Twins Offseason Injury Updates: Carlos Correa, Joe Ryan, and Brock Stewart

Don't we hear this every year?  Our guys are right where we want them to be going into spring training? I don't know, maybe it is just me, but all I am hearing from the FO is wolf.  

I hope they are right this time, and I am wrong, but for me the jury is still out.  Get back to me in May.  

It is late January with pitchers and catcher reporting in a couple of weeks; time for optimism. All three of the players discussed in this article are important to the Twins fortunes. They will all be true veterans in how they prepare and ramp up for the season. It's great to hear everything is looking good. Thanks for the report.

Yes, yes.... time to be optimistic.  Glad to hear everyone is supposedly on track.  The cynical part of me is saying wait until things start to matter.

Translating the comments on Brock Stewart 

"He's a 34-year-old pitcher with a history of shoulder injuries. His arm could fall off loading his truck in the Home Depot parking lot. If he pitches at all this season, we'll be thrilled."

It really is hardly surprising that baseball players get injured so regularly compared to other sports. They have to play 5 games a week on average for 6 months. Obviously SP's only play 1 every 5 or 6 days and RP's are managed but I still think any baseball player's workload is more than any other sport. NFL - play once a week and have huge rosters so players can rotate. NBA - more off days in a week and players can sub in and out during a game. Admittedly baseball isn't as physically demanding as those sports but the sheer volume of game time takes its toll, particularly for positions like SS and CF. Players get minor injuries but feel they can play through it and it blows up into something more serious and then they miss weeks rather than days or even months rather than weeks.

Hopefully Rocco will be proactive in blowout games (both for wins and losses) and take Correa and Buck out of the game when the result is almost certainly a foregone conclusion.

9 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Yeah I've got the under on that "58 IP" projection. 

 

Yeah, Zips calling for 27 seems a lot more realistic. And I still might take the under. 

1 hour ago, stringer bell said:

There are a lot of pitchers like Stewart. They're fully healthy only every once in a while, but when they are, they are very good. He just can't be counted on to provide many innings. That said, if he is healthy, he can really help a bullpen. 

I think that's right. I do feel like the bullpen is in a place right now where we don't have to count on Stewart being healthy all or most of the year to have a good, productive bullpen. Which is where you have to be with pitchers like that, IMHO. Set yourself up so that if they can pitch you go up a level, but you have options in place that doesn't leave you desperate if/when they can't go.

I'd like to know where Larnach is as well: he was battling turf toe all season, even when he played and i don't know that he was ever fully healthy.

How is Miranda doing? he didn't need surgery (good), but is his shoulder going to be strong enough? how's his back?

What's Brooks Lee's injury status? Again, no surgery (good!) but how's his back going into the year?

Sounds like Buxton and Lewis are in good shape as well, but they're two guys I'd love to hear more about their health status and how they're approaching the upcoming season. I'm sure it was a relief for them to not be coming off surgery this off-season!

2 hours ago, UK Twin said:

It really is hardly surprising that baseball players get injured so regularly compared to other sports. They have to play 5 games a week on average for 6 months. Obviously SP's only play 1 every 5 or 6 days and RP's are managed but I still think any baseball player's workload is more than any other sport. NFL - play once a week and have huge rosters so players can rotate. NBA - more off days in a week and players can sub in and out during a game. Admittedly baseball isn't as physically demanding as those sports but the sheer volume of game time takes its toll, particularly for positions like SS and CF. Players get minor injuries but feel they can play through it and it blows up into something more serious and then they miss weeks rather than days or even months rather than weeks.

Hopefully Rocco will be proactive in blowout games (both for wins and losses) and take Correa and Buck out of the game when the result is almost certainly a foregone conclusion.

NFL injuries are caused by the sheer violence of the sport with half of the players carrying 30-50 lbs more than their body is designed for.
NBA injuries are generally orthopedic in nature due to the constant stress the game puts on all of the joints.
MLB, especially pitchers, are due to repetitive stress at unnatural angles with max effort.  The repetitive torque of swinging a bat (again with high effort).  The start-stop flow of the game also contributes to injuries as it can be difficult for the body to stay loose while standing for 10 minutes.

People discount the role genetics play into injuries as well.  Look at an athlete like LeBron James who is a genetic freak combined with a great work ethic.  The amount of miles on his body is staggering and he still competes at the highest level with virtually no injuries.  Others, like Byron Buxton, have bodies that seem to be predisposed to injuries as their bodies (for whatever reason) do not hold up over time.

Teams try to remedy this in various ways.  The Twins have had a mix of bad luck and rolling the dice on previously injured players, combined with normal baseball injuries over the past few years.  At some point, this needs to swing the other direction.

I'm pretty sure Correa was "ready to go" last year too. Health in January, February and March doesn't mean anything when April, May, June, July, August, September and October gets here. I really think the regulars need to be rested during all of spring training and then Rocco needs to give them more rest for at least 4 games a week during the season to keep them healthy. Even with a schedule like that Buxton will hurt himself getting out of bed or tying on his shoes at some point during the season.

How very odd.   Coincidentally, my plantar fasciitis problems have followed the same schedule as Correa.   Quick google search tells me what I thought it said last year.   Walking bare foot is not recommended and should be avoided.   Am I missing something here?

Speaking of injury updates, what's the status of Matt Canterino as we approach the new season?

20 hours ago, ashbury said:

Most years, the spring headlines are, "Player X Arrives in Best Shape of Career."

This year it's shaping up as, "40-Man Roster Arrives in Best Shape in Baseball History."

It really is the biggest cliché in professional sports.

Has Correa gotten new shoes? He moved on from Nike as of last September. He's at that age, I think New Balance is really the way to go.

Arthroscopic shoulder surgery?  Heh.  What's his pension status?