Under The Knife 5/10/23

Going Long(ball)

As you read this, I’ll be at a top secret location with my friends at Longball Labs. They’re the cats that learned how to measure bats and find the good ones, helping hitters like Pete Alonso and Andrew McCutchen find as much as an extra 20 feet of distance. Due to that, I had to put this edition to bed early, so I may have missed some late night injuries. I’ll catch up on those Friday. More on my day trip soon, but for now, the injuries:

MASON MILLER, SP OAK (strained forearm)

TINSTAAP. It’s easy to fall in love with a pitcher who’s young, exciting, and throws 100, but I will tell you with no joy in my voice that he will break your heart. Absent Aroldis Chapman, no one that regularly throws 100 mph has lasted a long time without a significant injury. You there in the back who was about to say Nolan Ryan, sit down. The latest is Mason Miller, who went back to Oakland for more exams and likely images, though the “hope”, per Mark Kotsay, is that this is a flexor issue, not an elbow sprain. The old “no structural damage” was the spin.

With either, and with the clear force he’s putting on the arm, the cost is also becoming known. A flexor strain might not have him out as long as an elbow sprain, but it can also be surgical. Caught early, it’s a warning sign of future problems, like squeaking brakes that tell you to replace the pads. It’s not so easy on a pitcher, especially if the fix is to change his mechanics or to throw less hard. Not likely in either case.

Even caught early, as it appears this was, the ‘what’s next’ is a complicated issue. Miller’s prognosis is still unknown, with the vague MRI result and consultations happening. One medical staffer I spoke with pointed out that while the hope was that Nick Paparesta’s leaving wouldn’t hurt as much since his system was in place, this isn’t a good early sign on that.

For a team and town that hasn’t had much go right lately, Miller was one of those signs of hope. As Ted Lasso says, it’s the hope that kills you.

MAX FRIED, SP ATL (strained forearm)