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Webb Opts to Continue Rehab on Shoulder

Well, I am certainly surprised by the news that Brandon Webb is not going to have shoulder surgery. He met with three Doctors for different opinions, and ended up coming back deciding that surgery is not the way to go at this time. Let’s hope that he can return in the second half sometime, but I am still very skeptical, especially given the fact that he had such a prolonged period of time on the shelf already and still couldn’t get through bullpens without pain.

Rangers closer Frank Francisco has resumed his closing duties, taking over for the temporary fill-in, C.J. Wilson. If you have room to stash Wilson (especially in leagues that count holds), you may want to do so. Francisco has had a couple instances this season where his Biceps has aggravated him, so there is still reason to have some backup insurance here, particularly if you are short on closers already.

Josh Hamilton is likely to return to the lineup on Saturday after being on the DL due to abdominal surgery. Hopefully, the Rangers give him a couple days off here and there leading up to the break, as he is not fully ready to be out there grinding it out on an everyday basis - despite his reports that he feels totally fine.

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Josh Hamilton Returning Sooner than Expected

When Josh Hamilton had abdominal surgery about three weeks ago, I figured he would sit out through the All-Star break and return just afterwards in mid-July. This would be the smart thing to do, but all signs are pointing to the Rangers pushing him back fairly soon - perhaps this weekend. Though he is feeling fairly good, and is not sore, the tissue is not yet fully healed. Given his surgery, a 4-6 week timeframe is appropriate. I don’t know why the Rangers would allow him to push the envelope here. The following quote by Hamilton leads me to believe that he is a risk for straining his abdomen if he pushes too hard upon returning: "I’m still feeling some tightness when I really stretch out and run hard, but that’s normal. I’m comfortable with normal." Fantasy owners better hope that when he "really" stretches out, or when he runs "hard", that he doesn’t strain the muscles again. He is still in the healing phase, regardless of how normal he feels.

Lowell to DL; Santana May Return this Weekend

The fact that Mike Lowell had to have a good amount of fluid removed from his surgically-repaired hip is certainly not a good indicator of what’s going on in the hip joint. The swelling is a direct result of tissue irritation or damage, and whatever is causing it apparently was not made to feel any better by the introduction of Synvisc - a joint lubricant that is injected into the joint space. With many of these procedures requiring sometimes extensive bone trimming and resurfacing, it is not uncommon to have recurring symptoms, but to have that much swelling is obviously not what we’re hoping for. He is now on the DL, and it seems very possible that even when he returns, he will be taking more days off than the Red Sox were probably hoping for.

Ervin Santana has had a rough first half during the 2009 season, and one has to wonder if the change in his pitching approach last season has anything to do with this season’s maladies. In 2008, his velocity was noticeably up from the year before - on all of his pitches. This season, his fastball velocity has dropped on average by 4 mph (94.4 in ‘08 vs. 90.6 in ‘09). He is also throwing his slider about 10 percent more often in ‘08 and ‘09 than he had in ‘07, and about 12 percent more than in ‘05 and ‘06. Does this have something to do with his forearm and elbow pain? Maybe, maybe not. The jury is still out on pitch types and injury risks, and even the best studies have some question marks along with them. Hopefully in time, there will be better answers and less questions. I’m still holding my ground on Santana for fantasy purposes going forward - sell at the first sign of success. Where there’s smoke…

Due to Return: Doumit ETA July 5

Ryan Doumit is set to go on a rehab assignment this week and has a tentative return date of July 5. This would put him just past the original 10-week recovery period for his broken right Scaphoid (wrist) bone. The fact that he is even able to return this soon is pretty impressive, as Scaphoid fractures tend to be one of most hit-or-miss fractures as far as good healing is concerned. The surgeon who performed the procedure to stabilize the fracture must have done an exceptional job stabilizing it. Those of you who held onto this catcher who can rake will be rewarded handsomely. He was dropped in many leagues, so take a quick look to see if he’s out there - he is easily a top-ten catcher.

Bone Spur Shelves Beltre

Seattle third baseman Adrian Beltre will undergo surgery to remove a large bone spur that has developed in his left shoulder. While removal of the bone spur is a relatively minor surgical procedure, the unknown factor here is how much (if any) tendon damage there is. If an acromioplasty (spur removal) and minor cuff debridement is all he needs, I would expect him to be out around 6 weeks, with a ceiling of about 8 weeks. Nothing I have read thus far leads me to believe this is anything more than this. A 4-week recovery seems like a huge reach, so don’t base your plans around a 4-week turnaround - it won’t happen.

McLouth Leaves Game; Lowell to Get Injection?

I’m watching the Red Sox/Braves matchup right now, and Nate McLouth had to leave the game after legging out a single in the 8th inning. He came up lame, and immediately reached for his hamstring in the process. He walked off the field on his own, but was stepping gingerly. The way it looked, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was out of the lineup tomorrow.

On a side note, NESN played an interview with Mike Lowell , where he described the hip discomfort he has been feeling this past week, and he said that he may get a joint-lubricating injection to help reduce the symptoms. This sounds like he is talking about a Synvisc injection, which basically acts like a cushion-like fluid, and is often used in the treatment of advanced Osteoarthritis. Lowell will certainly need more frequent rests in the second half, much like he is receiving tonight. Don’t be surprised if he misses one or two games a week going forward so they can keep the ultra-valuable Lowell fresh for a playoff run.

Nady Done, Elbow Surgery Ahead

Well, that news didn’t take long to break. Looks like Xavier Nady is done for the season and will undergo another Tommy John surgery, which means that if he returns next year, it won’t be until after the season begins. Since this will be his second TJ surgery, the typical 9-10 month recovery may actually be longer by a month or so. Since early April , I had been highly skeptical of his ability to return this season, and it looks like I was right.

You can drop him in all formats, so you might as well see if you can add someone from this group of outfielders who can be had for a song in many mixed leagues.

Bad News for Nady; Other Injury Notes

Xavier Nady felt pain in his right medial elbow while making a throw from the outfield yesterday, and it seems likely that the Platelet Rich Plasma long shot treatment did not work to heal his torn UCL. Keep watch for any news on Nady, and don’t expect it to be good news.

Chris Young should be returning to the Diamondbacks lineup tonight after missing a few games with a strained groin. He seemed to be coming around offensively before his injury, so now might be the time to snag him off the free agent list if he’s available.

Brandon Webb should just have shoulder surgery already. He had pain last week simply throwing light toss on the side, so it isn’t like he’s close to being fully healthy. What is the point in seeing three more Doctors who are all going to tell you the same thing? Here’s hoping that the labrum is the only thing involved, and nothing more.

The Diamondbacks continue to get blasted with injuries, as Eric Byrnes is out for the next one to two months after having his left hand fractured by a pitch from Scott Feldman. The fracture was to the 5th metacarpal bone, and had surgery today, using a plate and a screw for fixation. The fact that he needed surgery means that the fracture caused malrotation in the shaft of the bone, hence the need to realign it for proper healing.

Roy Halladay is ready to pitch on Monday, following a successful 50-pitch, full-effort bullpen session today. Said Halladay, "I feel good. I feel it’s completely gone, so we’ll carry on with the plan, and I think pitch Monday is what we’re going to do from here. I felt good. I was encouraged. It was a full bullpen — full effort — and I didn’t feel anything." Sounds good to me.

John Smoltz threw a ton of offspeed pitches in his Red Sox debut last night against the Nationals. He was hitting 89-93 mph with his fastball, but didn’t seem to use it as much as he typically does to get ahead of hitters - almost like he didn’t trust it. After giving up 4 runs in the first inning, he settled down and looked like a pitcher who can contribute for the Red Sox in the second half.

Matt Lindstrom is out for the next 4 to 6 weeks with a right elbow sprain, and has been ordered to not throw during this time period. He had dealt earlier this season with a rotator cuff strain following his time in the WBC. With Lindstrom out, expect Leo Nunez and Dan Meyer to take over the closing duties. Both have pitched very well in 2009 and are solid additions to any roster.

Aramis Ramirez is still planning to take batting practice this weekend, though his recent comments are definitely erring on the side of caution in regards to his ability to play through the shoulder condition. Ramirez told the Sun-Times, "It’s sore still, but it’s going to be there for a while. I don’t know. I’ve never played like that before. When I got hurt in 2000 [dislocating the same shoulder on Aug. 28], I didn’t play the rest of the year, so I don’t know how I’m going to react. Once I start playing, then I’ll know." He went on to say, "We’ll see how it goes. It depends. Hopefully, I don’t have to take a lot of time off. I’ve already taken enough time.”

If it sounds like he’s concerned that his shoulder won’t hold up, that’s because he should be. He probably needs surgery to tighten up his shoulder joint in the off season, and since he has already dislocated it twice (that we know of), he is already more predisposed to another injury of this sort. All we can hope for is that he comes back, contributes offensively, and doesn’t have to make too many diving plays.

Joey Votto seems like he’s back following last night’s 4-for-5 game that included a home run, a double, and 3 RBI. He had been on the DL due to stress-related anxiety.

Volquez Shut Down

Edinson Volquez continues to deal with forearm pain following a painful side session where he was merely throwing on flat ground. He is likely out until after the All-Star break, probably early August. He has been shut down until his forearm is pain-free. I am concerned that the first MRI was not deemed good enough to read because of the amount of swelling in the area - something that, to me, indicates a notable amount of damage in the area. A minor strain or sprain is not going to cause that much swelling. A good size ligament or tendon tear would, though.

This is my previous post on Volquez :

Edinson Volquez is back to the DL with what is being called "tendonitis", though I am skeptical, given the symptoms. Numbness and tingling in the pinky and ring fingers are a clear indication of inflammation or irritation of the Ulnar Nerve - likely at the medial elbow. Volquez said it was "tingling from my elbow down to my fingers." Numbness is not a symptom of tendonitis. Combine this with his terrible control this season, and the recent low back strain (that was probably as a result of his elbow bothering him, causing him to change the force or mechanics of his delivery), and you have a perfect recipe for something more at the elbow.

I won’t go as far as saying he has a ligament problem at the elbow, because it is probably just a neuritis (nerve inflammation) that pitchers sometimes get from time to time, but it also would not surprise me if there is eventually something more found here. It was certainly alarming enough to Volquez that it made him change his pitch repertoire during his last outing (he felt it on a hard fastball, then proceeded to throw a bunch of slow curveballs). Dr. Kremchek - the Reds team Doctor - said that his elbow was "fine, big time." I don’t know about you, but when your fingers start turning numb, I don’t think that means you’re fine - unless fine means ‘you don’t need surgery.’

Sure sounds like he’s fine to me…

Longoria Not in Starting Lineup

For those of you updating your fantasy rosters right now, make sure to take Evan Longoria out, as he is not penciled into the starting lineup tonight. He incurred a mild strain on Wednesday night to his previously injured left hamstring. There is some mild tenderness to the hamstring upon palpation, so he will probably need about 2-3 days to return if this is as minor as he is saying it is. If needed, he could probably pinch hit tonight, but should be back in the lineup tomorrow.