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June 22, 2009

Under The Knife

Trauma Unit

by Will Carroll

Jose Reyes (50 DXL)
Carlos Beltran (0 DXL)
The Mets have had injury problems all year, but this is just a problem. After Omar Minaya said that Reyes was making progress and running, Reyes contradicted him. I wasn't there, so I'm unsure of the exact quotes, but Minaya doesn't just say things without information. Was he merely mistaken, or was he told that Reyes' progress is further along? Worse, is Reyes dragging his feet, or giving out his own misinformation? My sources say that Minaya was right, and that for whatever reason, Reyes was incorrect. Was Reyes working with a different definition of "running," where the treadmill doesn't count, even the underwater variety? What we do know is that baseball activities are still a ways off, and that there are some issues beyond the injuries with this Mets team.

The other big factor now is the continued problem with Beltran and his chronically sore knees. He's is headed for an MRI on Monday, but he played through the weekend... and played well! Beltran's knees have lost a lot of cushion, so much so that he's occasionally had bruising where the femur hits the tibial plateau. That's very bad long term, and not a good sign in the short term either. There has been discussion of possible fixes like Synvisc, or even a more radical procedure (video link). Beltran has two more years to go on his Mets contract, but it includes a lot of deferred money. He could be a good fit for a deal to an AL club this offseason.

Alex Rodriguez (0 DXL)
Mike Lowell (0 DXL)
Rodriguez is back in the Yankees' lineup, and it's clear that while his average is dropping, this wasn't a benching, but just a chance for him to get some rest. Peter Abraham had a great question in his column: Why did the Yankees ever get away from the planned days-off schedule they'd set up for Rodriguez? With Rodriguez tiring and Lowell having some soreness in his hip, there are a lot of questions about the FAIL procedure to repair hip injuries that so many players are coming back from lately. The thing is, there are only three that have played. Sure, Alex Gordon isn't far away, but the others are still rehabbing, so cue the sample-size orchestra. We simply don't know enough about how this surgery plays out in baseball, and we won't for some time yet. Two players have soreness, and Chase Utley seems fine? There's not enough to conclude anything more than that. Look for Rodriguez and Lowell to get some extra rest, costing them some at-bats, but hopefully keeping them more productive when they are back in the lineup.

Brandon Phillips (0 DXL)
Alex Gonzalez (30 DXL)
Phillips is playing through a hairline fracture in his right thumb. He aggravated it on Saturday night, but was back out on the field on Sunday. Is this a serious injury that he's pushing through, or is it something he just needs to adjust to? That remains to be seen. Phillips told reporters that the injury "throbs" when he throws or bats, two things that he's going to be expected to do in the course of playing, so this is an indication that this is more than just a comfort issue. The Reds' middle-infield situation might be contributing here, with them not wanting to lose both starters as Gonzalez is headed for elbow surgery to have bone chips removed. Rich Aurilia came back from similar surgery in just 15 days a couple of years back, but the Reds are expecting Gonzalez to miss a month.

Hanley Ramirez (0 DXL)
Saturday night I had hoped to be in Cincinnati for the Civil Rights Game, but for the second time this year, illness got in the way of my making it to an event. I was at home and ready to watch the festivities on the big screen... except for the blackout. Instead, MLBN showed me the Yankees-Marlins game, where I got to see A.J. Burnett's mechanics fall apart and Ramirez limping around. He looked awful running, and had no burst in the field, making me wonder why he's still out there. The groin issue isn't getting any better with him continually aggravating it, and watching him run looks punitive. Yes, it was a series where they actually had fans in the stands, but the Marlins aren't helping themselves with these kinds of situations.