Injury News and Analysis August 28th
Sorry for the delay. Double sessions on top of a real bad commute set me back big time and I couldn’t get an update. I apologize for that and I’m here for today’s instead.
Rick Ankiel
An abdominal strain/problem is just as bothersome for a hitter as it it for a pitcher. It effects your bat control and it effects your power. He’s being examined by other doctors and I’m sure they are going to look at the possibility of a tear versus a sports hernia depending on the location of the pain. Also depending on the pain there could be cartilage damage around the ribs which would cause the same problems as he’s experiencing now. Depending on the next diagnosis, it’s what will give us a timetable. The longer it lingers, the more of a serious thing it could be.
Howie Kendrick
After leaving the game on Wednesday, Howie seems to think that it’s not as serious as the previous hamstring strain he had earlier this year. That’s one of the most frustrating things from a clinical perspective is when you get someone back and then they re-injure the area. It’s not because he wasn’t retrained properly, it’s just that there is only so much you can do in non-game situations.
If it is true that it’s not as serious, then I expect he would be out for a couple of days to a week.
J.D. Drew
There are times when MRIs are procedural even if the clinician has a good feel for what’s going on. Drew’s herniated disc did show up on the MRI and he was placed on the DL. No word about how long he will actually be out, but he is eligible to come off the DL on Tuesday. The fact that the Red Sox traded for kotsay though has me worried some that he won’t be back immediately.
Evan Longoria
Evan’s distal forearm (technically not the wrist) is healing, but not as quickly as the Rays would want. He’s still having too much pain to grip the bat. That means to me he’s probably at least 2-3 weeks away from being able to help the Rays. Compounding the problem is the fact that the minor league season is wrapping up soon so the chance for a rehab assignment is quickly diminishing. I’d still be slightly concerned about a loss of power in the very short term because of the pain pattern and the fact that a lot of soft tissue rolls around there.
Troy Percival
He’s throwing off the mound and feels that he is good enough to come back on Saturday. This is good news for the Rays as it will help to settle the bullpen down.
Tidbits
Chris Carpenter threw a 60 pitch bullpen which he said felt good. Some people are still speculating he could be weeks away though. Crossing the 60 pitch barrier is a key milestone though, so I expect he won’t be out as long as originally thought. Chris Young could come off the DL this weekend. Scott Hairston has a bone chip in his thumb. Supposedly it feels horrible according to Hairston so the MRI will likely show that he will be done for the year. Todd Helton is supposed to hit off a tee on Friday but I won’t hold my breath. He’s already had 2 setbacks so a 3rd won’t surprise me. Justin Upton could return from the DL this Friday or Saturday. Josh Hamilton has an abcessed tooth and will have to sit out for a little bit. He’s planned to have a root canal next week. Ramon Castro went on the DL with a strained Quad. Since he is a catcher, the rehab will take a few days longer than normally. Joba Chamberlain could be pitching in a minor-league assignment this weekend.
