The prolific injury history of Ben Sheets rolls on! Tonight, Sheets had to leave the game in the 5th inning with what was termed, "triceps tightness." Given his history of DL stints - and the logjam of starting pitchers that the Brewers have at their disposal - it seems that even a minor injury would be enough to sideline their ace for a couple of weeks.
Sheets will likely be evaluated and an MRI should be taken shortly. While this could simply be a strain of the triceps, it would not surprise me at all if this was a rotator cuff issue instead. The reason being, the triceps crosses part of the rotator cuff in the posterior aspect of the shoulder in what is called the "Quadrangular Space."
The inner (long head) aspect of the triceps actually crosses over one of the rotator cuff muscles (teres major), and passes underneath another rotator cuff muscle - the teres minor. In between this intersection lies the axillary nerve, which, when compressed, can offer symptoms mimicking "stiffness" or "numbness" in the area of the triceps and posterior-lateral shoulder.
In my clinical experience, I have seen very few baseball pitchers present with a pure, isolated "triceps strain" - rather, there is almost always an involvement of these rotator cuff muscles. A strained triceps certainly sounds better to the press than does a rotator cuff injury!
If a DL stint is required, expect it to last the minimum 2 weeks, followed by a rehab start or two.
One Comment
Nice analysis. I like you exposing that a triceps injury is just spin.
Was facing Sheets tonight. He was on his way to a CG. Keeps me in the hunt this week.
Also looks like it’ll keep my boy Manny Parra in the rotation and on schedule for 2 starts next week.
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