Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins' 2014 has been incredibly solid, considering Rollins' age and difficult position. After becoming the Phillies' all-time hits leader, the veteran Rollins continued his solid play, manning shortstop with the best of them. On Monday night, Rollins' season could be in doubt. Rollins exited Mondays' game in the fourth inning after hitting the fourth triple of his season.
The injury is described as a hamstring strain, the Phillies released to reporters:
Jimmy Rollins left with a left hamstring strain, according to Phillies
— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyCSN) September 9, 2014
The injury could bring about an interesting caveat: Rollins' status for 2015.
According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, ending a season on the disabled list could invoke a mutal option:
2015 option guaranteed at $11M with 1) 600 plate appearances in 2014 or 2) 1,100 PAs in 2013-14 and Rollins is not on disabled list at end of 2014 season (or if he is on the DL, a mutually agreed upon doctor deems him available for Opening Day 2015)
So, Rollins could conceivably end up without a guarantee for 2015.
Two things could happen if Rollins does indeed end the season on the disabled list:
- Rollins could walk away
- The Phillies could decide to go in another direction
With a long history with each other, I do not think that either side would decline next season. However, if Rollins really wished to choose another team to play for in 2015, I do not think the Phillies would stand in his way. While the Phillies look to get younger and rebuild, they could tolerate Freddy Galvis entering the season as the starting shortstop. However, I would guess they prefer Rollins remains a lifelong Phillie.
