Roger Arrieta
Other than Clayton Kershaw’s brilliance on the mound, the one thing that was seemingly constant for the Los Angeles Dodgers throughout last season was the barrage of injuries that befell the team. Most pundits suggested before this season started, that perhaps the only thing that could stand in the way of the Dodgers challenging for a World Series victory was…well…more injuries. When Kershaw, the one Dodgers player or pitcher that had always avoided the injury bug, fell victim to a back injury and hit the disabled list after the Dodgers returned from Australia, there was some concern that the Dodgers were somehow destined to fight through injuries again. Some of that concern subsided when Matt Kemp returned to the starting line-up for the Dodgers’ home opener against the San Francisco Giants, and then hit two home runs on Sunday to help the Dodgers salvage the final game of the series.
Well, the Dodgers have four other injury concerns that will test out their mettle. Yasiel Puig, who sprained his left thumb ligament diving head-first into first base in Saturday’s game, might have avoided being the fifth injury concern, as it appears that he didn’t suffer any serious damage and the Dodgers will not place him on the disabled list. As we discussed several weeks ago, Chad Billingsley had been taking positive strides in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, and took the final step in that recovery process by beginning a rehab assignment this past Sunday in Rancho Cucamonga with the Class A Quakes. He did, however, leave his start early when he felt a “sensation” in his elbow, according to Dodgers’ Manager Don Mattingly. Dr. Neal El Attrache examined Billingsley at Dodger Stadium later on Sunday and apparently “felt pretty good about it,” but this minor scare is just a reminder that a team can never take too many precautions when it comes to a pitcher and his surgically-repaired elbow.
With Billingsley still out for at least another month, the Dodgers were hoping that Josh Beckett would be able to rejoin the rotation and help cover for the absence of Clayton Kershaw. Beckett has suffered a myriad of injuries during the past year, namely, thoracic outlet syndrome. He had a rib surgically removed in July to relieve pressure on a nerve in his neck. Beckett had seemingly recovered from that injury by the time spring training began, but he then sprained his right thumb when his hand got caught in a clubhouse door at Camelback Ranch. He was finally on track to return to the rotation this week when he sprained his ankle last Thursday during a rehab start in Rancho Cucamonga with those same Class A Quakes. Beckett threw a successful bullpen session on Sunday, but the Dodgers will reevaluate him before making a final decision about whether or not he is ready to start against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night.
The third of the Dodgers pitchers rehabbing in Rancho Cucamonga with the Class A Quakes, Brian Wilson felt discomfort in his right elbow while warming up before his disastrous relief appearance in San Diego two Sundays ago, and was placed on the disabled list with nerve irritation a day later. Dr. El Attrache examined Wilson and found that his elbow ligament was sound, but that he definitely was experiencing irritation. Wilson was given a brief period of rest before beginning a rehab assignment in Rancho Cucamonga this past Saturday. He is scheduled to pitch again twice this week before being reevaluated.
Finally, the worst news of the lot–Dodgers’ starting catcher A.J. Ellis tore the meniscus in his left knee while trying to score from second base on an Andre Ethier single during Saturday’s game, and will most likely be out for 4-6 weeks. Dr. El Attrache will perform the arthroscopic surgery today to repair the meniscus. Ellis had surgery on the same knee after the 2012 season. A more definite time-table for Ellis’ recovery will be determined after the surgery.
The Dodgers are hoping, for now, that no one else gets injured before Beckett, Billingsley, Wilson, and eventually, Ellis, return to the team healthy. With the bad luck the Dodgers have had with injuries since the start of last season, the strength of that hope might be day-to-day for quite a few months.
