2009 INJURIES: TB's Pena done for the season (broken fingers)

[pebadger]

Alan Embree of the Rockies out for the year after a line drive breaks his tibia.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4320650

[brewdude15]

Quite a roller coaster week for Embree...gets the easiest possible victory in baseball...then gets a season-ending injury.

 

I don't think the Rockies will miss his 5.84 ERA that much...

[trwi7]

Jay Bruce has a fractured wrist.

(edited to add link from Reds' website - hawing)

[crewcrazy]

Two All-Star injuries, according to Rotoworld. Should be interesting to see who the replacements will be.

 

Jonathan Broxton will not be participating in the All-Star Game due to an "ailing big toe."

The Dodgers noticed him limping after giving up two runs in Friday's game. Broxton will see a doctor, and it is not clear how long the injury might knock him out for. He is feeling pain when he plants his foot to throw, which can affect velocity and control. Broxton is 6-0 with a 3.10 ERA on the year, but has given up five earned runs in his last two outings, suggesting the big toe may be the culprit.

 

X-rays on Matt Cain's arm showed no break after he was hit by a comebacker during Saturday's game.

He's day-to-day with a bruise. The Giants probably won't want him pitching in the All-Star Game even though the injury doesn't figure to cost him any additional time, but we'll know for sure on Sunday.

[brewdude15]

Trevor Hoffman and Yovani Gallardo.

 

 

What? It's not like they HAVE to pitch....

[TooLiveBrew]

Neault's takes on Bruce & Broxton

 

Jay Bruce is out for as few as 6 weeks and as many as 8 weeks, as he suffered a fractured left wrist while diving for a ball over the weekend. His wrist jarred awkwardly (and quite forcefully) into extension, which is one of the most common ways to sustain a carpal bone (wrist) fracture - and often time results in a Colles Fracture (fracture of the distal radius about 4 cm proximal to the joint line). The fact that his fracture is close to the joint line (perhaps not requiring surgery) and the fact that they were looking for more ligamentous/tendon injury points to a carpal fracture (most likely a Lunate, but not certain here) instead of a Colles fracture.

 

The only good news here is that there was no apparent tendon or ligament damage, which is hard to believe given the trauma seen on instant replay. Nonetheless, he is out for the better part of two months. While the Reds lose one of their top power threats, he has been truly awful in terms of batting average and overall OPS. While he is still an elite talent capable of hitting 35 HR every year, he clearly has a lot of adjustments to make at the major league level.

 

...

As I said before , until you correct the biomechanical flaw in Jonathan Broxton 's foot, the nerve pain will return. And it has. I think it is time for the Dodgers to look seriously at getting him a pair of full-contact, custom orthotics, which would effectively decrease the pressure in the webspace between his digits (toes). Heck, I will even make them for him. It's worth a shot, since all of the Cortisone injections in the world will not help. Look for Broxton to be used sparingly until this is all sorted out, with Ramon Troncoso nabbing some saves from time to time.

[TooLiveBrew]

Geovany Soto is on the 15-day DL retroactive to July 7 after a MRI showed that he has a strained left oblique. He injured the oblique during batting practice, so this will surely be a slow-healing injury due to the mechanism of injury and subsequent reaggravation of it that will likely occur. He has struggled through most of the '09 season, though he did launch 6 HR in June. He also has had off-the-field issues, as he was caught for testing positive for Marijuana during the WBC. He'll probably be back around the first of August...

...

Ryan Doumit

was activated from the DL and can be safely added or activated in all leagues. He is going to be rusty to start off, as he is coming back from a fairly serious wrist fracture. As we well know, wrist injuries tend to create some difficulty with handling tough pitches.

...

Torii Hunter

is on the DL with a hip adductor (groin) strain. Pushing off to run will be quite difficult with this particular diagnosis, so the speedy outfielder will have to take it slow to recovery from this. Hitting and throwing will not be a problem here, but the running and fielding will be. Since this is a mid-grade tear of the muscle, it will be a slow recovery.

[TooLiveBrew]

Carlos Quentin has been activated to rejoin the White Sox lineup, as he has been battling Plantar Fasciitis during the entire first half of the season. He has been in the minors on a rehab assignment and has tolerated playing the field without complaints, though the Sox would be wise to allow for occasional rest or at least DH play from time to time.

...

Alex Gordon went 1-for-4 with one strikeout in his return to the Royals lineup. He had been on the DL since April after undergoing a labrum repair in his right hip. For the next month, expect Gordon to play two or three games a week while hitting in the bottom half of the order as he regains his comfort level at the dish.

...

Jose Reyes , meanwhile, apparently had to stop an agility exercise due to discomfort. While this is not being considered a "setback", it does speak volumes as to the significance of the injury. He has been very slow to recover, and his ability to perform at a high, explosive level is certainly being hindered by the hamstring tendon tear. A surgery would effectively end his season, so even if they don't think rehab will work, they will certainly continue with it as long as there is not a risk of worsening his condition.

...

Ramon Hernandez is going to have arthroscopic left knee surgery and is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks. It sounds like he could have been dealing with a meniscus tear, as the timeline and symptoms suggest. There are no other catchers on the Reds roster that are worth rostering in any format

...

Mike Lowell returned to the Red Sox lineup last Friday night after being on the DL with inflammatory symptoms secondary to his surgically repaired left hip. He remains an injury risk going forward, but the Red Sox will look to defuse that possibility by giving him a couple days off each week. There has been growing speculation that the Red Sox will look to sign someone like Nick Johnson so that Kevin Youkilis can spell Lowell if needed, or if Lowell simply can't go on without pain.

That's a big bat to get back for CWS, the Gordon return is obviously big for KC, and the news on Reyes is just another kick to the pants for the Mets this season. It will also be interesting to see what comes of Hernandez's injury.

[TooLiveBrew]

Nelson Cruz has a slight fracture in his right ring finger. The injury occurred while sliding head first into first base as Cruz was attempting to leg out an infield hit. While the ring finger is not overly important in grip strength, the vibration of the contact of the bat will aggravate his symptoms and possibly worsen the fracture, though some form of padding would help to alleviate this while not overly hindering his grip/swing. He was out of the lineup tonight, and don't be surprised if he sits out until later in the week, or the weekend. He may not be totally comfortable for another 3-4 weeks, though he should be playing well in advance of this timeframe.

...

Juan Rivera is out with tightness in his right Hamstrings and left Quadriceps. The hamstring is the bigger issue of the two, and prevents him from running and playing the field. While tender, his front leg (stride/extension side) will prevent him from creating force for a power swing. He is day-to-day, but this could easily turn into a 15-day DL issue if it has not improved over the next 2-3 days.

...

Jason Giambi is on the 15-day DL with a strained right Quadriceps muscle. He has been relatively useless at the plate this season, so this DL stay may be more of a mental time out than anything.

...

Lance Berkman is set to have a MRI today to help determine the severity of his calf strain in order to help the medical staff decide if he should continue to play through the soreness he is experiencing. What we know is that he has a calf strain, and that he was able to play last night, though he looked horrible while running. He obviously needs more time off and conservative treatment - probably a DL stint - but let's wait for the magic MRI to help guide our treatment instead of doing a thorough examination. I would be surprised to see him play tonight, though his recent comments about fulfilling the legacy of Jeff Bagwell's gritty, play-through-anything attitude might get him out there.

[JoeHova]

Dang, too bad for Nelly. I hope this doesn't cause his numbers to go in the tank. Even if it does though, he's still proven himself as a good major league player.

[Thurston Fluff]

Lilly is scratched from his next start with a sore left shoulder. MRI scheduled. This would be a huge blow to the Cubs if it's more than a week or so type injury.

 

link

[TooLiveBrew]

Wow, thanks for finding & sharing that, Buc. This NL Central race just won't get uninteresting, will it?

[sheethead]

Second time Lilly has been bumped in little over a week. Given the year he's having, and the fact he was the Cubs lone All Star this year, would indeed be a huge blow.

[fondybrewfan]

Rotoworld is now saying the Lilly is going to be hitting the DL.

 

Sore shoulders are definitely not a good thing

[TooLiveBrew]

Eric Bedard was placed on the 15-day DL today, after throwing just 80 pitches in his last start. The official word is "shoulder inflammation".

 

Erik Bedard is back on the 15-day disabled list this morning, clearing a roster spot for Jason Vargas to be called up to start today's game.

"At this point, we're not going to do an MRI,'' Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said. "He's on some other anti-inflammatories and then we'll see. We'll try to get him to throw in about three or four days. And we'll see if that medication kicks in a little bit. If that kicks in, then there's no need.''

Bedard is going to miss at least two starts.

Wakamatsu saw Bedard's fastball topping out at 94 mph in the third and final inning worked by the lefty. He also saw "some good curveballs'' but "very few pitches on a downhill plane.'';

That latter part, he said, could be a sign that something is wrong. When there's inflammation or something bothering a pitcher, he added, the pitches tend to stay up.

"He's trying to go out and do the best he can,'' Wakamatsu said. "And I won't ever question a player because I went through a similar situation where I had a tear in my elbow and they couldn't find it on the MRI. But I knew there was pain in there.

To clarify, no MRI has been scheduled since the M's ran one already on Bedard & didn't see anything.

 

I found the following tidbit interesting... from an article Baker wrote yesterday (his speculation then was that the M's felt Bedard was hurt again):

On this Bedard thing, his trade value now is likely nil heading into the non-waiver deadline. As for August, that's always possible, but first, he has to get out and pitch. Bedard really hasn't done that since early June.

Some of you have asked me about other trade rumors, well, I don't want to throw all kinds of crazy speculation around. But I can tell you for a fact that the Brewers like Jarrod Washburn and Brandon Morrow as well. Package those two together and ship them off to Milwaukee and there are a bunch of guys -- maybe even a top prospect like shortstop Alcides Escobar -- that the Brewers might part with.

Last winter, the Brew Crew would have choked on their egg nog had the Mariners made Morrow available to them. I think Morrow will be an interesting name to watch as the deadline nears because he adds that intriguing combination of youth to any package the M's throw together.

We've already seen him linked today to that three-way deal with Tampa and Cleveland. I think there's something there and we wrote about it last week. Morrow could help land this team some names that might have been untouchable a while back, especially if you pair him with Washburn -- a guy who gives you value right now.

I can't say I find his comments on Escobar particularly well-founded, but interesting nonetheless. I know Morrow's lack of a third pitch is viewed as problematic by many.

[TooLiveBrew]

As I wrote back on June 27, I expected Adrian Beltre to return in about 6 weeks . It looks like he is on course to definitely be back in 6 weeks, though he has said that he felt good enough to return sooner.
...
Brandon Inge is dealing with chronic irritation of both Patellar tendons - the tendon that lies just below the kneecap - and is almost certain to miss more games in the second half in order to recover from the daily grind of engaging the Quadriceps. Playing the field (squatting and pushing off to field a ball) and running are definite aggravating factors at play. The injury has been described as a "torn" tendon, though it seems more likely that this is a cumulative microtrauma, much like a tendonitis, where the tendon becomes chronically inflamed and painful. Unfortunately, tendonitis like this usually only responds well to rest, activity modification, and conservative treatment. He doesn't seem likely to receive a ton of days off, though the Tigers will do their best to spell him. They might as well use a Patellar tendon cho-pat strap on both knees to decrease the linear tension through the tendon.
...
Jose Guillen partially tore his right Lateral Collateral Ligament while bending forward to put on a shinguard, of all things. He must have twisted his knee and turned his thigh outward while bending forward, hence tearing the ligament. This is a lateral stabilizer of the knee, but the silver lining is that the lateral portion of the knee is also stabilized by a lot of connective tissue and the Iliotibial Band. Also, the knee is almost always stressed to the medial aspect (inner), so the lateral portion is typically spared.
...
Lance Berkman was sent to the 15-day DL (predictably) with a strain of his left calf. He should only miss the minimum, and I would be surprised if he actually needs a rehab assignment. It doesn't sound like too serious of an injury, especially given GM Ed Wade's recent comments. Said Wade, "If this was late September, then it might be a situation you say let's go ahead and try to gut through this thing, and the reality is this is July and there's a possibility he could aggravate it and be out for an extended period of time. If your choice is to take a couple of more days and let it get back to 100 percent, that's the appropriate thing to do."
...
Carlos Guillen returned to the Tigers lineup over the weekend and hit a home run in just his second game back from a left shoulder injury. He is only able to hit left handed, as hitting the other way creates discomfort in his left shoulder, so expect him to sit against lefties. Although he does feel that his shoulder is "better", the reality is that this is a chronic wear-and-tear of the shoulder and he will almost certainly require surgery at some point. Expect him to have some good days and bad days, with days of rest required against lefties, and probably day-after-night situations.
...
Aaron Rowand is set to have a MRI on his right forearm after getting drilled by a pitch from Tommy Hanson. He has stiffness and numbness in his right arm and has difficulty throwing as a result of the contusion. There is almost certainly a neuritis of some form here, as the numbness suggests. This could be one of those "in betweener" injuries that may not take 15 days to get better, but is likely to last 7-10 days or more. More word following the MRI.
...
Colby Rasmus has been feeling pain in his left heel since June (he jammed his heel while contacting the first base bag), and the injury has been classified as a "bruised heel." While painful, this is not a major injury by any means, and Tony LaRussa said that Rasmus may be able to play today, though it looks like Ryan Ludwick is in the outfield. This is more of a pain tolerance issue, with the amount of impact and running leading to increased discomfort.

[TooLiveBrew]

Already without slugger Lance Berkman, Cecil Cooper gingerly walked to the Wrigley Field mound to join trainer Nate Lucero and Astros co-ace Roy Oswalt. It was just the second inning Tuesday night, and Oswalt was already on his way out with a lower left back strain.

 

Link

[TooLiveBrew]

The anticipated news of season-ending surgery for Kevin Sloweyhas finally materialized. Dr. Thomas Graham is going to perform the surgery, where bone chips will be removed and the involved bone surfaces will be cleaned up and smoothed out. The recovery time frame being reported is two to four months, but the actuality is that the bone will be healed in 4-6 weeks, followed by a gradual decrease in generalized joint capsule soreness over the next 2-4 weeks. He would then require lengthy rehab in order to regain wrist, forearm, and shoulder strength, and then head out on a rehab assignment - all of which clearly can't happen before season's end.

Give the Twins some credit here for doing the right thing by ending his season early and opting for the surgical fix, because some teams might go ahead and try to have the guy try to rehab this sort of injury, only to not get better - or get worse. Said Slowey, "Our medical team and [pitching coach Rick Anderson] and [Gardenhire] have been very adamant throughout that my health has been of the utmost concern. At no point do they want me to go out there and taking painkillers to throw or be out there just trying to gut it out, because that's not going to help me or the team."

[TooLiveBrew]

Joel Zumaya is done for the year, as I said earlier this week would be a likely scenario. The Tigers were half-heartedly saying it was possible that he would return this season, but you don't just bounce back from a stress fracture in your shoulder blade and continue to throw in the high-90's. He will be back next season, but this is a problem that will likely plague him for the rest of his career, due to the repeated injuries to this anatomical region.

...

Micah Owings is on the DL with a "tight right shoulder." That can mean just about anything, but usually means there is tight musculature around the joint - usually the rotator cuff. Owings was surprised that he was placed on the DL, but with the Reds way out of contention, they are doing the right thing here with the young pitcher. He should be back at close to the minimum.

...

Brandon Webb has predictably hit another snag in his recovery efforts. Surgery should have taken place months ago, despite three previous Doctors saying to forego surgery. Just how many opinions is he going to end up having before this happens?

...

Tim Hudson is recovering from Tommy John surgery, and appears to be on track to return in the middle of August. His control has been pretty good in recent rehab starts, which is a huge positive sign. More importantly, his elbow has not been painful. Expect him to make one or two more rehab starts before being recalled to the Braves rotation.

...

Chien-Ming Wang is done for the year after having surgery yesterday to repair his right glenohumeral (shoulder) joint capsule. The basic take-home message here is that the capsule that stabilizes the shoulder in part was torn, and needed to be tightened back up. There is usually some form of ligament damage in the front of the shoulder with this type of injury, and the recovery is typically 9-12 months. His career with the Yankees may have just ended

...

Justin Duchscherer may be returning to the A's rotation in the next two weeks as he recovers from arthroscopic elbow surgery, as well as bouts of lower back pain.

[TooLiveBrew]

Francisco Liriano missed a start due to forearm tightness, which is somewhat concerning for a pitcher coming off Tommy Johns surgery. The location of symptoms point to a purely muscular irritation, though there was swelling that was noted as far down as his wrist - clearly not a good sign. Usually, minor muscle strains in the forearm don't cause swelling. While the Twins will try and bring him back for his next start, I wouldn't be surprised to see this become an issue over the next week or two.Hopefully, this isn't a situation that ends up being revealed to be something more. Manager Ron Gardenhire also mentioned that Liriano had been dealing with some additional soreness closer towards the elbow - certainly a more concerning area. That Liriano is having no pain is also concern in the presence of swelling (sometimes, full thickness tears of tissue obliterate nerve endings and cause no pain).

...

Apparently, when Dr. Timothy Kremchek told Dusty Baker that Edinson Volquez 's right elbow was "Fine, big time" , he meant that he was going to have his season end in early August - because that is the likely course. Volquez threw a mere 20 pitches in a scheduled simulated game and had to stop due to pain.

I have said all along that this was a bad situation that was likely something more .

Whether or not he needs surgery is still not certain , but it is seeming more and more likely.

Two talented young hurlers with pretty bad-sounding situations.

[TooLiveBrew]

Chicago Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano and slugger Amaris Ramirez left Saturday's game against Florida with injuries, but neither is believed to be serious.

 

Zambrano complained of a stiff back and departed after three innings with the Cubs leading 6-2. Ramirez was hit by a pitch in the left forearm in the 10th inning and left the game dizzy from the pain.

 

Manager Lou Piniella said Zambrano is expected to make his next start as scheduled, and Ramirez might be able to play Sunday.

 

Zambrano said he has experienced occasional back trouble throughout his career, but this was the first time this season it became a serious problem. "I was feeling it the whole game," Zambrano said. "As the game was going and going, it was feeling worse and worse."

 

The right-hander struggled with his control and said he left the game because he didn't want to risk further injury.

 

"He was throwing all with his upper body and getting no torque into the ball at all," Piniella said.

 

Zambrano walked three, threw a wild pitch and hit Hanley Ramirez, forcing the NL batting leader from the game with a bruised left knee. Zambrano said he's unsure what caused his back to flare up.

 

"It's nothing to worry about," he said. "It's just a tight back. I'll just have to treat it and get ready for my next start.

...

Amaris Ramirez took his base after being hit by a pitch from Leo Nunez but came out of the game a few minutes later for a pinch runner.

 

"He's OK," Piniella said. "He was dizzy from pain. We'll see how he feels Sunday.

Link

[TooLiveBrew]

Just as The DL Informer's Chris Neault predicted weeks ago, Brandon Webb will have season-ending shoulder surgery.

 

The club did not announce what type of procedure he will undergo, but Webb told MLB.com in a text message that Dr. Keith Meister, who will perform the surgery, does not believe it will involve the labrum.

 

"He thinks my labrum is fine," Webb wrote. "As of right now he is going in to do general cleanup."

 

Team officials are hoping that is the case but caution that the extent of shoulder injuries often is not clear until surgery is performed.

[molitor fan]

Volquez had TJ yesterday and is expected back in 2011.... huge blow to the Reds immediate future

[TooLiveBrew]

Yikes, thanks for that update, molly fan. Here's a link.

[fondybrewfan]

So is Dusty guilty again? Can't get to the right site at work to check the PAP or pitch counts for Volquez since Sir Dusty's arrival