On Friday, Bruce Chen hit A.J. Pierzynski on the right wrist with a pitch. This is because Chen is a pitcher, and pitchers aren't perfect. It wasn't because he empathized for the common fan, the ticket-buying shlub who will never know what it's like to hit Pierzynski with a projectile. Chen wasn't trying to allow us to live vicariously through him. Put away those conspiracy theories and urban legends.
But no one would have wished the outcome of the HBP on Pierzynski: after the initial x-rays came back negative, further tests showed a fractured right wrist, and the White Sox placed the catcher on the 15-day DL. It's a tough blow for Pierzynski, who was having a very nice season with the bat. There's no word yet on how long he could be out, but fractured wrists often take four to six weeks to heal.
The White Sox recalled catcher Donny Lucy from AAA, where he was hitting .158/.233/.256 in 133 at-bats, but the bulk of the playing time will go to Tyler Flowers as the White Sox continue their fight to reach first place in the A.L. Central.