CLEVELAND — Some details are emerging regarding the examination Friday that determined Mariners ace Felix Hernandez is suffering from bursitis in his right shoulder.
In short: It could have been a lot worse.
The Mariners announced Hernandez is expected to miss three to four weeks because of bursitis in his shoulder, but multiple club officials suggest that is a conservative estimate.
Hernandez already is vowing to beat the timetable and return to the mound by mid-May.
“Actually, it’s fair to categorize the exams as encouraging for both he and Mitch (Haniger),” general manager Jerry Dipoto said. “Not ideal, but better than expected.”
Haniger suffered a grade-2 strained right oblique muscle in the same game, April 25 at Detroit, that Hernandez exited after just two innings because of an ailing shoulder.
The Mariners announced Friday that Haniger also is expected to miss three to four weeks. That, too, would be a quick return since strained oblique muscles typically sideline players for four to six weeks.
The injury is one that is easily aggravated by swinging a bat, though, so Haniger figures to be on a go-slow recovery program. Club officials acknowledge he is likely to require four weeks to recover.
Haniger’s injury represents a major blow to the lineup. He was the club’s best player prior to his injury and already had established himself as a strong early candidate to be the American League’s Rookie of the Year.
But Haniger is 26, and strained obliques are, generally, easily treatable albeit slow to heal. The greater concern last week centered on Hernandez in part because of his troubling reaction to the injury.
Hernandez was clearly upset the night the injury occurred and, in atypically brief comments to reporters, admitted he was worried. That set off all sorts of alarms within the Mariners’ organization and among the team’s fans.
Not only is there a lot of mileage on Hernandez’s shoulder, there’s a lot of stressful mileage from low-scoring games over the course of his 13-year career.
Hernandez has, for years, refuted rumors that the condition of his shoulder has deteriorated to the point where he runs the risk of suffering a major injury each time he starts.
His performance, generally, supports his view that he is battling nothing more than the normal wear-and-tear that every pitcher experiences. His nine-year streak of making at least 30 starts ended last season because of a calf injury.
Even so, a shoulder injury for any pitcher raises concerns, and that is particularly true regarding Hernandez. So it was easy for the Mariners to fear the worst last week when he left the mound.
The examination by Dr. Edward Khalfayan, the club’s medical director, proved reassuring.
While the Mariners didn’t release details, shoulder bursitis occurs when when the large bursa near the top of the shoulder becomes inflamed. It is typically caused by an impingement between the rotator-cuff tendons and the bone.
The remedy, generally, is rest.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
