The good news is that the Philadelphia Phillies are saying that Moyer doesn’t have any serious medical conditions.

“He’s quite fine,” said Michael Ciccotti to MLB.com, the team’s physician. “He’s walking. He’s eating. He’s completely comfortable and fine.”

After a fantastic 2008 campaign, Moyer wasn’t as sharp in 2009. He had a 4.94 ERA with a record of 12-10. Following Philadelphia’s signing of Pedro Martinez, Moyer was moved to the bullpen.

The 47-year-old Moyer is the older player in all of baseball. He’s under contract for next season. That said, these latest medical issues have to put his baseball future under question. The team still insists that Moyer should be ready for spring training, however a retirement announcement wouldn’t be too surprising.

Jamie Moyer was hospitalized on Wednesday (Image: Zuma Press)

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On Thursday, Lee scored the game-tying run in the top of the ninth inning after Jeff Baker hit a homer with two outs to give the Cubs the lead over the San Francisco Giants. As Lee and Baker entered the dugout, teammates were celebrating.

During that celebration, Guzman greeted Lee with a helmet slap. The problem? The helmet slapped caused Lee to suffer neck spasms. Lee was then forced to leave the game and he wasn’t in the lineup for Friday’s contest.

As it stands, the Cubs are 80-73 and out of the playoff chase. Good thing there is always next year. That will be the year the curse ends. Right, Cubs fans?

Derrek Lee Injured by a Celebratory Helmet Slap (Image: Zuma Press)

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With Morneau out for the season, don’t expect the Twins to make the 2009 baseball playoffs. They are 5.5 games out with a record of 72-72. Save for a monumental collapse by the Tigers, the Twins will have to wait another season to make postseason noise.

On the season, Morneau finished with 30 homers, 100 RBIs and a batting average of .274. The 28-year-old from Canada finished with at least 20 homers and 100 RBIs for the fourth consecutive season.

Morneau, who won the American League MVP in 2006, should be healthy by spring training. No surgery is planned at this point.

Said Morneau: “I’m being shut down for three months but it’s also something that should heal on its own.”

Justin Morneau - Minnesota Twins (Image: Zuma Press)

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Obviously, this is potential very bad news for the San Francisco Giants. Although manager Bruce Bochy thinks that Lincecum will be ready after only a couple of days, any type of setback would likely doom the Giants’ chances in the NL Wild Card race.

As it stands, the Giants trail the Colorado Rockies by three games for a spot in the 2009 baseball playoffs. The Rockies have won five games in a row, while the Giants have lost four of their last ten ballgames.

On the season, Lincecum is 13-5 with a 2.34 ERA. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner has a chance to win that award for a second straight year if he has a strong finish to the 2009 campaign. However, this back injury will likely slow him down enough to take him out of the running. Now the Giants need to hope that the injury doesn’t take them out of the NL Wild Card running.

Tim Lincecum - San Francisco Giants (Image: Zuma Press)

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While Hamilton has talked about missing a few weeks, the Rangers believe he can be back sooner than that. In fact, Texas is holding out hope that their slugger can return by this weekend.

On the season, Hamilton is hitting .270 with ten homers, 49 RBIs and 43 runs. Compared to his near MVP season last year, his numbers this year are disappointing. That said, the Rangers are desperate to get him back in the lineup. As of late, scouts have commented that Hamilton has looked better than he has all season.

Without Hamilton, it’ll be difficult for the Rangers to make the playoffs. As it stands, the Rangers are 76-60 and trail the Boston Red Sox by 2.5 games in the AL Wild Card race.

Josh Hamilton - Texas Rangers (Image: Zuma Press)

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Even when healthy this season, Soriano didn’t do much to justify his $17 million salary. For the year, he’s hitting .241 with 20 homers, 64 runs and 55 RBIs. In fact, 2009 could go down as Soriano’s worst year since becoming an everyday Major League Baseball player in 2001 for the New York Yankees.

While the Cubs are technically in second place in the NL Central, it is hardly a race, The St. Louis Cardinals lead the division by 11.5 games and show no signs of slowing down. Chicago at 67-66 are the only other team in the division over .500.

All things considered, don’t expect to see Soriano again this season. The Cubs have too much invested in him and will instead let him rest up for 2010.

Don't expect to see Alfonso Soriano in a Cubs uniform again this season (Image: Zuma Press)

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“For them to tell me there’s a good chance I’ll be available the last two weeks,” said Young, “that’s great news to me.”

Arguably the best player on the Rangers, Young has hit .322 with 22 homers, 67 RBIs and 76 runs this season. The loss of Young goes beyond the numbers.

“There’s no way to replace Michael,” explained outfielder Marlon Byrd. “He’s the leader.”

For the Rangers to stay alive in the AL Wild Card race, they will have to find a way to replace their third baseman. Currently, they are 2.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox. If Texas slumps at all, they could be met with the end of their 2009 baseball playoff chances.

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In his career, which dates all the way back to the 1988 season with the Montreal Expos, he has only ten relief appearances. He last appeared out of the bullpen with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2001 campaign.

On the season, the Big Unit has an ERA of 4.81 and a record of 8-6. The biggest moment of the season was when the 45-year-old won his 300th game. He now has a career record of 303-166.

At the moment, the Giants are tied with the Colorado Rockies in the NL Wild Card race with records of 72-59. If Johnson can return — even as a reliever — he’ll give the Giants a boost that may be enough to lead the team into the 2009 MLB postseason.

Said Johnson: “It would be nice to come back in some capacity and help the team.”

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Oliver Perez - New York Mets (Image: Zuma Press)

Unlike David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado, who are also on the disabled list, the Mets likely won’t miss Perez much. After signing a three-year contract worth $36 million in the offseason, Perez has been horrible. In 14 starts, Perez had an ERA of 6.82 and a WHIP of 1.92.

The Mets have to hope that Perez’s knee, which has been bothering him for most of the season, led to his poor pitching. If not, they’ll have to spend $24 million in the next two years on a sub par pitcher.

With a record of 57-70 at the moment, the Mets are already looking forward to a better — and healthier — season next year.

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The good news for Santana is that this surgery is relatively minor. The Mets fully expect their ace to be ready to go at the start of next season’s spring training. In fact, Santana had a similar procedure prior to the 2003 season.

For the Mets, they’ve dealt with a number of injuries all season — Santana is just the latest setback. Considering that the playoffs are no longer a realistic option, expect New York to start sitting most of their players.

On the season, Santana has a 3.13 ERA and a record of 13-9. He struggled in June but bounced back and was pitching well in July and August. Expect the 30-year-old left-hander to return strong once again next year.

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