Miguel Andujar will try to play through labrum tear, return this season https://t.co/QJ6t3bB2J5 @bykristieackert @Yankees pic.twitter.com/wWKGB9fGmb— NY Daily News Sports (@NYDNSports) April 3, 2019
The New York Daily News reported today that Miguel Andujar,
the third baseman of the New York Yankees, would attempt to play through a “small
tear” in his right shoulder labrum that he suffered on a play earlier in the
week. There are plenty of mixed emotions and opinions on this, but instead of
jumping on one end of the spectrum or another, instead I decided to do some
research. Honestly, I had no idea if it was a good idea that Andujar tried to
play with the injury or not. I honestly had no idea if this could make the
injury much worse, or if it would mean more time off if it did for the promising
young Yankees star, so I did some research. I looked at some of the more recent
and comparable torn labrum situations across MLB and found one such situation
that fits that of Miguel Andujar’s situation more so than any other. But before
we jump right into that, let’s take a look at some of the more recent labrum
surgeries, their success rates, and how much rehab and “off” time it took to
get these players back.
Let me preface this post by saying that I am focusing solely
on torn labrums for positional players in this post, and torn labrums in their
shoulders only. When I say “the most recent labrum surgery” I mean the most
recent that fits the aforementioned criteria. Please do not litter the comments
section with the fact that Michael Pineda came back from a labrum surgery or
that Alex Rodriguez came back from labrum surgery in both hips, neither are
really relevant with the Yankees third baseman.
The first question that came to mind when the news broke, at
least in my mind, was if Andujar was able to play through the surgery, how
would it affect the Yankees 2020 season? Would the team be without Andujar for
a long stretch in 2020 as well? And would that be worth it, given the Yankees “window”
with this team? My research brought me to San Francisco and the most recent
torn labrum surgery that I could find aside from Andujar’s
Steven Duggar of the San Francisco Giants announced on August
31, 2018 that he would have to undergo surgery on his torn labrum in his left
shoulder. Duggar had successful labrum surgery during the month of September
last year and was back for spring training and Opening Day. Duggar’s production
did not seem to slip after the surgery, which was evident when he was named the
Giants starting center fielder here in 2019 (well, until the team acquired
Kevin Pillar, but that had nothing to do with his rehab from shoulder surgery
in my opinion).
Does that extra month that Duggar had help him in his rehab?
I was unsure, so I went and looked for an example of a player that waited until
the regular season was over to get the surgery and I ran across the story of
outfielder Matt Kemp.
Matt Kemp waited until the offseason after the 2012 season
before having his torn labrum surgery and was back on Opening Day in 2013.
Granted, his spring training was cut a little short and, granted again, the
start to his 2013 campaign left much to be desired, but whether that was
because of the surgery or not, while assumed, cannot be confirmed with 100%
certainty. Then again, every shoulder is different. Just because Kemp struggled
after coming back from the surgery it doesn’t mean that Andujar will. The point
of it all is to say that conceivably the Yankees could wait until the end of
the regular season to have the surgery and still have Andujar back on Opening
Day, or very shortly after, if all goes according to plan.
Here are Kemp's before and after stats from the torn labrum surgery for your reference:
Here are Kemp's before and after stats from the torn labrum surgery for your reference:
Year | Age | Tm | G | PA | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | 27 | LAD | 106 | 449 | 74 | 122 | 22 | 2 | 23 | 69 | 40 | 103 | .303 | .367 | .538 | .906 | 147 |
2013 | 28 | LAD | 73 | 290 | 35 | 71 | 15 | 0 | 6 | 33 | 22 | 76 | .270 | .328 | .395 | .723 | 104 |
2014 | 29 | LAD | 150 | 599 | 77 | 155 | 38 | 3 | 25 | 89 | 52 | 145 | .287 | .346 | .506 | .852 | 140 |
In our research of an instance where a player did play through
a torn labrum, we go to J.J. Hardy of the Baltimore Orioles in 2015. On October
1, 2015 it was announced that Hardy, who opened the season on the disabled list
with a “left shoulder sprain” at the time, had been knowingly playing through
the year on a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Hardy is a right-handed throwing
and batting shortstop, FYI, so it was not on his throwing shoulder, but it was
on his lead shoulder while at the plate. Hardy’s final stat line in 2015 with
the torn labrum can be seen below. I put his 2014 season, 2016 season, and his
career numbers as well just for your reference.
Year | Age | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | 31 | 141 | 569 | 529 | 56 | 142 | 28 | 0 | 9 | 52 | 29 | 104 | .268 | .309 | .372 | .682 | 90 |
2015 | 32 | 114 | 437 | 411 | 45 | 90 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 37 | 20 | 88 | .219 | .253 | .311 | .564 | 54 |
2016 | 33 | 115 | 438 | 405 | 43 | 109 | 29 | 0 | 9 | 48 | 26 | 68 | .269 | .309 | .407 | .716 | 90 |
162 | 162 | 162 | 655 | 602 | 75 | 154 | 30 | 1 | 20 | 71 | 43 | 100 | .256 | .305 | .408 | .714 | 90 |
FYI, through my research I have read that it is much harder
to play through a torn labrum on your lead shoulder while at the plate, which means
your left shoulder if you are a right-handed batter and vice versa.
I think the most compelling case, and maybe the closest case
that matches that of Andujar, is the torn labrum that Cleveland Indians
outfielder Michael Brantley suffered in 2015. Brantley, a left-handed hitting
and throwing outfielder currently in the Houston Astros organization, was
diagnosed with the same “small” tear of his right shoulder labrum in 2015 after
attempting to rob then Twins center fielder Aaron Hicks of a triple in a
September 22nd game. Brantley would take his next plate appearance after
injuring the shoulder but would be removed following the inning. Brantley would
appear in two more games that season before the Indians season ended without a
trip to the postseason. Initially, both Brantley and the club thought that they
could avoid the surgery following the season, but the discomfort in his
shoulder lingered for two weeks into his rehabilitation program, prompting the
surgical procedure. Brantley was told that he could not pick up a bat for the four
months after the surgery. Brantley was also told that he could not begin
getting rehab games for at least another month after that, leaving him out for
at least six months after the surgery.
Here are Brantley's before and after stats from the surgery. I included Brantley's 2017 stats as well because he was limited to just 11 games in 2016. Brantley had other shoulder issues as well as biceps tendinitis that limited his season that required a secondary shoulder surgery that also cut into his 2017 season as well:
Here are Brantley's before and after stats from the surgery. I included Brantley's 2017 stats as well because he was limited to just 11 games in 2016. Brantley had other shoulder issues as well as biceps tendinitis that limited his season that required a secondary shoulder surgery that also cut into his 2017 season as well:
Year | Age | Tm | G | PA | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | 28 | CLE | 137 | 596 | 68 | 164 | 45 | 0 | 15 | 84 | 60 | 51 | .310 | .379 | .480 | .859 | 129 |
2016 | 29 | CLE | 11 | 43 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 6 | .231 | .279 | .282 | .561 | 48 |
2017 | 30 | CLE | 90 | 375 | 47 | 101 | 20 | 1 | 9 | 52 | 31 | 50 | .299 | .357 | .444 | .801 | 108 |
The 2019 season ends on September 29, 2019. If the Yankees
do not make the postseason that gives Andujar four months of surgery and rehab
(October – January) and a return in February, or whenever spring training
begins. If the Yankees make the postseason as a Wild Card you can push that back
about a week and get the same result. But if the Yankees make a deep postseason
run that stretched until basically the end of October (Game 7 of the World
Series would be projected to be played on October 22, 2019) then the Yankees
may have a bit of a problem. If the World Series ends somewhere around the last
week in October, you have to expect Andujar to not get the surgery until at
least the beginning of November. Four months of rehab, November through
February, and then another month of rehab games, puts Andujar’s readiness into
March, and that’s if everything goes exactly according to plan.
Would the Yankees be better off with Andujar even missing the
first month of the 2020 season if it means they have a chance at the World
Series here in 2019? The more I research, and the more I think about it, the
more I am inclined to say yes. It’s really, for lack of a better term, a
no-lose situation here for both Andujar and the Yankees. Andujar needs the
surgery regardless. If Andujar attempts to play through it and can’t, he gets
the surgery early and is 100% ready for the 2020 season. It’s a huge blow, but
the window for this Yankees team stretches far beyond just the 2019 season in
my opinion. If he plays through it and does more damage, he is going to need
the surgery regardless and can clean it up whenever it occurs, or after the
season. A labrum surgery is a labrum surgery. A small tear and a larger tear
require the same surgery and the same rehab time, give or take very little. It’s
still a very serious and intrusive surgery, so I’m not saying that a smaller tear
and a larger tear are exactly the same, but I am saying that with either one it’s
likely a five-to-six-month process regardless before being game ready.
I won’t sit here and say I am 100% on-board with Andujar
trying to play through this injury, but I can’t say that I am 100% against him
trying to play through it either. History suggests that he can and that the
Yankees, nor Andujar, would be any worse for the wear if he was to attempt to
play through the injury, but I’d be lying if it still didn’t scare me just a
bit.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)