Mariano Rivera and 10 Most Crushing Injuries to MLB Playoff Hopes

Of all the things the New York Yankees expected to have happen this season, I doubt anyone stopped to consider the possibility of Mariano Rivera tearing his ACL while shagging fly balls.

Shocking, to be sure. But as I wrote yesterday, bad luck was bound to catch up with Mo at some point. He should consider himself lucky that he got to enjoy a Hall of Fame career before the injury bug decided to take a bite out of his knee.

The Bombers' postseason hopes have taken a big hit, make no mistake about that. He's only one player, but he was a pretty darn important player. His absence will make life awfully tough for the Bombers.

They can get in line there. Numerous other clubs around the league have seen their postseason chances take a hit due to major injuries to star players.

Here's a countdown of the 10 most devastating injuries so far this season.

10. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF, Boston Red Sox

Jacoby Ellsbury was arguably the best player in the American League last season. He was a well-rounded force offensively, and he also won his first Gold Glove.

Ellsbury suffered a freak injury sliding into second base during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 13th. He went in hard trying to break up a double play, and Rays shortstop Reid Brignac just happened to fall on Ellsbury's shoulder.

The Red Sox placed Ellsbury on the disabled list pretty much immediately with a "partially" dislocated shoulder, according to the Associated Press.

At last check, a report from the Boston Herald claimed Ellsbury was making progress. He could very well be back before the All-Star break. In the meantime, Mike Aviles will continue to fill in at leadoff, a role he has handled very well to this point.

Considering what happened to him in 2010, things could be worse for Ellsbury and the Red Sox, hence the reason he ranks so low on this list.

9. Mat Gamel, 1B, Milwaukee Brewers

This was the year Mat Gamel was finally going to get a shot to prove he could cut it as an everyday first baseman in the major leagues. With Prince Fielder out in Milwaukee, Gamel was in.

Gamel's batting average got as high as .298 on April 20th. He wasn't hitting for much power, but he certainly wasn't embarrassing himself.

Gamel had to leave Milwaukee's game against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday, and word has since come out (via MLB.com) that he needs to have surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right knee. He's going to miss a significant portion of the regular season, maybe even all of it.

His injury cripples an already weak Milwaukee offense, as the Brewers start Friday among the worst teams in the majors in terms of batting average and on-base percentage. Just as important, the Brewers are going to need to find a steady presence to use at first base.

If Milwaukee's pitching doesn't come around, the Brewers are going to fall out of the NL Central race in a hurry.

8. Chris Carpenter, SP, St. Louis Cardinals

There's really no overstating how important Chris Carpenter was for the St. Louis Cardinals last season. He picked up an Adam Wainwright-less starting rotation by pitching an NL-high 237.1 innings, and he tacked on another 36 innings in the postseason.

Carpenter has yet to take the mound this season due to neck and right shoulder woes, and it's uncertain exactly when he'll be able to do so. A recent report from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch claims he could return in June, but that's an optimistic prognosis.

The only reason Carpenter isn't a lot higher on this list is because Lance Lynn has been excellent filling in for him, and St. Louis' rotation as a whole has been much better than advertised. Only the Washington Nationals have gotten better work out of their starting pitchers this season.

Will the Cardinals keep it up? I doubt it. Lynn, Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook have overachieved so far this season. Once they come back down to earth, the Cardinals will be missing Carpenter.

7. Brian Wilson, RP, San Francisco Giants

Between 2008 and 2011, Brian Wilson saved more games than any closer in baseball. He didn't always save games cleanly, but he got the job done more often than not.

It was clear early on this season that something was up with Wilson, so it came as no surprise when he had to go get his right elbow checked out by Dr. James Andrews.

Sure enough, it was determined that Wilson needed to have Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career. He's done for the season, according to the Associated Press.

Fortunately, the Giants have one of the deepest and most talented bullpens in the majors. Things will be adventurous without Wilson, but the Giants' bullpen is not going to fall apart at the seams without him.

He will, however, be missed in high-pressure games, and there are only going to be more and more of those as the season progresses.

At least Wilson is staying positive. This tweet is a classic:

"

Surgery was perfect. Borrowed ligament from my ol' pal Sasquatch. Only side effects: hairy arm and I talk like a wookie bit.ly/JHg9lF

— Brian Wilson (@BrianWilson38) April 26, 2012"

Random side note: The Wookie language is known as "Shyriiwook."

6. Evan Longoria, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays

Evan Longoria was my pick to win the American League MVP this year, and he obliged my trust in him by getting off to a fantastic start. Entering play on Monday, he was hitting .325 with four home runs and 19 RBI.

On Monday, Longo suffered a partially torn left hamstring while running the bases. According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Longoria is out 6-8 weeks.

The Rays are going to miss Longoria. They've been surprisingly good offensively this season, but there's just not much they can do to replace Longo's production in the middle of the order. They're likely going to have to revert to the small-ball style of play that they used to be known for.

Thanks to their pitching, the Rays likely won't completely fall off the map in the weeks to come. They will, however, go through some tough times without Longoria, and those tough times will loom large late in the season when the AL East race is at its tightest.

5. Ryan Madson, RP, Cincinnati Reds

When the Reds signed Ryan Madson this offseason, they were set up for success. With him in the ninth and Sean Marshall in the eighth, the Reds were going to have one of the top relief tandems in the National League.

Madson, who signed a one-year contract, may never throw a pitch for the Reds. He too had to have Tommy John surgery, and he'll be out for the entire 2012 season, according to MLBlogs.com.

With Madson out, the Reds are using Marshall as their closer. He's been just okay closing games for them, as he has a 4.82 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP in 10 appearances. He'd be better off in the eighth inning.

Sadly, the Reds really don't have any better options. In addition, Madson's injury created a need for Aroldis Chapman in the bullpen. He should be starting, but he's proven to be an invaluable asset coming out of the bullpen.

Put simply, Madson has had a pretty big impact on Cincinnati's pitching staff as a whole. Their pitching has been okay, but not as good as it could have been.

4. Andrew Bailey, RP, Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox knew they had to find a closer as soon as Jonathan Papelbon bolted for Philadelphia early in the offseason. It took some time, but GM Ben Cherington eventually solved the problem by trading for injury-prone reliever Andrew Bailey.

Sure enough, Bailey got injured again. He suffered a thumb injury that called for reconstructive surgery. He has since been placed on the 60-day disabled list, per Rotoworld. According to a report from Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe, Bailey won't start throwing again until late May, and his return is still a few months away.

So why is Bailey's injury more devastating than Brian Wilson's or Ryan Madson's?

Have you see the Red Sox's bullpen? It's a disaster.

Alfredo Aceves has been highly unpredictable in place of Bailey, and Boston's bullpen is horribly short on talented relievers with Bailey out. Fewer teams have less bullpen depth than the Red Sox, and that's already cost them a few wins.

It's bound to cost them more wins before Bailey returns.

3. Michael Pineda, SP, New York Yankees

Think back, if you will, to the day the Yankees traded Jesus Montero for Michael Pineda. That very same day, they signed Hiroki Kuroda.

At that point, their rotation went from being a major weakness to a major strength, and Pineda in particular seemed to be a huge addition. He'd had a very strong rookie season with Seattle in 2011, and he was coming to New York with plenty of room to grow.

It was evident in spring training that all of us spoke too soon. Pineda showed up looking like a blimp, and his velocity was nowhere near what it was like in Seattle. Eventually, it was determined that he had to start the season on the disabled list, and word came out last week from Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News that Pineda would have to miss the entire season with a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

New York's rotation, which was supposed to be a strength, now has a 5.85 ERA. Things would be different with a healthy Pineda in the mix, but so much for that. With this rotation, the Yankees are going to have a tough time qualifying for the postseason.

If they do make the postseason, the Bombers' rotation will be an even bigger problem. Outside of CC Sabathia, who can be trusted?

2. Mariano Rivera, RP, New York Yankees

We come at last to the man himself, Mariano Rivera.

Rivera just doesn't get hurt. He's a guy that's always going to be there, so there's no need for the Yankees to worry about him.

Or so we thought. Fate decided to teach the Yankees a cruel lesson during batting practice on Thursday. A misplaced step tore up Rivera's right knee, taking him out of New York's plans for the rest of the season.

The Yankees began Thursday with one of the deepest and most talented bullpens in the majors. And given the problems they have in their rotation, having a deep and talented bullpen was absolutely vital to the Bombers' success this season.

With Rivera out, the Yankees' bullpen is significantly less deeper and significantly less talented. David Robertson should do fine filling in for him, but the bridge to him is not particularly strong. Holding onto leads will not be as easy as it was when the Yanks had Rivera to call on.

His absence will surely lead to a few missed opportunities, and those missed opportunities will hurt the Yankees in the long run.

1. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies

I'm lumping Chase Utley and Ryan Howard together because their injuries are kinda joined at the hip. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Howard, of course, has been injured since the final out of the Phillies' loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS. Everyone knew he was going to be out for a long time once it was reported that he had a torn Achilles tendon, and his road back to full health has not been a smooth one.

According to Stephania Bell of ESPN.com, the Phillies really don't have a timetable for Howard's return, though it's possible he could be back before the All-Star break.

Utley's path to recovery is similarly hard to predict. He's got serious problems with his knees, and it's become clear that they're never going to heal completely.

This passage from Bell's article is particularly worrisome:

"

It would appear [Utley] is still quite a ways off from game action and he remains without a formal timetable. Each advancement is predicated on Utley remaining relatively symptom-free from one phase to the next, something no one can predict.

"

The Howard/Utley situation is best summed up with two words: Who knows?

Nobody has any clue when they will be back. And when (if?) they do come back, nobody has any clue if they'll produce like they used to.

The situation doesn't bode well for the Phillies at all.