B.J. Surhoff tore his right anterior cruciate ligament when he ran into the wall during the ninth inning of Saturday's game. Initial x-rays were inconclusive, but the Braves thought he had severely sprained his knee. The MRI taken Sunday was also somewhat unclear, though it did indicate that there was no cartilage damage.

After Sunday's MRI, the team planned to wait before attempting further diagnoses, but with the help of further tests on Monday, they had confirmed that Surhoff did suffer a tear to his right ACL by Tuesday. Consequently he will need season-ending knee surgery. Typical recovery time from a torn ACL takes at least a year, so Surhoff may not return to the majors before next season's All-Star break.

Surhoff is a free agent after the season, so he'll have to find a team willing to sign him despite the fact that he probably won't be able to help immediately. He'll be 38 in August and may simply decide to retire early, especially if interest is low in the off-season. I'd expect him to attempt to try to sign with the Orioles, though he'd likely also look into the possibility of joining any team suddenly moved to Washington D.C. this off-season.

Surhoff has been the Braves' primary first baseman this season. Wes Helms and Julio Franco are both on the roster, but Atlanta needs to look outside the organization for Surhoff's replacement. Rafael Furcal and Chipper Jones are both switch hitters, but Surhoff was the only left-handed bat in the lineup. Playing a right-handed hitter full time at first base further unbalances their batting order.

They could target Brian Daubach or Jose Offerman, as the Red Sox have a bit of a playing time crunch and could use the salary relief. Travis Lee is also likely available in trade, though perhaps not to someone within the division like the Braves. Both Helms and Franco will probably still see an increased number of at-bats because of the accident. Atlanta was already using Helms more frequently due to other injuries forcing Surhoff into the outfield, so he'll probably receive the majority of the additional playing time.

Darren Bragg will replace Surhoff on the roster. Bragg signed a minor league deal with the Mets this off-season but New York cut him after Spring Training. He signed a minor league contract with Atlanta a few days later.

The 32-year-old outfielder's left-handed bat will be very useful off the bench. He'll also be the Braves only extra outfielder. The Braves have used Mark DeRosa in the outfield occasionally this season but that has been for lack of alternatives; I can't find a record of DeRosa ever playing the outfield in the minors.

Bragg has bounced around a number of teams as a fourth or fifth outfielder, although last year was the first in since 1996 that he's been sent back down to AAA. He's shown both speed and power skills in the past. He also has demonstrated the ability to take a walk. Unfortunately, his strikeouts are similarly plentiful or his BB:K numbers would be fantastic. If he can ever manage to cut down on his strikeouts and take advantage of his other skills at the same time, Bragg could post excellent numbers.

Atlanta initially called up Ryan Langerhans from AA, because he was already on the 40-man roster and they weren't certain whether or not they would need Bragg long enough to justify making room on the 40-man. Langerhans, a 22-year-old left-handed outfielder, spent the last two seasons at A Myrtle Beach. He has a bit of power and some speed, but his strike zone judgment needs considerable work. Langerhans really should not be recalled again until he's had at least a full season in AA and another in AAA. The Braves moved George Lombard to the 60-day DL in order to clear space to call-up Bragg, though they'll have another space available soon when they transfer Surhoff to the 60-day.

The team hasn't had to place any other position players on the DL since the season started. However, they've had several players sidelined for various amounts of time. Gary Sheffield sprained his wrist on the 11th. The Braves avoided placing him on the disabled list as they preferred to have him available on at least a part-time basis. However, he sat out several games over the past three weeks.

Sheffield had the second of two cortisone shots a week ago today and seems to feel that the wrist is finally responding to treatment. He expects to return to the lineup on a regular basis, although I wouldn't expect his production levels to resume their pre-injury levels for a few more weeks. Wrist injuries often hinder a player for months after they return to the field, and considering Sheffield was unable to take the time likely necessary to rest his wrist, he may have troubles with his power for the rest of the season. I find this unfortunate considering he had a hot start with 3 home runs in the first week of the season.

Javy Lopez joined the ranks of catchers with thumb problems on Friday. He jammed the thumb during batting practice, and while he can catch with the injury, batting is almost impossible. He hopes to be able to return to the lineup today, but given the lingering problems thumb injuries have caused other catchers, this could annoy him for a while longer.

Chipper Jones sprained his thumb over the weekend, which normally wouldn't be a big problem. He might miss a few days, but he'll be back in the lineup shortly. However the Braves' bench isn't particularly deep, so they're struggling with these small injuries.