Collateral Damage Daily for May 7

Few things grab the sports headlines like Mariano Rivera’s knee injury, but Albert Pujols finally hitting a home run gave Mo a run for his money. Pujols cranked one to left 110 at-bats into the season, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. On the same day, Matt Kemp was scratched because of a tight left hamstring and another group of fans is now holding its breath. Jerry Hairston Jr. had to be helped off the field with an injured hamstring, and hours later, Jayson Werth made a sliding catch in which his left wrist bent back awkwardly; initial reports indicate a broken wrist.

Additions

• Mariano Rivera was officially placed on the disabled list with a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee after twisting it shagging balls in batting practice. He’s going to have surgery once the swelling has subsided; this often takes at least a few weeks. After the shock of the injury wore off, Rivera said he wasn’t going to go out like that, so he’ll have surgery with the aim of returning in 2013 for what will likely be the last season in a Hall of Fame career.

  Many are comparing Yovani Gallardo’s 2008 ACL surgery to Rivera’s impending procedure, but there are a few important differences. First and foremost is the timing. Rivera will likely not have surgery for at least a few more weeks, putting him a few weeks off the pace. The other main difference is age. Unfortunately, as we age, things get harder to heal, and it usually takes more time to get back to normal. It’s extremely unlikely Rivera will return in 2012. David Robertson and Rafael Soriano are splitting the closing duties for the time being, but it will likely settle down to one closer over time.

• Coco Crisp was placed on the disabled list because of his continued difficulties with an inner ear infection and sinus problems. He’s been dealing with them for at least two weeks, and his symptoms have not improved. Crisp last played on May 2, so the transaction was retroactive to May 3, and he will be eligible to return on May 18. Michael Taylor was brought up to take Crisp’s spot.
• It was good to see Justin Morneau successfully make his way back from last year’s concussion. Unfortunately, his surgically-repaired left wrist became inflamed again. The tendinitis started acting up last week, and his limited rest was not enough to take care of it, which is commonly the case. Wrist injuries can sap bat speed like no tomorrow, and Morneau wasn’t able to swing with any sort of authority. The hope is that a few weeks of focused physical therapy and anti-inflammatory modalities will be enough. Brian Dozier will be called up to take Morneau’s spot.
• The Brewers did not have a good weekend in terms of injuries; they lost two players to injuries in the matter of days. Carlos Gomez was placed on the disabled list Saturday because of a strained right hamstring. Gomez is clearly not a power hitter, so his value lies in his legs. Running out every play has likely cost him a few weeks on the disabled list.

  Friday night, he charged around first base on a routine fly ball when he felt something in the right hamstring. The Brewers thought he would likely need about a week to 10 days but did not want him to try and rush back only to suffer a second strain. Taylor Green replaced Gomez on the roster.

• Alex Gonzalez appeared to suffer a much more serious injury than Gomez. Gonzalez was sliding into second base when his right knee buckled on him. He immediately called for the athletic trainers. He was able to walk off the field with assistance, but there’s obvious concern for a major knee injury. That mechanism puts the ACL, MCL, and meniscus pretty high on the suspicion list of structures injured. There has no confirmation of what Gonzalez injured at press time, but it’s expected that he will be out for a while. Edwin Maysonet was called up to replace Gonzalez.
• I feel like I say this at least once a week, but it seems that things couldn’t get worse for the Red Sox on the injury front, and each time I say that, I prove myself wrong. Aaron Cook was brought up, in part, because of his contract. He was to start in Josh Beckett’s place; Beckett has a sore latissimus dorsi. It only took Cook a few innings to get hurt; he sustained a large cut on his left knee when he tried to block a runner coming in to score on a wild pitch. He went back into the clubhouse to get patched up for the time being, and he came back out to pitch a little while longer. It was apparent that his knee affected his pitches, and Cook quickly lost the lead en route to another Red Sox loss.

  The cut need 11 stitches to close, and the location of the cut really wasn’t conducive to pitching, at least if Cook ever wanted the thing to heal. That area also needs to be closely monitored for infection. Even though it’s “just a cut,” it may take a more than the minimum because of the location and size of the laceration. The one piece of good news—at least we think—is that Andrew Miller was activated from the disabled list to take Cook’s place.

• Nolan Reimold was placed on the disabled list with a herniated disk in his neck but does not expect to out for long. He was experiencing tingling in his fingers, a common symptom, but it has started to subside. Manager Buck Showalter expects Reimold will need a few rehab starts in order to regain his timing before being activated. Luis Exposito was recalled to take Reimold’s roster spot.
• Huston Street was placed on the disabled list with a strained right latissimus dorsi over the weekend, continuing his semi-recent history of shoulder issues. Street has had his fair share of shoulder inflammation, but he has never injured his lat before. Lat strains usually cost pitchers a month or more, so I don’t expect to see Street back before June 1. Miles Mikolas was brought up to take the roster spot, but Andrew Cashner will likelybe the one to get the save opportunities in the interim.

Subtractions

Felipe Paulino finally came off the disabled list on Saturday to start against the Yankees, and he managed to throw six shutout innings. His strained right forearm clearly held up well, and he didn’t show any troubles in his arm. Louis Coleman was optioned to Triple-A Omaha.
• Andrew Miller’s rehab assignment was due to expire today so the Red Sox had to do something. Miller headed straight to the bullpen; he struck out three and didn’t give up a hit in a little over one inning’s worth of work. He replaced Cook on the roster and figures to stay in the bullpen even when Cook is ready to return.
• D.J. Carrasco finished his rehab for an ankle sprain and was activated over this weekend; Jordany Valdespin was sent to Triple-A Buffalo. Carrasco was on the disabled list for 40 days and will likely be eased back into the bullpen. He certainly wants to get in there and prove his $1.2 million salary this year.
• Doug Fister was activated from the disabled list after making his way back from sprained rib cage cartilage. He showed good command on his minor-league assignments so it’s unlikely to linger. Brayan Villarreal was the roster casualty. Fister figures to remain in the starting rotation as long as he is healthy.