Rodriguez will resume throwing after being shut down for 7-10 days.
After a couple of days of vague information, the Orioles have given a firmer status update on Grayson Rodriguez. The diagnosis for the time being is elbow inflammation, for which he has received a cortisone shot, manager Brandon Hyde said to Orioles reporters on Sunday. After 7-10 days of rest, Rodriguez will resume throwing.
The first indication was that Rodriguez reported triceps soreness following his Thursday start. On Saturday, the Orioles said that Rodriguez’s injury was in the back of his elbow but not in the ligament, and he was moved to definitely missing Opening Day. Now, that’s more firmly defined as elbow inflammation.
Unfortunately, this is still not a diagnosis that can rule out that there is damage to the ulnar collateral ligament. That’s the crucial ligament that has to be replaced if a pitcher needs Tommy John surgery. Inflammation in the elbow can mask ligament damage in an MRI. It’s happened before.
If that is what is going on here, there’s not much to be done except wait for time to pass and there can be a clearer idea of what is happening. They can’t know until they know. Hyde’s earlier optimistic proclamation could turn out to be wishful thinking. Neither the team nor the player wants to have to talk about serious elbow surgery until there’s absolutely no other choice.
In ten days, if Rodriguez isn’t actually ready to start throwing again, that will be one way to find out. Or if he is ready to throw and it goes as poorly as his self-proclaimed “sluggish” outing from last week that led to the report of triceps soreness, that will be another way.
Maybe it will even turn out fine, in defiance of every expectation I have developed in a lifetime of Orioles fandom. I won’t actually believe in that unless Rodriguez is on a mound, facing major league hitters, and looking something like the Rodriguez we have seen in the past.