Note: on the Johan Santana Situation
Yesterday, the Mets announced Johan Santana will miss the remainder of the 2010 season with a tear in the anterior capsule of his throwing shoulder, and he will undergo surgery in the near future.
Prior to their game against the Phillies yesterday, Santana said he should be able to start playing catch in January, but did not know whether or not he would be ready for opening day next April.
Santana sustained this injury on September 2 in Atlanta and according to David Lennon of Newsday, Santana underwent an MRI for the first time on September 9, and was subsequently diagnosed with this injury which will require surgery.
I agreed with Santana when he essentially said injuries are a part of the game, but I recall questioning on Twitter, when he initially sustained the injury to his pectoral muscle, why the Mets had not sent Santana, their highest priced player and most valuable and indispensable pitcher for an MRI, and instead, had him test the injury a few days later without having any real idea about what was going on with his arm. To me, having the pitcher say “I’m ok” last weekend in Chicago is not enough to go on, because a player’s first thought is to compete above anything else.
Ultimately, Santana testing the injury may or may not have had any impact on the end result – I don’t know. But I look at how the Marlins handled what they characterized as “stiffness” in the throwing shoulder of their ace, Josh Johnson, earlier this week, and they shut him down and sent him for an MRI before doing ANYTHING. To me, it’s a no brainer how the Marlins treated Johnson, but here are the Mets, raising my eyebrow once again about an injury to one of their key players.
It’s frustrating, because I have to believe the Mets have the best interests of their players in mind, and the best interests of the team in mind but it seems EVERY injury is dramatic, drawn out, controversial and questionable in a variety of ways, and for very good reason.
Honestly, I am very worried about this situation surrounding Santana’s shoulder – I want to think he is going to be fine, and he will be what he has been in the first three years of his tenure with the Mets, but shoulder injuries are a different animal than even an elbow injury, and given the Mets recent history of injury management, I am very skeptical.
Sadly, I’ve come to expect this with regularity these days, as what I characterize as “concern” is par for the course with the Mets.
