Doctor, give me the news: Roy Halladay out 6 to 8 weeks

Another Phillie bites the dust.

The team placed Roy Halladay on the
15-day disabled list yesterday with a right latissimus dorsi strain. The
move is retroactive to May 28.

Halladay is expected to miss 6-8
weeks and he won’t resume baseball-related activities for three weeks,
according to GM Ruben Amaro, Jr.

“When you miss somebody like
Halladay and the guys we have out, your team really misses them … but
there is nothing you can do until they get healthy and come back so what
are you going to do?,” skipper Charlie Manuel said.

Halladay (4-5,
3.98 ERA) left last Sunday’s start after two innings due to a sore right
shoulder. The right-hander said he first started feeling discomfort in
his previous start against Washington.

Halladay hasn’t been to the DL
since suffering a groin injury in 2009. In 2004, he made two DL stints
with a nagging shoulder injury.

Erik Kratz was recalled from Triple-A
Lehigh to fill his spot. Kratz, 31, is hitting .250 with one homer in
four games for the Phillies this season.

Halladay was scheduled to pitch Saturday against Miami, but they haven’t named a replacement yet.

Replacing Roy

With Halladay out for 6-8 weeks, the Phils are in need of a No. 5 starter. Here are the leading candidates:

Roy Oswalt: Phils scouted him, but MLB.com reported yesterday that Little Roy had a deal in place with Texas.

Scott Elarton: Hasn’t pitched in the bigs since 2008, but holding 5-1 record with an 2.98 ERA in Triple-A.

Dave Bush: Hometown kid is perfect spot starter, but how many spots can he fill?

Brett Myers: No, let’s not start this rumor again.