Third baseman Alex Gordon, who spent nearly half of last season on the disabled list, will apparently start 2010 on the DL as well.

Gordon, who missed 79 games last season after having hip surgery to repair a labral tear on April 17, fractured his right thumb on a head-first slide into second on an unsuccessful attempted steal March 6.

“It was a bang-bang play,” Gordon said. “I couldn’t tell you if it was his foot (Rangers second baseman Joaquin Arias) or the bag, but I hit it. I kind of knew something was up, but I didn’t want to tell myself something was wrong. I tried to play through it.

“It was black and blue and something was popping out, so the doctors looked at it and said we should get an X-ray.”

Gordon, who bats left and throws right, played three…

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Alex Gordon’s make-or-break 2010 season has been derailed .

In the same week that Justin Upton re-upped and signed a six year/$51 million contract—validating his presence in the league—Gordon broke his thumb on a head first slide into second base.  The team has placed a three to four week timetable on his injury.

That should be especially concerning for the Royals, as this was supposed to be the year the one-time franchise centerpiece finally took a step forward and into the same class as fellow 2005 draft picks Upton, Ryan Braun, and Troy Tulowitzki.

This is the second early season injury in as many years for the former prospect, as the gloss on his image appears to be tarnishing.

Even if Gordon is able to return in less than a month, Opening Day is at the beginning of April leaving him with no Spring Training to prepare for the season.

The Royals have stated that they anticipate this recent injury will sideline Gordon three to four weeks.  In actuality, it will set him back far further than that.

Gordon, an offensive powerhouse his entire life until he arrived in Kansas City, has been called out for poor plate discipline while possessing a consistent hole in his swing. He was able to cover these issues up while playing against inferior talent, but once he began facing the worlds best on a regular basis he was exposed.

Gordon worked out hard this off season in order to overcome this bump in the road and last season’s hip injury. A week ago, hitting coach Kevin Seitzer told the Kansas City Star that Gordon was as strong as he had seen him:

“I felt that he was 75 percent ready last year going into the season,” Seitzer said. “The last 25 percent polishing was going to be in the season—applying it; the rubber meeting the road once he went up against live pitching.’

“Right now, I feel like he is 90 percent.”

Then Saturday happened.

Alex Gordon broke the most important digit on his most important hand.  Given his left handed swing, his right hand is the driving hand on the bat while his left hand guides the stroke.  When the ball impacts the barrel of the bat, inertia slightly recoils the bat and drives it into the hand between the thumb and pointer finger. 

It is possible to hit a baseball with a weakened thumb on the driving hand, but providing power is another story.  Inside pitches become jam jobs more easily and hitting a pitch on the outside corner becomes a daunting task as bat control is compromised.

These are major problems for a power hitter with a history of high strikeout totals.

So, what are the Royals options at this point?

Trey Hillman has insisted he intends on finding 500 at-bats for Alberto Callaspo despite his apparent preference for playing Chris Getz at second base.

Hillman likely just found a bunch of those at bats.

Alex Gordon may have set himself back months with this injury.  Jose Guillen’s presence—in spite of the recent cut Jose Guillen grassroots campaign among some Royal loyalists—helps create a healthy spring competition brewing between Callaspo, Guillen, Josh Fields, and David DeJesus regarding the starting right field, third base, and designated hitter* positions. 

*Kila Ka’aihue SHOULD be in the conversation for DH at bats, but likely isn’t.

Losing can lead to complacency, and competition is key when attempting to motivate complacent millionaires. When Alex Gordon returns, five upside players will be fighting between three positions—and if DeJesus loses out in right field and DH, he will most likely press Scott Podsednik for playing time in left.

Options.  Options.  Options.  This is what the Royals have lagged in past seasons.

The franchise may not be where it needs to be, but it has thankfully progressed beyond the point of replacing an injured Emil Brown with a Shane Costa.

As a Royals apologist, this is where I insist this is proof that general manager Dayton Moore’s “process” is working.

As a Royals critic, this is where I state that the rebuilding process is taking far too long.

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Back in mid-February, I wrote that 2010 was a big year for Kansas City Royals’ third baseman Alex Gordon . I really think that Gordon needs to have a big 2010 season in order to avoid the looming calls that he is a bust.

Gordon might have that big season in 2010, but he certainly is not off to a good start.

The Royals’ third baseman broke his right thumb sliding head first into second base in Saturday’s Cactus League game against the Texas Rangers. Gordon is expected to be out three-to-four weeks.

As my grandma would say, “Oy vey.” Last year it was his hip, and now it’s his thumb. It just seems like Gordon, and the entire Royals organization for that matter, just can’t catch a break.

A guy in Gordon’s position needs as much time on the field as possible. I am really pulling for him, so hopefully he can get back on the diamond and start to play like the player that made him the No. 2 pick in the 2005 draft.

In the meantime, look for Alberto Callaspo and newly acquired Josh Fields to get playing time at third in Gordon’s absence. This could be the break that Fields needs to prove he is still capable of being an everyday player.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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Royals third baseman Alex Gordon is expected to be sidelined for three to four weeks with a broken right thumb. Gordon was injured when he slid headfirst into second base on an attempted steal in the second inning of the Royals' 2-1 victory over the Texas Rangers on Saturday. Gordon had hip surgery last April and played in only 49 games, hitting .232 with six homers and 22 RBIs.