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June 7, 2004

Under The Knife

Hammy-and-Egger

by Will Carroll

ESPN noted that there were more players on the DL this weekend than at any time in history. It's a stat that may or may not mean something. Certainly, there are more teams, and the money invested in players encourages teams to DL one if necessary rather than using and tossing away. There's also an increased return rate for previously injured athletes, so there's little disincentive to what was once a last resort. There are many possible answers, but I don't know them...and no one else does either. It's important to keep asking the right questions, working to make our game better.

Powered by a world we may owe to men like Yogi Berra and the rest of those that stormed the beaches, on to the injuries...

• The cortisone shot that Troy Percival had in his pitching elbow hasn't solved the problem. The next step was the shutdown and a trip to see team doctor Lewis Yocum. Percival shifts to the DL with what is described as "significant" inflammation in the elbow. He was a Tommy John guy, having had the surgery in 1992. Most TJ survivors seldom have recurrences of problems with that elbow, but with the shift over the last decade of younger and younger players needing surgical intervention, the rules might change. I'll be keeping a close eye on this, but I'm a bit more positive on this injury than most. If Percival can get back to his previous mechanics, the stress on his elbow would be reduced. Percival's hip condition has definitely been a contributing factor to this, and there has been talk prior to the current condition that he might walk away after this season. The Angels' pick of Jered Weaver in today's amateur draft could add an interesting wrinkle into the pitching mix as Anaheim looks toward the stretch run.

• As one goes down, one comes up. The Angels may have been among the hardest hit by injuries this season, but they're still winning. Garret Anderson has been out quite a while, but he's responding so quickly to medicine for his arthritis that he may go on a rehab assignment some time this week. There's no definitive timetable because there is almost no athletic precedent for this. Anderson will guide his rehab and return based on tolerance and performance.

• Now that Mark Prior is back, I'm happy to clear Nomar Garciaparra off the list of UTK regulars. Garciaparra has had no problems in rehab with any of the areas of concern. He's running, starting and stopping without pain and he's had only normal soreness after each of his rehab games. The Red Sox are expected to activate Nomar off the DL on Tuesday, putting their infield rotation into play. They'll get Bill Mueller back in a few weeks and the offense will look very potent and the bench even deeper.

• The Astros are growing more concerned about the condition of Andy Pettitte, not only for this year, but the next two extremely expensive seasons he has left on his deal. Pettitte has been doing long toss, but still can't throw without pain. Worse, the elbow tends to tighten with usage, meaning there are still some internal problems. Pettitte has not yet gone for a second opinion, but if there's no progress in the next week, that visit will come.

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