Baseball Injury Report

Featured Note of the Week

Aaron Rowand (OF, PHI)
When Rowand had his ankle X-rayed after his collision with Chase Utley in Chicago, the diagnosis was a non-displaced fracture. In other words, the bones were in alignment enough that he wouldn’t need surgery. He saw an ankle specialist last Thursday, who recommended surgery.

Rowand underwent successful surgery to insert two screws in his left ankle. This latest news doesn’t change his status. He’s done for the regular season whether he has surgery or not. There was speculation that he could have returned during the postseason if the Phillies make it that far. We’ll know more about the extent of the damage after the MRI results are released.

From Injury Watch Notes This Past Week

Tim Wakefield (RHP, BOS)
By the time Wakefield is ready to pitch for Boston, it may be late enough in the season that the Red Sox just shut him down for the season. Their playoff hopes are going down the drain and Wakefield wasn’t ready to throw off a pitching mound on Tuesday as scheduled. He still has some discomfort in the area of the fractured rib that landed him on the disabled list. He not only won’t be joining the Red Sox on their current road trip, but he definitely won’t be back until at least the first week in September, if not later.

Doug Mientkiewicz (1B, KC)
Mientkiewicz will have surgery on his ailing lower back Tuesday. The latest MRI done on his back revealed a herniated disc that needs surgery to repair the damage. The disc is putting pressure on a nerve in one of his legs, which is causing muscle weakness. Depending on the extent of the surgery, it may have some impact on his career, but this is just pure speculation right now.

Reggie Sanders (OF, KC)
Sanders is out for the year and is scheduled to have surgery on his ailing left knee in the near future. He has a partially torn patellar tendon and a synovial cyst under the left patellar. The severity of the damage to the patellar tendon will go a long way toward determining the impact the injury/surgery will have on the rest of his career.

Mark Lowe (RHP, SEA)
The Mariners will rest Lowe for the near future to allow the inflammation in his pitching elbow to subside. The MRI done on the elbow revealed the ulnar collateral ligament to be intact and undamaged. While the Mariners believe he could return in September if the inflammation clears up quickly, the best option might be to sit him the rest of the season and not risk further injury.

Gary Sheffield (OF, NYY)
Sheffield and the Yankees got the results from his examination by a hand specialist on last Tuesday. While his wrist is healing, he still isn’t getting the go-ahead to resume swinging a bat. The talk in New York is he won’t get a chance to start hitting off a tee until the middle of September. That leaves just a couple of weeks before the postseason starts, which is not enough time for Sheffield to get ready. Most likely, Sheffield is done for the 2006 season.