Wrist Injury Could End Mark DeRosa's Career

Mark DeRosa suffered a nasty -- but strange --  wrist injury during Wednesday night's 8-5 win over the Dodgers that will likely land him on the disabled list and could end his career.

DeRosa, facing a 1-2 count against Clayton Kershaw in the top of the fourth inning , took a ball and then started grabbing his wrist in pain.

"He said it felt like [Dodgers catcher Rod] Barajas grabbed his bat," outfielder Cody Ross said.

You can watch it at MLB.com here and when you do, feel free to figure out exactly what happened.

Because, really, it's hard to tell. DeRosa didn't swing, he didn't check swing, he barely got his swing cocked, and Barajas certainly didn't give his bat a yank.

Regardless, though, it doesn't look like DeRosa, who just recently returned from the disabled list from a previous wrist injury, will be back on the team any time soon.

"It looks like he's going to be out for a while," Manager Bruce Bochy said following the game.

It's possible, too,that DeRosa could simply be done with baseball. He's in the last year of a two-year, $12 million contract that the Giants gave him.

It's a contract which they likely regret giving at this point; even though, as Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com points out, his injuries have been a "damn sad shame" and his leadership has been outstanding.

"He's one of my closest friends on the team," Ross said. "To see a guy go down after battling it for the last year or more -- you could tell instantly he was in pain. I just feel bad for him. Hopefully it's not too bad."

However, those intangibles don't put runs on the board and at this stage of the game, it's probably too late/bad for DeRosa to think eye 2012 with a lot of optimism.

He's played in very few games over the past two seasons, he's 36, he's hitting .162 on the season, he closed out his most recent run of health with an 0-for-23 skid, and as the wrist issues detail, he might not have a lot left in the tank.

But, hey, if he can do in 2011 whatever he did to the Giants clubhouse in 2010, Brian Sabean should think about offering him another two-year deal to keep influencing the rest of the guys on the roster.

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