Ulnar Collateral Ligament

Matsuzaka likely out at least a month

By Maureen Mullen
CSNNE.com

BOSTON --  The Red Sox officially placed right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Tuesday, with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament and strain to his common flexor mass.

“Daisuke experienced tightness in his elbow during his last start,” Red Sox medical director Dr. Tom Gill said in a written statement.  “His examination is consistent with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament, and strain to his common flexor mass.  An MRI was obtained which confirmed these exam findings. He will be re-examined in two weeks.”

Matsuzaka last pitched Monday against the Orioles, giving up five runs in 4 1/3 innings on five hits and seven walks.  He also left his start on April 29 with elbow tightness after pitching to one batter in the fifth inning. Since then, he has thrown 11 1/3 innings over two starts and one relief appearance, allowing 11 runs (all earned) on 13 hits and 10 walks with six strikeouts while his ERA has climbed from 3.81 to 5.30. It's likely he was dealing with the elbow injury on April 29.

The team is unsure how long Matsuzaka, who has posted a record of 3-3 with a 5.30 ERA, will be out. He will be examined again in two weeks.  If he passes that exam, he would likely need an additional two weeks before he could return to the mound, making about a month down a best-case scenario.

“We got to let him have some time down and when he pitches again we’ll let him go out there and feel where he’s free and easy, where he doesn’t have to guard against anything so he can think about pitching and not about his arm,” said manager Terry Francona.

“We’re not even to the point where he’s picked up a ball. Normally the time down, if it’s two weeks down, three weeks down, four weeks down, that’s normally about what it takes to get back to the mound. So you can kind of do the math. If a guy’s down three or four weeks and it takes three or four weeks to get back to the mound, you're not going to get on a big league mound real quick.

“I’m glad we got him looked at, because I don’t know if he really wanted to. I’m glad we did before this turned into something.”

The results of the MRI seemed to surprise Matsuzaka.

“When I hear the result of the MRI, actually the condition was worse than I expected,” Matsuzaka said through a team interpreter.

Matsuzaka Out Atleast A Month » From The Dugout - Official Blog of ...

After Dr. Gill released his findings on Matsuzaka Red Sox skipper Terry Francona made it clear that Dice K would not be throwing for atleast two weeks, that is when he is scheduled to be re-evaluated by the Red Sox medical staff. The ulner collateral ligament is also known as the Tommy John Ligament.

The Red Sox are hoping that Matsuzaka will be able to avoid the surgery, which would sideline him for the rest of the season, and that he will respond to rehabilitation, according to a club source. Manager Terry Francona said that Matsuzaka will not throw at all in the interim and said that it is “probably ambitious that he will throw then. That’s just the first time he will be looked at. I don’t think we should expect him to be ready to throw then.’’

The ulnar collateral ligament is one of the connective tissues that connects the humerus bone in the upper arm to the two bones of the forearm. It acts as a stabilizer in the elbow, allowing it to withstand the stresses created by throwing a baseball. When the UCL weakens and stretches, that is technically called a sprain, and prevents a pitcher from throwing with full velocity and typical control. A more complete tear requires the building of a new ligament, which Tommy John surgery accomplishes by transferring a tendon, often from the forearm.

“Normally, the time down—two weeks down, three weeks down, four weeks down—that’s normally about what it takes to get back to the mound,” Francona said. “So, you can kind of do the math: If a guy is down three or four weeks, and it takes three or four weeks to get back on the mound, they’re not going to be back on a big-league mound real quick.

RT : Daisuke expected to miss a minimum of month after diagnosed with sprained ulnar collateral ligament

RT : Boston Red Sox's Daisuke Matsuzaka (sprained ulnar collateral ligament) to be re-evalutated in two weeks, likely ...

RT : Boston Red Sox's Daisuke Matsuzaka (sprained ulnar collateral ligament) to be re-evalutated in two weeks, likely ...

Boston Red Sox's Daisuke Matsuzaka (sprained ulnar collateral ligament) to be re-evalutated in two weeks, likely ...

RT : DiceK out a month. RT/ ": Daisuke expected to miss a minimum of month after diagnosed with sprained ulnar collateral ligament"

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