Final answer: Bronson Arroyo has partially torn rotator cuff
In the end, the news on Bronson Arroyo’s shoulder is pretty close to a best-case scenario.
Early Saturday morning, Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo announced that Arroyo has a partial tear in the rotator cuff tendons, which are inflamed and have caused some discomfort. However, that’s also consistent with an MRI taken on Arroyo’s shoulder in 2014, meaning there’s no new significant damage and he could be back on the field in 4-to-6 weeks.
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This final diagnosis comes three days after the 39-year-old right-hander thought his career might be over.
Coming off 2014 Tommy John surgery, Arroyo said before camp that another major injury would likely be the end of the road for him. That seemed to be the case when the first doctor to read his MRI said he had suffered an 80 percent tear of his rotator cuff. However, in a baffling twist, it turns out that doctor misread the MRI.
The situation then took another step into the land of confusion on Friday when FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported that Arroyo’s rotator cuff was intact, and he was only dealing with inflammation of the bursa sac. The Nationals quickly disputed that report, which led to Saturday’s announcement.
According to Arroyo, the first MRI was read by a non-baseball doctor. That takes the Nationals medical staff off the hook, as many may have assumed they were directly involved in the originial misdiagnosis. In the end, the Nationals probably deserve an approving nod for regaining control of the situation and not going out of their way to throw the other doctor under the bus.
As for Arroyo, he has was a long shot to make the Nationals opening day roster to begin with. They have a strong rotation, and it wouldn’t make sense shifting Arroyo to the bullpen. Once healthy though, he could serve as a pretty solid insurance policy. And given his history as a workhorse for Dusty Baker with the Cincinnati Reds, he would probably get the first opportunity if he’s able to bounce back.
Until his Tommy John surgery in 2014, Arroyo had been among baseball’s most durable starting pitchers. From 2005-2013, he made at least 32 starts and logged at least 199 innings in each season. Of course, that workload was bound to catch up with him eventually, but the fact he wants to continue competing is commendable.
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Here’s hoping he’s able to complete his comeback and make at least one more appearance on a major-league mound.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
