Ryan Ludwick dislocates right shoulder on head-first slide

The first notable injury of the regular season has occurred and it looks like it will be a significant blow to the Cincinnati Reds offense after outfielder Ryan Ludwick left the team's opener on Monday with a dislocated right shoulder.

The injury occurred in the third inning while Ludwick was running the bases. After Angels starter Jered Weaver uncorked a wild pitch, Shin-Soo Chin raced home and slid around Weaver's attempt tag to score their first run of the season.

Weaver then engaged in a quick and pointless argument with home plate umpire Dale Scott, which led to Ludwick attempting to move up from second to third. He was able to do so did successfully, but an awkward landing on his head-first slide did the damage.

The extent of that damage is not yet known but it certainly didn't look good. Ludwick immediately grimaced upon impact and got to his feet with his right arm dangling by his side. He was also seen mouthing the words "it came out" to the trainer, so there wasn't a whole lot of mystery as to what the ailment actually was.

According to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, an MRI is scheduled for Tuesday to determine the severity of the injury. If he's forced to miss significant time, the Reds would likely turn to Chris Heisey as a regular in the outfield. They also have options in Xavier Paul, prospect Billy Hamilton and even Todd Frazier. Jack Hannahan would then fill-in at third base.

In other words, they have pretty solid depth. It's not an injury that will crush their offense, but it certainly impacts it and puts them in a position where they can't really afford another injury to a key offensive piece.