The New York Yankees are down a multitude of significant players through just 24 games, but losing starting pitcher James Paxton rises above the rest. The Yanks have struggled with their starting pitching and are now even more strained. Ace Gerrit Cole has been the only consistent threat, with Paxton lagging behind due to nagging injuries.
He was placed on the injured list after last Thursday’s start against the Tampa Bay Rays, but one doctor doesn’t think he will be back anytime soon.
NJ.com interviews Dr. James Gladstone, Chief of Sports Medicine Service at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Mount Sinai.
“Especially for a high-level athlete like that,†Gladstone said, “their mechanics are so essential to their performance. Anything that’s off, it’s hard to overcome. It could be that he was having a little trouble leading up to that, but then the strain really hit him in that fifth inning.â€
Prior to Paxton’s more prevalent injury, his MPH was down 4-5, indicating something was off, to begin with. A strained flexor could be a lengthy issue that forces the Yankees to be active during the trade deadline on August 31.
The New York Yankees will need to supplement the loss of Paxton:
“What you want to focus on is the recovery of the muscle,†Gladstone said. “For the first few days, up to five days, you’re letting everything settle down. Also, doing a lot of icing. Doing a lot of anti-inflammatories to calm things down.
“But once the pain settles down, then you work on the flexibility on the muscle and loosening everything up, and then you move back into the strengthening mechanics and the throwing program. Each step along the way, you monitor how he’s doing. Sometimes if there’s a little too much pain, you have to back off a little bit and then pick up again. So you really individualize the treatment plan.â€
In the meantime, the Yankees might activate starters like Michael King, Clarke Schmidt, or even Deivi Garcia.