Under The Knife 8/18/23

California Hurricane

Things will be a bit shorter today, as I’m dealing with an illness myself. Thanks for understanding and let’s get to it:

CARLOS RODON, SP NYY (strained hamstring)

Carlos Rodon threw a five inning sim game and if his hamstring responds well to the activity, he’ll slot back into the Yankee rotation next Tuesday. The short absence and throwing sessions he’s been able to do while on the IL indicate he shouldn’t be too limited, though the Yankees are likely to be a bit conservative given his history and their rotation.

One staffer from another team suggested that the Yankees were too quick to IL Rodon given how quickly he was throwing again. I’m always hesitant to question a medical staff that is both well qualified and has their hands on the player. They couldn’t have anticipated the loss of Nestor Cortes either, which amplified the Rodon decision. Getting him back should be a boost, in that Aaron Boone and the front office will get to make a decision on who they think is the worst of the current starters and getting them out of there, though they’re still without any depth behind these.

MARCUS STROMAN, SP CHC (fractured rib)

Marcus Stroman has an injury that is confusing, largely because of the way the Cubs chose to describe it - a rib cartilage fracture. If you look at this diagram of the anatomy of the area, it begins to make a bit more sense:

The ribs don’t go all the way around as bone, largely to give them flexibility and the ability to breathe. The costal cartilage goes from the rib bone to the sternum and when it is damaged, it can be called a fracture. The NFL regular does this, with a recent example being Justin Herbert of the Chargers.

It’s unclear how this happened to Stroman, but whether bone or cartilage, this type of injury requires roughly the same treatment: time. They don’t often put someone in a cast over this, but no activity, twisting, or even heavy breathing is encouraged. It should heal relatively quickly, but it’s mostly going to be imaging and Stroman’s pain level that will decide this, so return tends to be stepwise and conservative.

CARLOS CORREA, SS MIN (fasciitis)