With the recent news of Troy Glaus undergoing an arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder on Wednesday, fantasy owners should know that the estimated three-month recovery from a procedure such as this is merely an estimate and not the rule. Glaus had dealt with shoulder discomfort last season, but it was able to be managed with a Cortisone injection and rehab. The shoulder became aggravated recently during an increase in workout intensity.
While the procedure itself is minor (a debridement is much different than if muscle/tendon must be repaired), it can take upwards of 12-16 weeks for a throwing athlete (third baseman, in this case) to regain normalcy and comfort with throwing a baseball. A rehab assignment would likely be necessary, and would extend the recovery time past 12 weeks in most cases.
It has not been reported which exact muscle needed debridement, though the St. Louis Post-Dispatch mentioned that it was "a muscle that runs from the upper chest to the shoulder." This could indicate a tear of either the Pectoralis Minor or Major (both of which share connections from the upper chest to the Scapula and Humerus, respectively).
Look for St. Louis to explore other options outside the organization at third base, though a likely scenario would have them calling on AAA prospect (and St. Louis native) David Freese . He hit 26 home runs last year at AAA, while amassing 91 RBI and an excellent .306 BA.
As for Glaus, fantasy owners can still draft him knowing that he will be back within the first month of the season, but you might want to let him slide down your cheat sheets by a round or so.
2 Comments
So what happened that Glaus could now be so far off from these original estimates?
Well, the first thing that comes to mind is that perhaps Glaus pushed too hard or was pushed too hard by his trainer, especially when he was doing fairly well and then succumbed to shoulder soreness.
Secondly, it is quite telling in that Glaus has opted to work with a Physical Therapist out in Arizona instead of the Cardinals training staff.
This leads me to believe that Glaus feels he was overworked or that he did not have confidence in the direction of treatment he was given.
In a clear, yet trying-to-be-nice sort of way, Glaus said, “A new set of eyes and a new set of hands can maybe figure something that, I don’t want to say was missed, but maybe something that wasn’t recognized.”
There you have it.
Post a Comment