Another day, another crazy St. Louis Cardinals injury.
The latest Redbird to come up with a misdiagnosed – or just plain missed – ailment is Troy Glaus.
A bit of shoulder pain at season’s end somehow turned into surgery for a torn muscle earlier this month. Glaus is expected to miss at least 12 weeks following that surgery, but my guess is that he’ll return closer to June 1 than May 1.
I, like most of a very loyal fan base, have asked aloud, “Why didn’t he have the surgery back in October?”
The Cardinals say Glaus passed a postseason physical and only encountered real pain when beginning his workouts in preparation for spring training.
The Cards’ staff must have given him the physical by telephone.
The Redbirds didn’t feel the need to disclose the surgery to fans attending the Winter Warm-Up during the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Weekend, waiting instead until the following Thursday. GM John Mozeliak should have released the news on Inauguration Day and no one would have known Glaus was hurt until he wasn’t practicing in Jupiter, Fla.
However, there was an injury disclosed at the Winter Warm-Up.
Reliever Chris Perez calmly told reporters that he has a bone spur in his leg.
He began feeling “discomfort” in his landing ankle last September and underwent non-surgical treatment during the offseason. This could be anything from Pilate’s to soaking in a hot tub. He also shed some weight, hoping to reduce the chance of another flare up.
Perez, who still could be the team’s closer come Opening Day, is dealing with an injury.
So is Glaus.
In fact, who isn’t coming back, coming off or coming down with an injury for the Cardinals?
Chris Carpenter says he wants to open the season in the starting rotation, yet no one knows if he’ll throw a single pitch this season for the Cards.
Chris Duncan returns this season after surgery last fall to replace a disc in his neck with a titanium substitute. Great, he has part of a golf club in his spine. Who knows how that will hold up over the season?
Rick Ankiel closed down the season in early September, after basically being worthless from the middle of July because of a sports hernia. He was supposed to miss a few games, not a few months.
Catcher Yadier Molina missed the last three weeks of the season with a thigh bruise. It has healed, but it could certainly be reinjured.
Albert Pujols isn’t worried about his chronically injured elbow, but I set the over/under on games missed for the reigning NL MVP at 12. And I’m taking the over.
Reliever Trever Miller came to the Cards with a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He says it isn’t a problem. Of course, that remains to be seen.
Right now I’m more concerned with the bumps and bruises than I am with the lack of action by the Cards’ front office.
There’s time to bolster the roster with a few key free agents or skillful trades.
But the team’s health always seems to be about to explode – and the fuse is already lit in January.