UTK Flash 5/28/21
Soroka Confusion, Mikolas Confirmation, and more
Brian Snitker gave out some info on MLB’s “High Heat” that came as a bit of a surprise:
Soroka had exploratory surgery a couple weeks ago and the findings were pretty normal. There was some scarring that was cleaned up in the area of the Achilles repair and at that point, Dr. Robert Anderson gave a rehab protocol that was in the weeks, not months. However, it appears that the Braves are going to be much more cautious.
However, a source with the team tells me that while the team is merely following medical guidelines, there was always a worry that a rehab and ramp-up wasn’t going to be possible, but that shutting down Soroka this early is not a done deal as Snitker presented it. Instead, they’re going to continue to evaluate Soroka as this goes and that his season is by no means over.
There’s some concern that the interrelation between the Achilles and his shoulder strain was due to a mechanical issue, but there’s a bit of a chicken/egg problem. They can’t figure out the shoulder until the Achilles is healed, but they don’t know that throwing didn’t cause irritation with the Achilles. That’s not going to be corrected if Soroka is shut down; he’ll need to throw to figure this out, even if that’s not in game.
Taking the long view here is smart, but at the same time, there’s a bit of conservatism in the timeline. If Soroka needs a couple months of rehab and treatment, there would still be ramp up time for a team that’s expected to be in the playoff chase. As with the Tommy John returnees taking longer and longer, a shutdown would seem to be time for time’s sake in some ways.
In the longer term, there’s no reason to think Soroka can’t come back well, whether in eight months or less. Pitchers have come back from Achilles injuries and from shoulder issues in that timeline, so even with both, it’s hard to imagine it going beyond this. Then again, it probably shouldn’t have taken this long.
***
Miles Mikolas made his visit to Dr. James Andrews and there’s no new information. That’s not a bad thing. If Andrews merely concurred with the original findings from the Cardinals team medical staff, well, that’s what second opinions are for. Was the first one correct, or not?
Given that Mikolas’ forearm has had recurrent strains in similar if not identical situations, this is either a muscular weakness — unlikely — or a mechanical issue where the forearm is the weak link in the kinetic chain. Figuring that out is going to be key to getting him back.
With a forearm strain confirmed, the Cards are going to have to go through what they did before, but figuring out what worked, what caused the breakdown, and that’s tough. How it happened indicates the muscle is overstressed at the highest levels of effort. Was Mikolas able to coast through his rehab starts only to break down when he had to bear down? All this is knowable and we have to hope the Cards are using the right tools this time.
***
Quick ones: Marcell Ozuna’s fractures should take a couple weeks to heal up. The Braves think they can have him back before the All Star break, but know they can’t rush bones healing. His grip strength is key to his power … Aroldis Chapman’s illness continues to be something of a mystery. He’s tested negative multiple times for COVID, per the Yankees, but they’re still taking precautions like not having him on the team flight. Maybe MLB teams are getting smarter about communicable diseases in general … RBI Leader Trey Mancini took a nasty HBP off his arm, but no fracture. Yes, we’re seeing a lot of these. I’m surprised players that have gotten hit aren’t taking the opportunity to add protection, but there is baseball’s culture … Corey Seager is out of his cast, but he’s still several weeks away from a return. The Dodgers are hoping he can go on a rehab assignment the second week of June, if things stay on the current schedule … Was hoping to have that big announcement ready today, but hopefully Monday. Good things take time.