Marlins' Shortstop Alex Gonzalez dislocated his left shoulder diving for a groundball during Saturday's game in San Francisco. The team currently estimates that while he won't need surgery that could cost him several months, he will miss 4-6 weeks.

Florida has not yet placed Gonzalez on the disabled list, though that move will likely happen tomorrow. The Marlins signed Homer Bush, recently released by the Blue Jays, to a one-year contract; he'll take Gonzalez's roster spot. However, Bush is not expected to receive the majority of the playing time opened up by Gonzalez's injury.

Manager Jeff Torborg reportedly plans to use Andy Fox as the starting shortstop. The 31-year-old infielder normally works off the bench. He's offered neither power nor speed in the last few years and has little plate discipline on which to fall back, but the Marlins are looking for someone who can handle the position defensively. Bush will likely take over a portion of Fox's infield utility duties.

Florida placed catcher Ramon Castro on the DL Friday. Castro sprained his ulnar collateral ligament while making a throw during Thursday's game in Colorado. As an MRI showed a sprain rather than a tear, the Marlins do not think that Castro will need surgery, though he is expected to miss the next two months.

Pablo Ozuna returned from AAA to replace Castro on the roster. Ozuna broke camp with the team but was sent down in early April when Charles Johnson came off the DL. Due to poor roster management, when all three catchers are healthy and rostered, Florida doesn't have a roster spot for Ozuna.

Ozuna missed all of last season due to torn cartilage and scar tissue in his left wrist. He was also one of the players that received a hefty adjustment to his birthday over the off-season, gaining 4 years so that he is now 27 rather than 23. However, prior to his injury, he improved his strike zone judgment. Repeating AA Portland in the Eastern League in 2000, he went from a 13:50 BB:K in 502 AB in 1999, to a 40:50 BB:K in 464 AB. He's also demonstrated marginal power and good speed, which becomes even more useful with good strike zone judgment.

Unfortunately, the lost season and the added years have severely jeopardized his chances at having an extended career. Ozuna almost certainly still needs a full season in AAA, as skipping a level could encourage him to revert to old bad plate discipline habits, making him a borderline bench player rather than a starting option. He has a 5:10 BB:K at AAA this season with 26 H, including a double, a triple, and two home runs, in 75 AB for a .347 BA, 390 OBP, and a .467 SLG. He also stole four bases in five attempts. In his only plate appearance during his first stint with the big league club this year, he had a hit. Ozuna may receive an opportunity at shortstop while Gonzalez's is out, but I don't expect him to excel without the AAA time.

The Marlins did not need to call up a catcher to replace Castro as the team has carried three backstops this season. Castro's injury is unfortunate for the team, as his trade value temporarily decreases and they lose a quality player. However, his departure from the roster actually allows them greater flexibility for a little while as they're no longer burdened with an unnecessary third catcher. Hopefully if his medical prognosis is favorable, Florida will be able to trade Castro or another catcher when he returns from the disabled list.

In addition to their injured position players, Florida is still having troubles with a couple of their pitchers. Brad Penny, who started the Saturday game in which Gonzalez was injured, left after three innings in which he allowed 7 H, including 2 HR, 2 BB, and only 2 strikeouts. Of course, it was only after he was removed from the game that he informed the team that an inflamed nerve in his right elbow had bothered him all day. The team will run tests before determining whether or not to place Penny on the DL, but given the pitcher himself thinks he's headed for the disabled list, he'll likely miss at least a start and probably much more.

Florida must be showing too many movies in the clubhouse, as their pitchers seem to have adopted the movie theatre slogan of "Silence is Golden" when it comes to talking about their injuries.

Julian Tavarez, the last Marlin to go on the DL after failing to inform the club of pain during a start, has returned from the disabled list but will miss his next start. He's made two starts since his return from the DL. He only lasted 4 innings in his first start back, though he had a 4:2 K:BB with only 5 hits and no home runs allowed. His second start was in Coors, so the 9 H, 2 HR, with a 3:4 K:BB in 4 IP is understandable. Skipping him in the rotation is reportedly merely a precautionary measure, as Florida hopes to further strengthen his still weak shoulder.

Fortunately, Josh Beckett seems to have recovered from his blister problems. His first start back from the DL was in Coors, but he pitched very well in his second start back, allowing only 1 H with a 5:2 K:BB in 7 IP.

Florida respectively demoted Blaine Neal and Gary Knotts when they activated Tavarez and Beckett from the DL. Neal only made one appearance during his time in the majors, walking one and inducing a groundout and a flyout in .2 IP. He'll return to AAA and hopefully receive some of the additional experience he needs before he's ready for a full-time job in a major league pen.

The 25-year-old Knotts also appears in need of further minor league time in order to work on decreasing the number of homers he allows. In 18 IP, he allowed 13 H and 6 HR, with a 12:12 K:BB. He made his major league debut last season in a brief call-up, spending the rest of the year in AAA for the first time. Knotts has worked almost exclusively as a starter in the past. He's shown some promise but had some control problems as well as some trouble with dingers, though it is much more severe than in the past.

In a story related to those of Penny and Tavarez, according to Baseball America's Prospect Handbook, "Not wanting to say anything after he felt shoulder discomfort in his big league debut in late August, Knotts aggravated it during his first major league start five days later. He had a small tear in his rotator cuff and was shut down for the winter, though surgery wasn't required." The extent of his problems this season could indicate lingering injury troubles. I'm not sure what the Marlins' long-term plans are for Knotts.

I grow angry and irritable every time I hear of a player, particularly a pitcher, concealing an injury. Someone, even if it's just their agents, should tell these people that they will almost certainly lose more by hiding their injuries than by taking the necessary time to fix the problems.