Ryan Braun’s injured thumb progressing thanks to cryotherapy
Ryan Braun will undergo two more cryotherapy procedures on his right thumb after the first one in October was considered a success, Milwaukee Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash said. Braun, who hit a combined 28 home runs over 833 plate appearances the past two seasons, had his least-productive season by the percentages in 2014, and has been dealing with nerve damage in his right thumb that hasn’t allowed him to properly grip a bat for some time.
Braun’s final home run of 2014 came on Sept. 11 — he couldn’t clear the fence in his final 15 starts.
The Brewers originally indicated the procedure would be a one-time deal in October, but Braun has not healed 100 percent, so two more trips are necessary, Ash told Sportsnet in Canada (via Brewcrewball). While that sounds troubling on its face, Braun was swinging a bat not long after the first procedure, which is good news:
“Initially the reports are very favorable. He had some cryotherapy injection and hit three or four days after and reported not the same level of pain, it was more tolerable. He’ll have another one of those in January and then probably another one before the season. He’s hopeful and since he’s hopeful, we’re hopeful.”
As the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports, any power hitter needs full use of his thumbs in order to drive the ball. And the Brewers are crossing their fingers that Braun will revert to the kind of slugger he used to be:
In an interview a few days before the season ended, Braun explained how the thumb issue affected his swing.
“When you can’t use your top hand as a baseball player, it drastically alters everything that you do,” Braun said. “I’ve tried to adjust; I’ve tried to find a way to deal with it the best I could.
“At times I’ve been OK. But for the most part it’s been really difficult, really challenging and very frustrating.”
The Brewers have a huge financial stake in Braun being able to return to his previous form as a hitter. After next season, during which he has a $12 million salary, a five-year, $105 million extension kicks in that carries through 2020, with a mutual option for 2021 worth at least $15 million more.
Braun was the National League MVP in 2011, though he was suspended for the final 65 games of the 2012 season because of ties to Biogenesis, a now-shuttered clinic in Miami that was reptued to distribute performance-enhancing drugs to major leaguers.
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David Brown is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter!
