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July 2, 2008

Under The Knife

Conservatism

by Will Carroll

If you missed out on the NY City Pizza Feed, well, you really missed out. From meeting longtime readers for the first time, to hanging out with email buddies, seeing friends like Alex Belth and Diane Firstman, and talking baseball in one of the coolest baseball bars in the world, it was a night to remember. (I remember most of it, at least.) Peter's definitely right, but that Feed is the best night I've had in a while. Thanks to everyone who came; to Foley's; and to my colleagues, who let me turn the thing into a party. We should do this a lot more often and in a lot more places. I'll have news on that soon, but now, powered by Amp, on to the injuries:

Rafael Furcal (75 DXL)
Just when it seemed like Furcal was getting close to returning, he suffered a setback. His back seized up again after activity, precisely the wrong thing to have happen at this stage in his recovery. The trouble is that his disc problem hasn't responded well to the normal conservative therapies, and it's at this point that surgery usually becomes an option. We'll see if that's where they'll head next, though sources tell me they'll take at least one more run at this type of normal rehab to see if Furcal's back responds differently. His contract status and the lack of depth at the position for the Dodgers are two complicating factors here, but regardless, we likely won't see Furcal until well after the All-Star break.

Roy Oswalt (0 DXL)
I've talked to a lot of people in trying to understand what's up with Oswalt, and one name keeps popping up—John Smoltz. It's not that he's headed for arm surgery, but the attitude and toughness are similar, as well as the desire to pitch through injuries rather than allowing himself to be shut down. Everyone seems to admire the trait inside of the game, but the doctors... not so much. Oswalt has had a lot of leg problems, though none recently, and certainly no events that make me think that his recent hip problem is related. As with any pitcher, the concern isn't for the injury itself, but rather for the changes to his mechanics if he's forced to adjust in order to compensate. Despite a no-trade clause, a few teams have been watching Oswalt as a possible target, so keeping him healthy has to be a priority for the Astros. I think he'll make his weekend start, though grabbing a couple of extra days of rest would be a better choice, especially with the break coming.

Miguel Cabrera (2 DXL)
The Tigers have yet to reap the production that they expected to get out of Cabrera, but keeping him healthy will give him a shot to heat up and help the surging Tigers in the second half. Miggy has a mildly strained hip flexor that's causing him to "severely limp," and he'll miss a handful of games, though he is available to pinch hit. If you noticed the jolting juxtaposition there of mild strain and severe limp, you're not alone. Several people I spoke with think that not only is Cabrera's weight a factor, but that he's also one of those players who becomes a bit annoyed, and even thrown off, by just about any mild injury. The team is willing to let him sit through the weekend without pushing him to the DL, so he'll continue to frustrate his fantasy owners through this week, although this shouldn't be an issue in the long term.

Troy Percival (30 DXL)
It didn't seem to surprise anyone, including Percival, when the Rays pushed him back to the DL. His hamstring has been bothering him since his return, which just ended after he was pulled in a save situation. The leg injury isn't serious, it just needs to heal up. Percy doesn't have enough oomph on his fastball to get away with being less than his current best, which is something very different from his days as a dominant closer. The Rays will give him some extra time if he needs it, and with the All-Star break in play, I'd expect him to be out a little beyond that, though many will disagree with the 30 DXL I'm giving him. Grant Balfour will handle the save opportunities in the meantime, though Percival will get the job back once healthy.