News: Beltran is Jogging, & Chat with Will Carroll
Last week in Newsday, David Lennon said Carlos Beltran planned to try running on a baseball field yesterday in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
So far, there has been no news reported on how he did, or if he even tried to run.
Adam Rubin of ESPN New York said last night that Beltran may start light jogging soon, as he’s been given clearance and his new brace is helping.
Last night on SNY, Kevin Burkhardt said Beltran has started jogging, and is swing a bat, but is unable to run full force to first base because he is still experiencing pain in his knee.
As such, I engaged injury-expert Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus in a discussion about Beltran yesterday, most of which he will include in his next Under the Knife column, but, in the meantime, here is a sample:
- Matthew Cerrone: What are the chances Beltran actually had microfracture surgery in January? If you recall, that IS what was initially reported the day news broke, though the team was quick to say he did not. I did see him walking around during Spring Training, but it’s been close to four months since the surgery. What gives?
- Will Carroll: Darn good question, but I don’t think he had microfracture surgery. There’s a couple reasons here. First, teams, players and agents don’t often flat out lie. All three in this case, plus the doctor, Dr. Richard Steadman, put out information saying there was not microfracture. That’s a lot of reputations at stake and a lot of possible leaks. Second, if he’d had microfracture, he would have spent a lot of time on crutches just after. I never saw that, but you follow it more closely. Did you?
- Matthew Cerrone: I agree, I don’t see any benefit for any one involved to be lying, nor do I think any one would, especially since there are things like insurance and workmen’s compensation on the line. To answer your question, no, when I saw him in Spring Training he was not on crutches. In fact, he was walking and putting weight on his knee, though it was wrapped quite heavily. In fact, in one instance, I saw him standing at a mirror with Angel Pagan giving Pagan instructions about his batting stance, while doing a full demonstration, minus the bat. But, then why the delay? From what I can gather, Beltran is still dealing with some sort of osteoarthritis issue, bone bruises and something to do with cartilage, all of which will forever give him manageable pain in his knee, unless it overwhelms his performance in which he case he will need microfracture surgery. Does that sound right?
- Will Carroll: Exactly. With that new fact (no crutches) out there, I think we can just about put the microfracture surgery theory to bed. The rest remains a question. What we know is that Beltran’s cartilage is gone. He’s had bone bruises caused by the femur banging into the tib/fib area — it’s like taking the shock absorbers off your car and driving down a cobblestone road. You can do it, but it’s going to be a rough ride. Every time he steps, runs, jumps, or even just stands, it’s going to hit. The surgery was designed to try and even things out, probably shaving down the bone to smooth it. Grinding is as bad as the pounding they’re taking. Add in two other facts – he’s wearing a brace specifically designed to reduce the effects of osteoarthritis and he had a Synvisc injection to lubricate the joint – and everything fits with the diagnosis. It still leaves us with the delay. Was the surgery successful and he could have come back had he not had continued symptoms, such as the bruising? That’s possible. There’s also a big issue that I haven’t heard many people bring up - insurance. What do you know about that situation?
- Matthew Cerrone: In the days after the surgery, Beltran’s agent, Scott Boras, told 1050 ESPN Radio that Dr. Steadman’s office received workmen’s compensation paperwork to pay for the procedure from Mets trainer Ray Ramirez. I believe the New York Post reported that the Mets had looked in to filing some sort of insurance claim with the commisioner’s office, but, from what I understand, that never happened.
To read the rest of our discussion, go here, in which Carroll says, “If his knee holds up, it’s expected that Beltran’s bat can remain productive. How they’ll work him into the lineup remains to be seen. There’s almost no chance that he’ll be back in center field, but I’ll leave it to the sharper knives on how the Mets could adjust.”
