This time last year, Grady Sizemore was considered Cleveland's Iron Horse.
The speedy center fielder missed just seven games from 2005-08. He played every day in 2006 and 2007; a sprained ankle in April 2008 snapped his consecutive games-played streak at 382.
That all changed in 2009 when a groin injury, elbow problems, and a hernia limited Sizemore to just 106 games. In what was supposed to be his prime, age-27 season, he set career lows in just about every category.
While some have expressed doubts that Sizemore will be able to pull off a complete rebound in 2010, we Tribe fans have coddled ourselves with the notion that he will at the very least be healthy this year.
But like every shred of hope Cleveland sports teams give us, our illusions were dashed; Sizemore was scratched from the lineup with a stiff back on Sunday.
Now, I'm not panicking or trying to sound the alarm—this very well could be an isolated incident, and at this point we have no reason to believe that he can't still play 161 games.
But it should serve as a wake-up call to the Indians: we need a contingency plan in case Sizemore's injury woes continue.
Here's a look at seven players who, in a worst-case scenario, could be asked to fill Sizemore's shoes.
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