Kyle Russell prepares to bat as the Lookouts play the Tennessee Smokies at AT&T Field in this file photo.The Chattanooga Lookouts just got a little more inexperienced at the plate.
Outfielder Kyle Russell, who is in his third season with the Lookouts and leads the team with a .325 batting average, went on the disabled list Tuesday afternoon with an oblique strain that he suffered Monday night. Chattanooga could have used more punch Tuesday night, falling 4-2 to Birmingham before an announced crowd of 3,877 at AT&T Field.
“This is the first time I’ve been on the DL in my whole career,” the 25-year-old Russell said after the Lookouts slipped to 6-7. “It’s new to me, and I’ve always heard about oblique strains and how they feel. It was a little rough trying to get out of bed this morning.
“I’m on the seven-day DL right now, so hopefully I’ll be able to rock and roll in about a week.”
Russell, the top power-hitter prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization according to Baseball America, grimaced Monday following a fourth-inning strikeout but stayed in for two more at-bats, one of which was his team-high fourth double. The 6-foot-5, 185-pounder also leads the Lookouts with a .575 slugging percentage.