ChiSox MVP candidate Quentin out indefinitely with broken wrist

CHICAGO -- American League home run leader Carlos Quentin has a broken right wrist stemming from his own temper, and the Chicago White Sox left fielder will have surgery Monday that could sideline him for the rest of the season.

Quentin was injured Monday night in Cleveland. After fouling off a pitch while batting against Cliff Lee, Quentin hit his right hand on the bat as he was holding it with his left.

"What did happen was kind of unfortunate. It's kind of something that, you know, I still have trouble believing that it happened that way," Quentin said Friday.

"My last at-bat, the second pitch I fouled off against Lee. Something I've done thousands of times since I was a kid. A little frustrated. I had the bat in my left hand and I just kind of hit down on the bat head with my right hand with a closed fist. I kind of hit a little bit low, nicked my wrist and finished the at-bat.

"Forty minutes later, I started feeling something in my wrist. I woke up the next morning and that was that. Something I've done a lot, and unfortunately it hit the bone perfectly. Not a good spot."

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen also said he doesn't expect third baseman Joe Crede to play again this season because of a bad back.

But the big news involved Quentin, who was removed from the lineup before Tuesday's game and sat out Wednesday. During the surgery, a screw will be inserted into the wrist, and he will be re-evaluated in two to three weeks. Quentin is batting .288 with 36 homers and 100 RBI.

Carlos Quentin on injury: 'I still have trouble believing that it happened that way.' (US Presswire)

"The last two days we've gone over every scenario possible, every option possible. We've explored everything that would allow me to get on the field as fast as possible," Quentin said. "We're going with this option because it gives me a chance to get back on the field."

Quentin said he was also assured this approach would not have any long-range consequences for his wrist.

"It's unfortunate the way it happened. Players have to learn from that. Every time you get frustrated at the plate and all of the sudden you use you hands or your body, you're not going to win that one," Guillen said.

"You're always going to get hurt. And you're just not hurting yourself; you're hurting the ballclub. Right now, we just have to move on. We played two ballgames without him; we won one. I think we still have a strong lineup in the middle, and somebody has to pick it up."

Quentin came to the White Sox in an offseason trade with Arizona after an injury-filled 2007 season. He had shoulder surgery last October and after the December trade had to fight for a spot in spring training.

But unexpectedly, he blossomed into the team's surprising star, and Chicago has been on top in the AL Central for 127 days this season. Quentin also was picked for AL All-Star team.