Boles was a player development guy before he was a major league manager, and he still looks at talent beneath the surface in guys like Lee. But believe me, Boles' loyalty to Lee alone would not be enough to keep him in the lineup and on the 25-man roster. And I say that because, if it was, they'd have no reason not to put him on the disabled list. The soreness lingered and he wasn't able to swing forcefully when he tried to play last week, so the Marlins have kept him out of the lineup until the pain is gone. I do believe the injury was more severe than they originally believed, and than Lowell believed, because both he and the team thought he'd be back after a couple of days.
Some injuries just are hard to predict.
Otherwise, you'll have your answer. VERY impressive season he's having, and everyone has taken notice in the Marlins' front office. The pick looks like an astute one by Scouting Director Al Avila and his staff, who have done a hell of a job since taking over the draft operation a couple years ago. Getting back to Gonzalez, it's still a ways to go from Kane County to the majors, but depending upon his development course and the Marlins' need, he could be in the bigs as soon as, oh, late in the 2002 season. More likely, I'd put 2003 as a realistic target.