in just 63 games as the aging Iowan’s health failed him.

Always solid with the glove (2011 UZR/150 of 8.5), Blake was counted on for far too much production by management and many loyal fans of his. Why, then, did I start this Season Review with a 38-year-old who barely suited up this season? Well, the Dodgers just declined the option on his contract for 2012, so Casey heads to free agency. Or retirement. Either way, I feel safe in saying that whatever path Blake chooses, his time starting at the hot corner in Los Angeles is over.

If, however, he were to return – and I’d be shocked if Ned Colletti didn’t consider bringing back Casey in some capacity, because, you know, he’s Ned Colletti – Blake’s ability to hit lefties (career .271/.360/.486/.846 versus southpaws) and play solid defense would portend to a role as a super-sub at all four corner spots, but primarily at third. Of course, the calls for that scenario have been ringing for well over a year, and we all saw how well that plan came to fruition in 2011.

Aaron Miles

The fact that Aaron Miles made the squad to start the season was disheartening enough to begin with. That he got so much playing time was even more unsettling.

Though he had a hot month of June, hitting .419/.418/.500/.918 (and yes, that is an OBP lower than his BA), which garnered a whole hell of a lot of attention and simultaneously made him the apple of Steve Lyons‘ eye, Miles was the same old mediocre Aaron Miles that he has always been and will likely continue to be.

While starting 61 games at third, Miles hit .249/.321/.321/.642 while playing beyond shoddy defense (-12.1 UZR/150). He was worth 0.8 WAR on the season with his almost five hundred (!) plate appearances, but could be in line for the Jamey Carroll multi-year deal regardless.

Miles is clearly not worth that, as he will turn 35 in December, is not exceptionally talented at any aspect of the game of baseball, and is simply taking up a roster spot from a younger player who could bring more upside and talent to the table.

Juan Uribe

53 games started at third (59 in total), a remarkably putrid triple slash line of .199/.262/.270/.532 in those games, a cumulative wOBA of .250, 0.4 WAR on the season, and 20.3% of his plate appearances ended in a strikeout. He walked in just 5.8% of his trips to the dish, put up an abysmal .089 ISO, and ate up more of the Dodgers payroll than he did the post-game spread (actually, that’s an arguable point).

Sadly enough, he’s likely the leading candidate to man the hot corner in 2012.

Juan Uribe is a terrible player. He had an atrocious 2011. If I write anything more about Juan Uribe, I’ll be the one on the disabled list with a detached head.

—

Fun Fact: Juan Castro started a game at third. Juan Castro.