MASH Report 9/19/16

The Mets continue to find new ways of being “Amazin’,” albeit this reference is to Jacob deGrom and his bothersome elbow. Recall he has TJS in 2010, and for whatever reason scar tissue has enveloped parts of his elbow, especially around the ulnar nerve. Recall from your anatomy classes that the ulnar nerve is also the “funny bone.” About as poorly named as “Microsoft Works.” Anyway, also recall how that feels when you hit that nerve….try throwing a baseball and hitting your spots with your elbow feeling that way. Point being is that he is most likely done for the year. Surgery, albeit minor, is required to clean the elbow up of scar tissue. No hesitations as of now for 2017.

Let’s get caught up with our friend Stephen Strasburg, shall we?

Strasburg, as you can see here, played catch over the weekend. A typical throwing program starts with “flat-ground” throwing, meaning not off the mound. It’s important to factor into the equation what the angle of the pitching mound can do to a pitcher’s mechanics. If he continues to have no issues, he will transition the throwing program from short-distance to long-toss, before getting back up on the hill again. Will he be ready for the impending Nationals’ post-season? This is the million-dollar question, one that has to factor in risk vs. reward, as well as short-term vs. long-term. Hide & watch.

Billy Hamilton is looking at ending another season on the DL (concussion to end 2014, shoulder to end 2015)….that being said, he is hoping his oblique strain is healing so he can reverse this trend. It’s so hard to have these type of injuries heal quickly, especially when you consider all of the trunk rotation needed in all aspects of the game. From a fantasy perspective, I would move on, as he can’t really test it with any certainty save for simulated games, now that the minor league seasons are all but over.

Logan Morrison needs surgery on his wrist, and is done for the year. Interesting case here…..he has a tear in the tendon sheath. As I mentioned last week, the wrist is incredibly complex with a lot of different tissue working in a small space. It’s almost like the innards of a smartphone. The sheath is like thick plastic wrap keeping things in place. The good news here is that it’s a minor tear, with a shorter 3 month recovery as opposed to a 6 month recovery with a larger tear.

The Yankees are dealing with a couple of things: Chase Headley has back tightness. Starlin Castro might be done for the year after straining his hamstring, and Jacoby Ellsbury has a bone bruise. Today’s off day will reveal a lot. I think Ellsbury will be fine, but I do have concerns about how fast we see Castro again.

Ian Kinsler got domed in the head yesterday and was removed for concussion symptoms. Note I didn’t write “concussion-LIKE” symptoms, as this isn’t a true statement. Watch the video and look at his response. Classic concussion response. It’s worth noting that he passed the on-field exam & stayed in, but was removed later in the game as symptoms worsened. He will be put through rest & a return-to-play protocol before he is cleared again.

Andrew Benintendi was activated last week from his knee injury, played Friday, rested Saturday and rested again Sunday. I would guess that in their rush to return him the knee flared up again. It will be hit-or-miss (some will call it “day-to-day”) for him until the knee is recovered.

Recall that Garrett Richards had a choice of TJS or other treatment options earlier this year, and he chose the latter: stem-cell injections. Well, the elbow seems to be responding well to this, as he threw 20 fastballs at 80% effort off the mound. Very encouraging news for this treatment option….however, as you will read in the article, teammate Andrew Heaney had a similar situation and chose the injection route but it didn’t work for him. More research needed on this therapy, but encouraging nonetheless.

Gerrit Cole’s 2016 season is done. . I will be interested to see how he handles this off-season, as he spent a lot of time hurt this year. Hopefully he will get with someone to watch some video to improve what could be some mechanical issues.

Awful luck for Mark Reynolds. After coming back from a fractured hamate bone in his wrist last month, he now has another broken bone in the same hand after being hit by a pitch. Season over for him. Are the two injuries related? Probably not.

Orioles’ pitcher Wade Miley has an upper back muscle strain, which occurred on a pitch. It was described as happening causing him to overthrow and then go down in pain. Initially called “cramps” by Uncle Buck Showalter, it was later revealed to be the actual strain. In true definition, a strain is a tear, grading according to severity. He might miss his next start.

I want to bring up A.J. Pollock again as he recovers from his groin injury. While he might not play again this year, he is giving it his best effort, using a great tool called the Alter-G treadmill. This device allows him to run while taking percentages of his body weight off with air pressure. It’s a great concept and is making a difference int he word of rehab.

Condolences to San Diego Padres 3B Yangervis Solarte…his wife Yuliett passed away after battling cancer.