Homer Bailey ‘won’t be pitching in the near future’ as elbow woes continue
It sure doesn’t sound like Homer Bailey will be back on a mound anytime soon.
The Cincinnati Reds placed the right-hander on the DL on Monday with a sprained ligament in his right elbow. When Reds manager Bryan Price was asked about Bailey’s injury, his response suggested he’s not optimistic about what’s coming next.
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“It’s messy and unbelievably unfortunate both for him as an individual and for our ball club because he’s a big piece to what we do,” Reds manager Bryan Price said.
“He certainly won’t be pitching here in the near future.”
Sadly, elbow issues are nothing new for Bailey. He underwent surgery last September to repair a torn tendon near his elbow and he started the season on the DL.
Bailey, 28, had made two starts after his return to the field in mid-April and didn’t look sharp in either of them, giving up seven earned runs in 11 1/3 innings while his velocity was down across the board. His last start came on April 23.
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It’s especially worrying considering Cincinnati signed Bailey to a six-year, $105 million deal before the 2014 season. The Reds were banking on having a healthy Bailey to help get them back to the playoffs after missing out last season. Bailey was a vital part of Cincinnati’s postseason teams in 2012 and 2013. Elbow injuries always raise a serious red flag with pitchers and based on the information we have here, it looks like another one of baseball’s power arms is headed for an extended stay on the sidelines.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
