Josh Beckett Concerned About Nerve Issue in Fingers
By Aaron Somers
Josh Beckett has vastly underperformed since joining the Dodgers last season, but a possible nerve issue could pre-maturely end his career. (Image Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)
Josh Beckett has been on the disabled list since May 15th due to a strained groin, but the right-hander has been experiencing a possible nerve issue in his fingers for the past four to five weeks which might be far more concerning. The numbness has affected him to varying degrees but has apparently become worse as he’s been rehabbing the groin injury. Beckett underwent a 90 minute MRI exam, the results of which will be revealed on Monday by a nerve specialist in Dallas, but the matter has the 33 year old worried that he may never be able to pitch again, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times.
"Any time something like this happens to your arm or you start losing feeling and stuff … you think about it for sure. I don’t really want to think like that right now. I want to think about figuring out a way to deal with this.I’m concerned. I’ve never dealt with anything like this for this amount of time. We’ll just have to see what happens there."
In his first full season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Beckett is 0-5 with a 5.19 ERA over 43.1 IP in 8 starts. His WHIP has spiked to 1.500 and he’s allowed a career high 1.7 HR/9 on the year thus far. Beckett, who’s signed through next season, arriving in Los Angeles last August in a blockbuster trade with the Boston Red Sox that also brought Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, and Nick Punto to Southern California in return for a pair of talented pitching prospects (Allen Webster, Rubby De La Rosa), a pair of spare parts (Jerry Sands, Ivan De Jesus – neither of whom are still with the organization), and a ton of salary relief (roughly $256 Million). The Dodgers expected that they’d be getting more from Beckett than they have, as he’s a combined 2-8 with a 4.07 ERA in 86.1 IP since joining the team last season.
Beckett is 132-100 with a 3.94 ERA in 1,935.1 IP on his career if this is the end of the line for him. He was a three time All Star with Boston, won 20 games in 2007, and was a part of two World Series winning teams (2003 Florida Marlins, 2007 Boston Red Sox). He’s earned just more than $100 Million over the life of his career, according to Baseball Reference.