Johan Santana, starting pitcher for the New York Mets, has torn his left shoulder capsule, according to MLB.com.
This is the second time the Mets ace has suffered the injury in two years. The second tear not only places the 34-year-old pitcher in danger of missing the season, but it could end his career.
Santana has already had to make adjustments to his pitching with the combination of injuries and age. A man who once threw in the mid 90s, Santana’s fastball has decreased in velocity and he has had to rely more on his off-speed pitches. However when he 's been healthy, he's pitched well. Nevertheless, there is no way to tell how this second injury will affect him going forward.
According to Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson, surgery is a “strong possibility” for Santana.
"We just don't know when this occurred," he said. "We don't know when it happened, how it happened. But what we do know is that at some point, symptoms appeared, and they worsened rather than improved."
Mets doctors diagnosed the two-time Cy Young Award winner with weakness in his left shoulder during spring training. Dr. David Altchek, the team orthopedist, said Santana had re-torn the left shoulder capsule. A second opinion from respected surgeons Dr. Lewis Yocum and Dr. James Andrews confirmed the diagnosis.
"I'm not a doctor or a medical historian, but these injuries are very difficult to recover from after one surgery," Alderson said.
Without Santana, and a recent injury to newly-signed pitcher Shaun Marcum, the starting rotation for the Mets might face some trouble. While Alderson does express concern, he does see hope on the horizon.
"We are not terribly deep right now with Santana out indefinitely," he said. "On the other hand, we do feel that we have some -- not just depth in the system, but also some exceptional talent coming through the system. We'll just have to see how our needs and the maturation of that talent connect."
The “exceptional talent” Alderson is referring to is young pitcher Zack Wheeler. Wheeler has been boasted as one of the best pitchers in the minors. However, the Mets have made it clear, even with recent injuries, that they will not bring him up until the middle of the season.
"We will bring him up when he is ready," Alderson said. "No immediate need will impact that."
