Hamstring Might Ultimately Plague Coste's Roster Hopes

The storyline suddenly getting attention is of Chris Coste and his hamstring.

The backup catcher is looking to get back into the swing of things by opening night, but he doesn’t want to rush it.

Now, Coste is somewhat embroiled in a battle with Ronny Paulino for the backup spot. However, in his blog, David Murphy recently wrote Coste was the overwhelming favorite. That’s interesting, considering Paulino is getting playing time and Coste is sitting on the side. I would think Paulino has a great shot at usurping the spot from Coste; moreover, there isn’t a bench spot readily available for Coste to fall back on, as myriad players are fighting for what’s left.

Then there’s the idea of trading Coste. It could happen, but it won’t while Coste is injured. Certainly all this isn’t a giant issue considering the Phils have substantial depth in the back, but one has to wonder how much longer Coste really has in a Phillie uniform.

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.