Friday, April 07, 2006 |
UTK On Gagné, More
- The big news of the day was the Eric Gagne announcement, as the Dodger closer heads back to surgery for nerve excision in his pitching elbow. In about 20% of cases (according to a 1992 Kerlan-Jobe study), elbow reconstruction patients have problems with the ulnar nerve, but in this case, it is a sensory nerve crossing the elbow that is trapped. Some patients have pain when scarring entraps the nerve, while others have parasthesias--pain, numbness or tingling in the affected enervations. The ulnar nerve handles the pinkie finger and outside of the hand, something that would greatly affect Gagne when he grips his changeup. This sensory nerve appears to control feeling in the forearm.
There’s no real track record for this type of surgery (excision) for a baseball pitcher, giving us little to go on for an estimate of recovery. The Dodgers have said he'll miss 4-6 weeks, though I think his season's in jeopardy. Gagne is in the last year of his current contract, though the Dodgers hold an option at $12m. Expect there to be a lot of talk about whether the Dodgers saw this coming when making the Danny Baez deal. Also expect rumblings of a a coverup with the infection/virus and suspension. Jon Weisman does a nice recap of the situation over at Dodger Thoughts, including my comments from the time of Gagne’s second elbow surgery last year. My biggest concern is that the Dodgers--a team that looked unlucky last season--appear to be headed down the same road, having lost Gagne, Nomar Garciaparra, and Kenny Lofton to the DL already.
For what it's worth, I actually disagree with Will a little bit here; at least the Dodgers have credible rookies to plug in to some of the holes, and while I'm skeptical of using James Loney straight from AA, or Jonathan Broxton from Las Vegas, the quality of the reserves is simply a little better than it was last year. The real question is whether hauling them up to the big league level and expecting them to produce so very early makes any sense for both the big club and the prospects' own long-term career progression.
- Furthermore: For the Giants, Noah Lowry goes down with "what was suspected to be an oblique strain" that he thinks might be a back injury. No ETA for a return. Update: Lowry has hit the DL.
- The Cubs will likely get Kerry Wood back soon, followed by Mark Prior and Wade Miller.
- Cesar Izturis will be back after a 20-day minor league assignment; Will's estimate yesterday of 30 days was incorrect because it extended past the maximum for such assignments.
- Ryan Klesko will have shoulder surgery.
Newer› ‹Older
 |
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.