Erubiel Durazo will miss the first month of the season following an injury sustained to his right wrist during a Spring Training at-bat Wednesday. Though the initial x-ray taken on Wednesday revealed no break, an MRI on Thursday showed a fracture to the hamate bone. Durazo subsequently underwent surgery Thursday to remove the damaged hamate bone.

Durazo has had injury troubles in the past including wrist problems, though those problems and the two resulting surgeries were the result of torn cartilage and unrelated to his current troubles. He had to discontinue his work in the outfield because of a sore elbow earlier this spring. A bone bruise in his hand took him away from winter ball early, so he was unable to receive any playing time in the outfield there as well.

This development is a major setback for the young player, as despite Durazo's obvious potential, the Diamondbacks have repeatedly blocked him from starting. Due to his Spring Training accomplishments, Arizona finally looked as though they were going to make adjustments to the rest of the lineup in order to insure he received a greater portion of the playing time he deserves.

Now Durazo's future is uncertain. While he is expected back in six weeks, which would only mean a loss of one month of regular season play, wrist troubles, as I've frequently mentioned, regularly leave their victims with a lingering offensive problems, most notably in terms of a power outage for months after the players have returned to the plate. That length of time could be just long enough for Mark Grace to solidify his full-time hold on first base, especially if Durazo is not quick to return to his pre-injury production levels.

His best hope is that whatever is causing the problem in his elbow will heal while he is forced to rest during his recovery from his wrist injury. Otherwise, unless specific players suffer from ineffectiveness or other injuries, it may be another year in which he has less than 200 at-bats. The Diamondbacks are unlikely to trade him as his potential remains high regardless of whether he receives playing time.

Given that they were having trouble finding playing time for Durazo, Arizona won't struggle to find someone to cover his at-bats. Grace will simply play full-time rather than have his playing time decreased to allow more opportunities for Durazo. The Diamondbacks have multiple options if Grace feels the need for a day off, with Craig Counsell topping that list.

Rod Barajas' chances of beating out Chad Moeller for the back-up catcher's position are slightly increased because Barajas can also play first base. Moeller has had a bit of an edge, since he is out of options, and Barajas has been slightly set back following February thumb surgery. Manager Bob Brenly also has considered carrying three catchers.

Arizona's primary catcher, Damian Miller, who missed the end of last season with a partially torn rotator cuff, appears to be on track to start the season without any lingering trouble, though he did not have surgery to correct the problem. However, he has been hampered slightly by a sore neck.

Brenly intends to ask Jay Bell to take some infield at first base. A sore calf has hampered Bell for the last week, but he should be fine for the regular season unless it becomes worse. In addition to the major injuries they've suffered during Spring Training, several of the Diamondbacks have been troubled with minor problems. Tony Womack also has a calf strain, and outfielder Steve Finley has been slowed by quadriceps tendinitis. None of these players are currently expected to spend any time on the DL, but their injuries are all problems that can easily recur and cause them to miss time during the season or even spend short stints on the disabled list.

If Chris Donnels makes the team, he will also be given consideration for the occasional first base at-bat. Arizona currently appears to have room for three players from Barajas, Moeller, Donnels, and Junior Spivey. They will take at least one catcher from the bunch. Donnels is at a disadvantage as the non-roster player, but Brenly has mentioned him frequently in discussions of the team and Arizona can shift Matt Williams to the 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man roster for Donnels. Spivey does have options, although he has played very well in Spring Training and will make it a tough decision. If I were to guess, I'd say that they would attempt to send Moeller down through waivers.

Some combination of players is still needed to cover third base while Williams is out. Current projections on Williams' recovery indicate that he is likely to be out until very late in the season and may not return at all. Brenly has not announced a specific plan for covering third other than the possibilities discussed at the time of Williams' injury.

Greg Colbrunn was in the mix for time at third base besides his normal role as back-up first baseman, but he will miss the first two weeks of the season following surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow last week. He should be fully recovered when he returns to the team and is not expected to miss any additional time.

Elsewhere on the team, Todd Stottlemyre, who missed all of last season following a shoulder injury, is experiencing swelling in his shoulder and is likely to miss his first start. The Diamondbacks seem confident that he will not miss more than one start. However, because of the time he will need to rest the shoulder, they do not think he will have worked up to a high enough pitch count in order to start in the first week of the season. Closer Matt Mantei, who underwent Tommy John surgery last June, is still currently expected to return this June.

In a follow up to Wednesday's trade of RHP Jose Cabrera and C Paul Bako to Milwaukee for C Henry Blanco, the Braves traded Eddie Perez to Cleveland for a player to be named later or cash.

This trade should benefit all involved parties. After acquiring Blanco, the Braves weren't going to use Perez. Perez didn't want to be sent to the minors as injury insurance. Meanwhile, with Eddie Taubensee out for at least a month of the regular season with back troubles, the Indians were desperate to find a back-up that wasn't one of their top two catching prospects Josh Bard and Victor Martinez, who should both benefit from needed minor league experience.

Cleveland might have been able to do better by waiting for the inevitable waiver buffet, however now they can begin familiarizing Perez with the pitchers before the season starts. The extra preparation time could avert the transition period that might accompany forcing a new catcher on the pitchers to start the season. Due to Einar Diaz's minor injury troubles, the Indians need to be able to rely on their back-up. They can always pick up an additional back-up or upgrade if they prefer the waiver options. Unless there is a surprise in the PTBNL, they haven't given up much for this increased flexibility.

However, if it turns out that they have given up a player with even minimal potential, they have made a mistake. Other than a quality performance in a little under 150 at-bats in 1998, Perez has provided little offensive production. He has above-average defensive skills and is well-liked by pitchers, but because they could have found a similar alternative on waivers in the next two weeks, he is not worth surrendering a player with any appreciable talent.