Montreal placed OF-R Vladimir Guerrero on the disabled list on Friday. Guerrero reportedly first noticed a problem with his back in early May, but prior to the 26th, he was able to play through the discomfort. He sat from May 27th through June 2nd, before re-entering the lineup for two games. Unfortunately, he clearly wasn't himself in those games, so the Expos ordered an MRI, which revealed that he was dealing with a herniated disc in his lower back and not merely a muscle strain.

After seeking a second opinion, the 27-year-old has decided to first attempt intensive therapy before thinking about surgery. While therapy likely won't restore him to health in less than six weeks, Montreal believes they will be able to tell after two weeks if the therapy is working and surgery can be avoided. If he needs surgery, he probably won't rejoin the team until mid-August and he could be out for the season.

The Expos called up UT-L Edwards Guzman to replace Guerrero on the roster. At the time of his call-up Guzman was hitting .352 with a .372 OBP and .460 SLG on 75 H, 12 2B, 1 3B, and 3 HR with an 8:18 BB:K and 5/6 SB% in 213 AB at AAA Edmonton in the Pacific Coast League. Unfortunately, much of the 26-year-old's success can be attributed to playing in the hitter-friendly parks of the PCL in his fifth year at AAA. I don't expect much from him at the plate in the majors. His position flexibility is a nice bonus, as he can play anywhere on the field including behind the plate.

OF-L Ron Calloway is expected to pick up most of Guerrero's playing time. Calloway usually displays decent plate discipline as well as marginal power and speed skills. Montreal isn't going to come close to replacing Guerrero's production with Calloway, but Calloway shouldn't be a black hole in the lineup. However, prospect OF-L Terrmel Sledge is tearing up AAA and possesses the skills to back up his performance, so the Expos could easily decide to call him up. If promoted, Sledge likely would spend the rest of the season in the majors, regardless of when Guerrero returns and baring a major slump, because Sledge immediately should be an upgrade over all of Montreal outfielders with the probable exception of Guerrero and OF-L Brad Wilkerson.

While making the Guerrero move, Montreal also attempted to send Jeff Liefer to the minors through waivers. However, the Expos lost Liefer to Tampa Bay, who claimed him with plans to plug him in at third against right-handed pitchers. Liefer hit .193 with a .217 OBP and .330 SLG on 17 H, 3 2B, and 3 HR with a 3:26 BB:K and 0/1 SB% in 88 AB for Montreal. The 29-year-old has displayed stronger plate discipline in the past and should have provided more production for the Expos, but given his current trends, I don't know if he'll be of any use to the Devil Rays. 1B-R Wil Cordero took over the majority of the first base playing time a month ago and likely will simply absorb the remainder of it now. Wilkerson should cover first when Cordero is unavailable.

LHP Anthony Ferrari replaced Liefer on the roster. Montreal drafted Ferrari out of Lewis-Clark State College with their 44th round pick of the 2000 draft. He reported to Vermont in the Short-Season New York-Pennsylvania League after the draft and then spent 2001 at A+ Jupiter in the Florida State League. Although he spent all of last year at AA Harrisburg in the Eastern League, he returned there to open 2003. Following an impressive start to the season, he quickly advanced to AAA Edmonton in the Pacific Coast League. As he'd done at AA, the 24-year-old reliever was displaying some command struggles in his first exposure to AAA when the Expos promoted him. With lefties Joey Eischen and Scott Stewart already in the pen, Ferrari isn't likely to receive a lot of work, and given his limited AAA experience, he's also likely to return to the minors if he runs into any significant trouble.

Vlad isn't the only player Montreal's recently lost to injury. RHP Zach Day hit the disabled list on May 31st. Day collided with Wil Cordero during his May 28th start and then remained in the game despite soreness in his right shoulder. The Expos originally believed he was only troubled by inflammation in the joint, but yesterday and MRI revealed a small tear in his rotator cuff. Surgery currently is not planned and Day hopes to rejoin the club after 6-8 weeks, but that estimate seems very optimistic to me. If he rushes his return, Day easily could sputter through a few starts before heading back to the DL at which point he may need surgery.

Montreal originally called up Sun Woo Kim to replace Day on the roster and in the rotation. However, Kim's first start went poorly, which led the Expos to send him back to AAA, as they wanted a fresh arm for the bullpen. RHP Julio Manon replaced Kim on the roster. Manon's bounced around the minors for the last dozen years, but this promotion is his first to the majors. While he's worked as a starter for most of the last few years, the Expos moved him back to relief at AAA this season. The 29-year-old should pitch effectively and can be used for multiple inning appearances. Montreal hasn't chosen a fifth starter yet.