Post by Fish Troll on Mar 30, 2007 14:36:33 GMT -5
Clot removed from Rogers' shoulder
Veteran southpaw likely to miss at least three months of action
By Jason Beck / MLB.com
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Tigers pitcher Kenny Rogers is expected to miss three months after undergoing surgery Friday to remove a blood clot and repair two arteries in his left shoulder.
It was a worse-case scenario for what was originally hoped to be a relatively minor procedure, and it ends up becoming a potentially major blow to Detroit's defense of its American League championship.
The 42-year-old Rogers was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday with what was then listed as a fatigued arm. The original diagnosis was a blood clot, but the Tigers hoped it would be easy to repair. Pitcher Craig Dingman, for example, missed just a few weeks this spring after doctors removed a blood clot from his shoulder.
President/general manager Dave Dombrowski said Thursday that they hoped it wasn't a long-term injury. Those hopes were dashed once Rogers was examined further by Dr. Greg Pearl, a specialist based out of Baylor University.
"The treatment of the blood clot was done a little bit differently," Dombrowski said.
Pearl had previous experience with Rogers, having performed surgery to clear an artery in the same shoulder back in 2001. Friday's surgery removed a clot and repaired both the axillary and brachial arteries. The brachial artery runs down the arm before splitting into two arteries. The axillary artery runs through the middle of the shoulder.
Rogers will be on complete rest for about a month and is expected to resume throwing in six to eight weeks. Given that timetable, Dombrowski said it would be "probably three months until you would anticipate him" pitching for the Tigers again.
Chad Durbin, who was moved out of the bullpen to replace Rogers in the rotation for at least one start, will remain the team's fifth starter with the longer-term injury, Dombrowski said.
"I can't look you in the eye and say Chad Durbin's as good as Kenny Rogers," Dombrowski said. "But it doesn't mean he can't fill the role of a fifth starter and win enough ballgames to get us to the point where Kenny comes back or somebody else is ready. That's why you have depth in the organization."
Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Veteran southpaw likely to miss at least three months of action
By Jason Beck / MLB.com
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Tigers pitcher Kenny Rogers is expected to miss three months after undergoing surgery Friday to remove a blood clot and repair two arteries in his left shoulder.
It was a worse-case scenario for what was originally hoped to be a relatively minor procedure, and it ends up becoming a potentially major blow to Detroit's defense of its American League championship.
The 42-year-old Rogers was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday with what was then listed as a fatigued arm. The original diagnosis was a blood clot, but the Tigers hoped it would be easy to repair. Pitcher Craig Dingman, for example, missed just a few weeks this spring after doctors removed a blood clot from his shoulder.
President/general manager Dave Dombrowski said Thursday that they hoped it wasn't a long-term injury. Those hopes were dashed once Rogers was examined further by Dr. Greg Pearl, a specialist based out of Baylor University.
"The treatment of the blood clot was done a little bit differently," Dombrowski said.
Pearl had previous experience with Rogers, having performed surgery to clear an artery in the same shoulder back in 2001. Friday's surgery removed a clot and repaired both the axillary and brachial arteries. The brachial artery runs down the arm before splitting into two arteries. The axillary artery runs through the middle of the shoulder.
Rogers will be on complete rest for about a month and is expected to resume throwing in six to eight weeks. Given that timetable, Dombrowski said it would be "probably three months until you would anticipate him" pitching for the Tigers again.
Chad Durbin, who was moved out of the bullpen to replace Rogers in the rotation for at least one start, will remain the team's fifth starter with the longer-term injury, Dombrowski said.
"I can't look you in the eye and say Chad Durbin's as good as Kenny Rogers," Dombrowski said. "But it doesn't mean he can't fill the role of a fifth starter and win enough ballgames to get us to the point where Kenny comes back or somebody else is ready. That's why you have depth in the organization."
Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
detroit.tigers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070330&content_id=1870702&vkey=spt2007news&fext=.jsp&c_id=det
