Collateral Damage Daily for May 25

When Justin Sellers ran into the stands last week, all he could think of was making the catch. He didn’t think his back would tighten up on him, and he certainly didn’t think that he would start getting some numbness and tingling in his right leg this week.

Athletes are able to perform at a very high level in large part because they don’t have to think every step of the way. They just do it. Since I couldn’t play the game at that level—I still have nightmares of breaking pitches—I decided to do the thinking part. The first thing that pops into my head when I hear the above story is there is a disc issue, but the problem could be anywhere along that nerve. Preventing injuries is about looking at the body as a whole. With electronic medical records becoming standard, the research process can get more streamlined and hopefully disseminate the knowledge at a faster rate.

Additions

• John Danks was placed on the DL with soreness in his left shoulder that resulted from Saturday’s start. He didn’t feel anything until the next day when he tried to play catch and he was more sore than normal. An MRI on Thursday reassured he will only miss the minimum amount. Jose Quintana was brought up from the minors to start in Danks’ place today.
• Marco Estrada strained his right quadriceps Wednesday night after hitting a double and will miss several starts as a result. Everything looked fine until right around first base, when Estrada started limping after feeling a pop in his quad. It was obvious that he was going to miss some time after the game, and he was placed on the 15-day DL yesterday. It’s not clear who will take over for Estrada.
• Austin Jackson will be heading to the disabled list today after straining his abdominal muscle more than a week ago. The move is retroactive to May 17, so he is actually eligible to return on June 1. It looked like Jackson was going to be able to get back into the lineup earlier this week but suffered a setback during batting practice on Tuesday. Ryan Raburn was activated from the bereavement list to take his spot.
• Austin Kearns was placed on the disabled list retroactive to May 23 because of a strained right hamstring. Kearns has been productive in his limited role so far, but he injured his hamstring scoring from first base on a Giancarlo Stanton double on Tuesday. Kevin Mattison replaced Kearns on the roster.

Subtractions

• Miguel Olivo was activated from the disabled list on Thursday after missing 23 days because of a groin strain. Olivo made it through three rehab games in Tacoma without any setbacks, and the Mariners decided he was ready to be activated. Jesus Montero was moved back to DH, which should let some people relax after the rash of catching injuries over the last few weeks. Casper Wells was the roster casualty and not Chone Figgins, who certainly has not lived up to expectations since signing back in December 2009.