Under The Knife 5/29/23
Memorial Day Med Check
A reader asked an interesting question about the impact of Shohei Ohtani coming to a team midseason. To paraphrase, he wondered if the rotation issues, the DH slot lock, and the media circus would be a problem.
On the simplest level, I don’t see how Ohtani doesn’t make any team better, period. Sure, there’s some teams like the Yankees that already have the DH slot locked, but remember that Ohtani can play the outfield or at least I assume he still can. Or maybe Giancarlo Stanton quickly figures out if he can play first. Regardless, that’s a nice problem to have.
On the six-day limitation, I’m still unconvinced this is an actual limitation and is rather a simplistic tool. (I wrote most of this before Jeff Fletcher did the nice article above, but he gets the inside details, so nice job, Jeff.) If Ohtani demands to stay on a Japanese schedule, so be it. Moving to a functional six-man rotation should be easy enough for any team. A little extra rest never hurt anyone, if managed correctly. I’ve always wondered whether the Angels would stick with the six-day limit if they made the playoffs. We know from the WBC that Ohtani’s willing to pitch more often. What we don’t know is if there’s something so wrong with his mechanics or fatigue level that he shouldn’t. As his weekend start showed, he’s pretty good.
As for the media circus, especially with added attention, some teams are better equipped for this than others. It would be new for the Rays, but the Yankees would likely barely notice. For a less noticed team that makes a big move, they’d have to consider that. I don’t think the Pirates would make that deal, but it would certainly be a shock to the system all around. It’s teams like Seattle and San Francisco where I don’t have a good handle on it, but I’d be very curious to hear from the beats who are there day to day.
All in all, I’ll stick with my original assessment. None of these reasons are enough to keep me from trading for Ohtani, if I have the assets and think I can keep him long term. Short of a real life Pablo Sanchez, there’s no one who’s going to upgrade the pitching and the hitting in one fell swoop of any team in baseball.
One other note - the guys at ProspectsLive have the Angels taking Paul Skenes from LSU in the draft. Skenes is a solid pitcher and their power hitting first baseman, hitting behind Dylan Crews. I’d guess the Angels could handle a two-way player. Having two could be really interesting.
Now, on to the injuries:
CARLOS CORREA, SS MIN (plantar fasciitis)
ROYCE LEWIS, IF MIN (sprained knee/rehab)
Carlos Correa went from a bruised heel to plantar fasciitis pretty quick and I’m here to tell you that doctors don’t mistake the two often. This is a good medical staff and they were able to clarify and get Correa back on the field quickly, avoiding the IL. The issue is that plantar fasciitis is difficult to manage, often recurring and creating longer term problems. Finding a system to manage it, which can be everything from pre- and post-game therapies to new shoes and orthotic inserts, up to and including some tough therapies and even surgery if it gets bad enough.
The hope is that Correa can be kept functional and relatively pain-free. That’s possible, with a key on the function. Both as a stable base at the plater and a need for sharp, quick footwork in the field, Correa can’t be reluctant to use his feet while still playing his style of game. The team accepted some risk in their deal with him, but they also took steps to keep him and the rest of the players healthy over the past few seasons. This will be an interesting test of where that stands.
A reader asked if the foot issue might be related to Correa’s famous ankle issue in that his gait might have changed. That’s an absolute unknown from out here, but not an outlandish suggestion. There are a number of technologies (and more emerging technologies) that could help monitor this, even in real time, but there are so many factors in why this occurs that it would be too reductive to state that or to make any speculative assumptions from this alone.
As expected, Royce Lewis will be activated from the 60-day and be available when the Twins get back on the field. His ACL rehab has gone well and his recent performances at bat and in the field show he’s ready. My question is whether Correa’s foot injuries make it more likely that Lewis is to Correa’s left, or vice versa. Speaking with clinicians and a couple players, no one could say that short or third was easier on plantar fasciitis, though we can safely assume Lewis is nearly back to normal.
WILLY ADAMES, IF MIL (concussion)
I get that #paddedgloves is a bit of a shtick at this point, but I hope it doesn’t cover up that my point is that protective equipment should be worn at any point in the game if it means less injuries and more talent on the field. When a foul screamed into the dugout, which happens, and slammed into Willy Adames, not much can be done. Bigger or better screens in front? Maybe. Coolbaugh helmets? Maybe. I don’t see those as plausible solutions and as funny as we’d make them out to be - “ugly finder” screams - baseball can be dangerous.
Adames goes to the 7-day concussion IL and is lucky that’s all it is, given the skull fractures we’ve seen this year. A hit to a different part, or his face, and we could have a much more serious issue here. As it is, concussions are tough to judge, but all signs are that Adames will miss little time and have no long term consequences. Then again, we don’t know how many concussions it takes to do long term damage and once again, I hope MLB continues to take the issue seriously and funds more research, better helmets, and more safety options all the way around.
JOHN MEANS, SP BAL (strained shoulder)
DILLON TATE, SP BAL (fractured elbow)