Starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker of the Los Angeles Angels has experienced a major setback on his road back to the big leagues.
The Los Angeles Angels took a hit of a hit on Friday when Matt Shoemaker experienced a setback on his rehabilitation. As Jeff Todd of MLB Trade Rumors wrote, team doctors diagnosed the starting pitcher with posterior interosseous nerve syndrome. Shoemaker then received a cortisone shot in an attempt to remedy the development.
Unfortunately, the implications of this injury are still up in the air. The Angels said that the righty will rest for at least seven to ten days before beginning throwing activities. Clearly, any injuries involving nerves in the forearm is not ideal, and rushing Shoemaker back to the mound could lead to long-term damage or another injury.
The most recent news comes as the 30-year-old was in the midst of recovering from a forearm strain. He initially landed on the ten-day disabled list back on June 17th. Given that Friday’s development compounded the risk in his throwing arm, a prolonged stint on the disabled list seems probable. Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register posted on Twitter that Shoemaker will likely miss at least three or four weeks.
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Should this be the case, Matt Shoemaker’s 2017 season will almost certainly be cemented as a failure. Through 14 starts before his initial injury, his work was certainly subpar. His walk rate doubled what he posted in 2015 while his earned run average gained nearly an entire run. Worse yet, advanced metrics felt that an ERA around five would have been more suitable than his real mark of 4.52.
This is certainly a disappointment after the righty had served as a valuable pitcher last season. Shoemaker pitched 160 innings of 3.88 ball before taking a line drive to the head in early September. The impact fractured his skull and created a small hematoma, promptly ending his season.
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As for the Los Angeles Angels, this only re-enforces the fact that injuries have decimated their starting rotation this season. Andrew Heaney, Garrett Richards, Tyler Skaggs, and Nick Tropeano are all on the disabled list alongside Matt Shoemaker. On the bright side, this means that the most recent developments for Shoemaker will be unlikely to change the team’s trade deadline plans, as starting pitcher has always been a weakness. It may, however, change the calculations that will determine to what extent the team buys or sells.