Brown was considered one of the top prospects in baseball when he arrived in the major leagues in 2010 but struggled until 2013. That year, he hit .272 with 27 home runs in 139 games and was selected to the All-Star Game. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
CLEARWATER, Fla. — What is likely to be Domonic Brown’s make-or-break season with the Philadelphia Phillies might not get off to a promising start.
The right fielder is questionable for the April 6 opener against the Boston Red Sox because of tendinitis in his left Achilles.
Brown has been sidelined since being injured March 19 in the third inning of an exhibition game against the New York Yankees. An MRI taken the next morning was negative and the Phillies are hopeful he will be able to start running by the weekend, though they aren’t certain.
Brown, for his part, is staying optimistic.
“I’m feeling better, much better,” Brown said Tuesday. “I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous there before the MRI. Hopefully I can be back on the field in another week or so.”
Brown was considered one of the top prospects in baseball when he arrived in the major leagues in 2010 but struggled until 2013. That year, he hit .272 with 27 home runs in 139 games and was selected to the All-Star Game.
However, Brown slumped to a .235 batting average and 10 homers in 144 games last season. In his first year of salary arbitration, Brown is making $2.6 million this season, and the Phillies are expecting more production at that price.
At 27, Brown is still young enough to be part of the Phillies’ youth movement. However, he needs to be on the field in order to prove he belongs. At this point, he is limited to riding an exercise bike and playing catch.
“Hopefully I can be ready for Opening Day,” he said. “That’s the goal right now, but we’ll see what happens. I’m excited it wasn’t a tear or anything like that. We’re moving in the right direction.”
If Brown isn’t ready for the start of the season, rookie Odubel Herrera could get a chance to start in left field while left fielder Grady Sizemore would shift to right field. Herrera has impressed Phillies management this spring after being selected from the Texas Rangers in the Rule 5 Draft in December during the Winter Meetings in San Diego.
The Phillies also are considering playing Herrera in center field and shifting Ben Revere to left.
