Find A Ledge: Tanaka Headed Back to New York For MRI

MRI, the three little letters that no athlete ever wants to here. Especially pitchers, when it comes to their arms. More specifically, the elbow and shoulder. The Yankees' veteran rookie ace, Masahiro Tanaka, left Cleveland after last night's poor performance and headed back to NYC for an MRI.

As first reported by the NY Post's George King III (shouldn't he go by King George III? Though he didn't fare too well back in 1776), Tanaka didn't feel too bad after the game, but evidently had more pain/discomfort/soreness today.

Japanese pitchers are used to pitching every seventh day, not every fifth, so hopefully this is just a bump in the road. Brett Gardner, who will miss Wednesday night's game with an abdominal strain, said it best. “We just hope and pray we get good news. “He’s a special player.”

Just in case, find a ledge.

UPDATE - 6 pm; As expected Tanaka has been placed on the 15-day disabled list. The results of the MRI will determine the next step.

Nova Sidelined With Torn UCL

The Yankees were counting on Ivan Nova to be a strength in their 2014 starting rotation, based on his effectiveness in the latter half of last year. But so far, the results have not been good in 2014, and things got a whole lot worse on Saturday.

Nova complained of pain in his right elbow as the Tampa Bay Rays blasted him en route to a 16-1 win. The worst news was yet to come. A short time ago it was announced that Nova has a partially torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL).  Actually that may not be the worst news, that could still be to come.

Nova will be re-evaluated, his MRI, X-Rays and whatever else will be double- and triple-checked. The bottom line is that Nova could be headed towards Tommy John surgery. In fact, he probably should just go ahead and have it done since if they go the rehab/rest route, he'll probably eventually need it anyway.

In the meantime, David Phelps, Adam Warren, and Vidal Nuno are all candidates to replace Nova in the rotation. Nuno is scheduled to start Sunday's finale with Tampa Bay so that Masahiro Tanaka does not have to pitch on three days rest.

The Yankees have Al Aceves working as a starter at Triple-A Scranton, but he's thrown just one game so far. Among the unsigned free agents still out there are former Yankee and Pirate, Jeff Karstens. He had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder last June, but was feeling good this Spring. He threw for some teams during Spring Training, but did not get a deal.

Barry Zito, who went from Cy Young to Cy Disaster took some time off, but isn't retiring. And is not the answer. Do you hear me Brian Cashman?

Return of the Wanger?

Chien-Ming Wang quickly became one of my favorite Yankees after his recall from the minors in 2005. His 8-5, 4.02 performance helped the Yankees win the AL East over Boston in a race that went down to the wire. Back-to-back 19 win seasons followed, but then so did injuries and the unemployment line beckoned this winter.

Chad Jennings of the LoHud Journal reported that Wang is worked out for the Yankees' scouts Wednesday morning in a move that could lead Wang back to the pinstripes. Interest grew after Wang was scouted over the last month and pitched Chinese Taipei (6 shutout innings) to a victory over Australia in the World Baseball Classic.

Wang's woes began in 2008 when he tore the Lisfranc ligament in his right foot and missed the final 3 1/2 months of the season. He was 8-2, 4.08 at the time of the injury, which was especially aggravating  since it occurred during interleague play while Wang ran the bases. It's no secret that the loss of Wang contributed to the Yankees missing out on the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.

Something was wrong from the get-go when Wang returned in 2009. His hard biting sinker was missing its sting and he was hammered by the Yankees' opponents. Wang would finish 1-6, 9.64 in 12 games (9 starts), but none of that mattered compared to the pain in Wang's right shoulder. Initially diagnosed as a strain, Wang underwent surgery in July, 2009 for a torn capsule in the shoulder.

Elbow surgery was once thought of as career ending, but the advent of Tommy John surgery turned that prognosis upside down. Shoulder surgeries are another matter though - ask Michael Pineda how worried he is about the future of his career. Wang missed the entire 2010 season, but signed with the Washington Nationals prior to the following season.

The "Wanger" returned to the Majors on July 29, 2011, exactly two years to the day after his surgery. The Mets knocked him around in four innings, but Wang's shoulder passed the test. He finished 4-3, 4.04 in 11 starts and had the second best WHIP (1.283) of his career.

Wang's 2012 season didn't go too smoothly; a bad hamstring and strained hip limited him to five starts and five relief appearances, and no new contract this winter. The Wanger is hoping that changes shortly, maybe in a return to the pinstripes.

Hall to Honor Tommy John's Savior

Dr. Frank Jobe is one of the world's most renowned orthopedic surgeons, but the general public associate him with the most well known part of his work and his most famous patient.

Jobe pioneered elbow ligament replacement surgery, better known as Tommy John surgery after the Major League left-hander. For his work with baseball, the 88-year old Jobe will be honored on July 27 by the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

It all began though in July, 1974 when it was discovered that John had ruptured a ligament in his left elbow and Dr. Jobe told him that surgery was likely. John was 13-3 at the time, the winningest pitcher on the LA Dodgers. A little over two months later (September 24), Dr. Jobe reconstructed John's elbow by using the tendon from the pitcher's right forearm.

John, who debuted in 1963, believed he would return some time during the 1975 season, but rehab was slower than he expected¹ and he missed the entire 1975 campaign. We've come to learn since then that John followed the proper protocol. Trying to come back to quickly from such a (then) complex surgery does more harm than good.

John returned on April 16, 1976 with a shaky performance against the Atlanta Braves, but he allowed just three earned runs over his next 21 innings. His elbow was better than ever, and Jobe's technique was the standard for repairing torn elbow ligaments.

John was a good pitcher before the surgery, but got even better afterward with the instability gone from his elbow. He was 31-years old at the time of the surgery and pitched until he was 46. Parts of 26 seasons in all, 288 career victories, three 20-win seasons (1977 with LA, 1978-79 with the Yankees), three top five Cy Young finishes, and a borderline Hall of Fame career.

An internet campaign was started in August, 2012 to have the Hall honor Jobe, who now works as a consultant to the Dodgers.

1 - Gettysburg Times, 8/7/75

Joba Is Latin For Done

Okay, not really, but it appears Joba Chamberlain's 2011 season is finished and his future is in doubt. The Yankees announced today that Chamberlain has a torn ligament in his elbow and is likely headed for Tommy John surgery. According to the Yankees' beat writers, manager Joe Girardi sees no way around it.

It's just another setback/twist in the Joba Chamberlain saga. Ever since his big splash in 2007, the Yankees have used and misused Chamberlain as a reliever, starter, reliever, starter..you catch my drift. He seemed to finally settle down this season. With encouragement from catcher Russell Martin, he added his excellent curveball back to his normal two pitch repertoire of fastball and slider.

His new re-found confidence showed in his results. But with Rafael Soriano already out indefinitely, the Yankees bullpen just took another huge hit.

Breaking News: Wainwright May Have Significant Injury | Baseball Digest

Breaking News: Wainwright May Have Significant Injury | Baseball Digest

The St. Louis Dispatch has reported that Cardinals ace right-hander Adam Wainwright has flown back to St. Louis to have his painful right elbow examined.

General Manager John Mozeliak believes that it is a “significant injury”, which could very well mean Tommy John surgery is in Wainwright’s future. “After his bullpen on Monday, he did feel something in his right elbow,” Mozeliak said. “I can say just based on the initial evaluation from our training staff, things do not look encouraging. But before we jump to any conclusions, we’ll just wait until the re-evaluation this afternoon.”

Wainwright has had problems with his right elbow before, including a tear to the same ligament back in 2004. Needless to say this would be a major blow to the Cardinals chances in the NL Central and wild card races. The right-hander won 39 games over the past two seasons and was runner up to Roy Halladay in the NL CY Young voting last season. He averaged over 231 innings the past two seasons and it has apparently taken a toll.

Nady's Yankee Career is Over

Nady Officially Done as a Yankee

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: Dr. Lewis Yokum • New York Yankees • Tommy John Surgery • xavier nady

The New York Post is reporting this evening that Xavier Nady will indeed have Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and will be done for the 2009 season. In fact, the free agent to be may be miss all of 2010.

Nady had injured his elbow back on April 14 and was on his way back to the majors with a minor league rehab stint. But Nady felt something in his elbow after making a throw from the outfield for the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Yankees on Wednesday.

Nady told several teammates Thursday night that he was going to have to go through the same invasive surgery he had in 2001. Nady planned on meeting with Dr. Lewis Yokum, who performed the ‘01 surgery, earlier today, though he told teammates tests weren’t necessary. He already knew the outcome.

Will Torre Pick up the Tab?

The Sun Sentintal reports that Scott Proctor's season is done due to Tommy John surgery. The hard throwing right-hander has never been the same since his use/abuse by Joe Torre and the Yankees.

Proctor appeared in 83 games and 102.1 innings for the 2006 Yankees. By the time he was dealt to the Dodgers at the '07 trade deadline, his arm was practically shot. He appeared in 52 games prior to the trade and ended up working 83 total once again.

Proctor was limited to 38.2 innings last season and hadn't pitched in a game this year. We wish the best of luck to Proctor, who was never afraid to take the ball, even at his own physical risk.

New Big Unit to Debut Soon

We all heard good things about Andrew Brackman when the Yankees drafted the 6'10" pitcher with their first pick in the 2007 draft. But we quickly learned the NC State product would also need Tommy John surgery, meaning he wouldn't be contributing to the Yankees any time soon. That's all about to change.

Lisa Winston of MLB.com reports that Brackman is almost ready to make his professional debut. When pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training, Brackman should be ready to go. He was expected to pitch in the Gulf Coast League late last season, but an emergency appendectomy threw those plans out the window. He did get to throw in the Hawaiian Winter League.

Brackman went 3-4 with a 5.56 ERA, striking out 36 batters in 34 innings and limiting the league's batters to a .235 average. He went five or more innings in four of his starts, including three of the last four.

"His velocity was between 94-97 [mph], so he had no problems and he's ready to go for Major League camp," said Mark Newman, the Yankees' senior vice president of baseball operations. "His stuff is outstanding, and he's getting a feel for his delivery and throwing strikes. But first and foremost, he was healthy and, at times, dominant."

The delivery and mechanics are definitely the biggest challenge for Brackman, and not just because he has had so little mound time. For a pitcher of his size, there are both benefits and challenges.

"The benefits are the power and deception because the ball is released closer to the plate," Newman explained. "But the downside is you have long levers to manage, and it takes time. There aren't many of those guys in the environment to use as test cases, but most people believe that taller guys take a little longer to get their command."

That said, Newman added that Brackman has the advantage of being an exceptional athlete.

"To watch him run, he looks like he's 6-foot-2," Newman said of the young man who offsets that explosive heat with a knuckle curve and a developing changeup.

Here's hoping he can have a comparable career to the real Big Unit...with much less acrimony.

Top Pick to Have TJ Surgery

The Yankees number one pick in this year's amateur draft, Andrew Brackman, will undergo Tommy John surgery. It was thought that surgery would be needed eventually, but it has now been decided that the time is right. Dr. James Andrews will be performing the surgery.

Brackman recently signed a four-year deal worth $4.5 million that includes a $3.3 million signing bonus and could escalate to $13.8 million if incentives are met.


Source

Photo courtesy of minorleaguebaseball.com

Top Pick to Have TJ Surgery

The Yankees number one pick in this year's amateur draft, Andrew Brackman, will undergo Tommy John surgery. It was thought that surgery would be needed eventually, but it has now been decided that the time is right. Dr. James Andrews will be performing the surgery.

Brackman recently signed a four-year deal worth $4.5 million that includes a $3.3 million signing bonus and could escalate to $13.8 million if incentives are met.


Source

Photo courtesy of minorleaguebaseball.com