Under The Knife 6/15/22
Injury Inflation
No time for an intro … big things coming Friday, big injuries today:
FERNANDO TATIS JR, SS/OF SDP (fractured wrist)
Fernando Tatis Jr had a CT scan on Monday and on Tuesday, the Padres let everyone know that the message was “not yet.” The scan showed healing and positive progress, but not enough that the doctors cleared him to begin swinging. That’s the only thing Tatis can’t do - he’s running, fielding, and I’m told he’s made a couple instinctive dives on plays - but until he can hit, or even swing a full size bat, he can’t play.
Not only did the scan say Tatis couldn’t hit, it limits him from swinging a bat of any size. That isn’t a change. He’s taken some dry swings (no bat in hand) and done some simulator/VR work (which I’m told he doesn’t like), but bats? No bats. Not yet.
Tatis is well beyond the norm, even the long end of the expected recovery, but it should be clear that this isn’t the norm. First, the injury was not a typical baseball injury, so comparing it to other wrist fractures isn’t perfect. I spoke to a hand surgeon who does car crashes and he said it can take significantly longer due to the greater forces, but that it’s usually predicated on associated damage slowing the healing and the organization. Tatis’ injury, done as it was, is still - as far as we know - an isolated injury.
There’s nothing here but wait and see. The Padres’ release termed it week to week and that’s true. Tatis will wait, do some work, and hope that the next scan shows more complete healing. Sadly, there’s nothing that changes that - no pill, no work ethic, no nothing.
STEPHEN STRASBURG, SP WAS (fractured ribs)
To correct thoracic outlet syndrome, one of the most common techniques is removing the first rib. That’s the one just under the collarbone and the topmost of the rib cage. For Stephen Strasburg, that’s the one on his right side. It throws off the structure somewhat, but it’s safe and pitchers have come back from it without issue. The stress reaction to his second and third ribs is one of the more common (but still relatively rare) side effects in the broader population. You might remember that besides overhead throwers, the most common population with this is carpenters.