Eric Byrnes has been absolutely awful so far this season for the D-Backs. He has played in 25 games for the D-Backs this season and he is 10 for 72 (.139 avg, .529 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 3 homers, 7 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Although Byrnes is a fan favorite the D-Backs can’t afford to stick with him unless he starts showing signs of life with the bat in his hands. In Byrnes three prior seasons with the D-Backs he played in 355 games in which he was 362 for 1,394 (.260 avg) with 213 runs scored, 53 homers, 185 RBIs and 79 stolen bases. That is the player the D-Backs need to show up and soon!

The D-Backs have placed veteran 1B Tony Clark on the 15-day disabled list with a strained ligament in his right hand. He has played in 17 games for the D-Backs this season and he is 5 for 28 (.179 avg, .687 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 2 homers and 5 RBIs. The D-Backs will miss Clark’s power off the bench despite him whiffing an amazing 15 times this season already. The D-Backs have recalled 26-year old lefty swinging 1B Josh Whitesell from the minors to replace Clark on the roster. They should give their #19 prospect (according to Baseball America) a shot at some real playing time because the D-Backs are having problems hitting the ball. Whitesell has played in 25 games in AAA-ball this season and he was 31 for 87 (.356 avg, 1.029 OPS) there with 18 runs scored, 3 homers and 20 RBIs. He had a cup of coffee last September with the D-Backs playing in 7 games in which he was 2 for 7 (.286 avg, 1.158 OPS) with a solo homer.

The Diamondbacks have placed 41-year old righty reliever Tom Gordon on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring. Gordon has pitched in 3 games (0 starts) this season for the D-Backs and he is 0-1 with a 21.60 ERA and a 3.60 WHIP. The D-Backs shouldn’t expect much out of Gordon this season as his body is starting to break down quite a bit.