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Repair work continues on catcher Johnson's battered body
Posted
at
7:38 am
by By Kirby Arnold
Today near his home in Arizona, Mariners catcher Rob Johnson will have tests on his right elbow to determine whether he'll need surgery. Tuesday in Seattle, Johnson will have his ailing left wrist operated on, and nobody will know the extent of the damage there until the surgeon opens it up, he said.
It's another week of the 2009-2010 offseason and another medical procedure for Johnson. Two Tuesdays ago in Colorado, he had a labrum repair to his left hip. Before that, a similar procedure to his right hip.
"Three surgeries in a month. I might hold an organizational record," Johnson said.
The only player who may come close is Jay Buhner, and we're trying to reach trainer Rick Griffin on that.
Johnson says he feels good after his second hip surgery and believes he'll be ready for the opening of spring training in mid-February.
"I'm only eight days out from the surgery on my left hip, so I'm a little tight, but on my right one it was about 11 days or so when I had that Cloud 9 feeling," he said. "The doctors are very hopeful that I'm going to be really good in a couple of months. They seemed very promising that I'll return to 100 percent."
As for the left (non-throwing) wrist, all Johnson knows is that there's a tear that needs repair.
"From my undersnting, the wrist is difficult because there are so many ligaments and little muscles and tendons, and even with an MRI it's difficult to tell," he said. "We'll have a better understanding Tuesday when they open me up. There's a tear in my wrist, but don’t know the severity."
Johnson isn 't concerned about his right (throwing) elbow, although he hopes an MRI today will provide a clearer answer to the soreness he had during the past season.
"I had some soreness during the year a little bit, but toward the end of theyear I was throwing 1.8s and feeling pretty good," he said. "There’s no problem with my ligament, which is really promising. If there is something, it would be bone chips or loose bodies."
The one part of Johnson that's strong as ever is his mental growth as a big-leaguer. Like so many other Mariners, he thanks Ken Griffey Jr. for a big part of that, and he's thrilled that Griffey will return next year. The two lockered next to each other at Safeco Field and became close.
"Through the year we grew in our relationship and started understanding each other more," Johnson said. "Often I would pick his brain about the big leagues and he was definitely willing to tell me .
"I was really fortunate to locker next to him, to see everything. I would sit in my locker a lot and watch him and observe. I was able to see how he deals with media questions, see how he deals with pain and overworking his body at times. I got an understanding of what it takes to be prepared for the game, of his mental preparation and his ability to (move on after) an at-bat. Whether it’s a good at bat for a home run or a walk, he had an ability not to let that affect his next at-bat. When he makes an out, he doesn't let that affect his next at-bat negatively. It was really peculiar compared to the baseball players I had been around in the past."
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