Andre Ethier Injury Fallout

With the news that Andre Ethier fractured his pinkie, the likely, and smart outcome, is a DL stint. There's no reason to send Ethier out with an injured finger, which Dre himself has said would be affected when holding the bat (via True Blue L.A.):

"It's a flexion thing,'' he said. "I kind of position that pinky right above the knob, and it's a leverage point in my swing.''

The next question is who replaces Andre in the line-up. Garret Anderson, Reed Johnson, and Xavier Paul are the options. Though Paul has spent most of the year in AAA, this is an extremely easy decision.

Anderson's OBP .161, Johnson checks in at .233, and Paul sports the high-water mark at .323. Paul is also the best defender, has an absolute cannon for an arm, can play all three outfield positions well, and has upside, even though his best chance to start would be as a one-year gap filler until other prospects are ready to advance.

Johnson is a decent 4th OF, and Anderson is, of course, awful. He's a bad defender, can't hit, doesn't get on-base, has never walked, and is a walking corpse of a man.

Do the right thing Joe, and start Xavier Paul, assuming his injury suffered the same day as Ethier's wasn't serious. And if by chance it was bad enough to prevent him from coming up and playing, start Johnson.