John Danks surgery/rehab/recovery thread

[The Ginger Kid]

I'm fine with him working on getting right for another month. How many starts would he miss, 4-5?

[Marty34]

You forgot this

 

It's too soon in this contract extension for smiley faces SS2K5. Maybe by year 4 I'll feel differently.

[justBLAZE]

Please excuse my ignorance as I have not paid attention to spring training whatsoever this year. Has Hector Santiago been pitching/preparing to be a starting pitcher during the spring training? What I'm asking is: can he just jump in for Danks for few starts with no problems?

[witesoxfan]

Please excuse my ignorance as I have not paid attention to spring training whatsoever this year. Has Hector Santiago been pitching/preparing to be a starting pitcher during the spring training? What I'm asking is: can he just jump in for Danks for few starts with no problems?

 

Averaged 2 innings per appearance, made one start. I imagine he'll start getting stretched out here very quickly. His numbers are not pretty either, but it's 8 innings and spring training so it's not a big deal.

[MEANS]

I think we can do away with the over-the-top optimism surrounding Danks rehab for the moment.

 

 

seriously...go root for another team, it's become more than annoying listening to you.

[southsider2k5]

Averaged 2 innings per appearance, made one start. I imagine he'll start getting stretched out here very quickly. His numbers are not pretty either, but it's 8 innings and spring training so it's not a big deal.

 

That wouldn't count any work on the side or in the minor league camp/games.

[Jake]

This is what I predicted all along. Give John another month. We get an extended look at our young lefties to see which are ready for the big show. There is no need for John to rush when we have this kind of depth.

[Dick Allen]

The instant results expected are hilarious. If Danks doesn't have an ERA under 2.00 in spring training, 7 months after shoulder surgery, he's toast.

Obviously we all would like Danks to get a few more outs. But 88-89 at this point seems encouraging as he builds up arm strength. He's obviously going to be rusty and not have his command, and breaking balls don't break much in AZ. Sale has an inflated ERA. I still think there's a chance he's on the team opening day, but if not, assumming no setbacks,I doubt what you see is what he is and will be.

[southsideirish71]

The instant results expected are hilarious. If Danks doesn't have an ERA under 2.00 in spring training, 7 months after shoulder surgery, he's toast.

Obviously we all would like Danks to get a few more outs. But 88-89 at this point seems encouraging as he builds up arm strength. He's obviously going to be rusty and not have his command, and breaking balls don't break much in AZ. Sale has an inflated ERA. I still think there's a chance he's on the team opening day, but if not, assumming no setbacks,I doubt what you see is what he is and will be.

 

I don't know what people are exactly looking for on this. Velocity takes time. Th fact that he is on the cusp of 90 is great. Command and control is more important. We have some depth in the rotation that can allow Danks to come back n the sox timetable. The thin Arizona air takes breaking balls away and makes Joe Borchard and Brian Anderson into allstars.

[flavum]

As long as Danks keeps moving forward, and stays here when he gets here---and puts up quality starts, they should take all the time they need for him to get ready. There's no point in just saying "close enough", and have him start the season in the rotation.

[ptatc]

I don't know what people are exactly looking for on this. Velocity takes time. Th fact that he is on the cusp of 90 is great. Command and control is more important. We have some depth in the rotation that can allow Danks to come back n the sox timetable. The thin Arizona air takes breaking balls away and makes Joe Borchard and Brian Anderson into allstars.

Especially in this case. While the surgery did not involve the muscles much, there was some cleanup, he hadn't thrown since late last season. It will take time to build the strength. He is probably going through fatigue phase of muscle building.

 

Another possibility is that since the physician tightened up the shoulder capsule, the shoulder feels different now. He may take time for him to get the feel of the new shoulder and be comfortable enough to get his command back.

[witesoxfan]

Especially in this case. While the surgery did not involve the muscles much, there was some cleanup, he hadn't thrown since late last season. It will take time to build the strength. He is probably going through fatigue phase of muscle building.

 

Another possibility is that since the physician tightened up the shoulder capsule, the shoulder feels different now. He may take time for him to get the feel of the new shoulder and be comfortable enough to get his command back.

 

You are obviously wrong, John Danks is ruined forever, and it's the worst contract in the history of the entire planet.

[flavum]

You are obviously wrong, John Danks is ruined forever, and it's the worst contract in the history of the entire planet.

 

I'm in the middle on this...

 

Should we be patient with Danks coming back from this? Yes. Absolutely.

 

Should we be a little afraid the Sox gave 5 years/65 mil to a guy that may never be an above average major league starter again? Hell yes.

 

I'm not saying it was a bad deal at the time. It would just be unfortunate if the Sox don't get the value back for that investment.

[witesoxfan]

Personally, I wanted them to trade Danks prior to 2011 and then at the deadline too, but Williams found it imperative to have him and resign him. It was Williams' last mistake.

 

Still, our very own physical therapist has basically said that this is not something that is going to ultimately ruin his arm and that he will (should) eventually find his stuff again. I just can't be overly concerned at this point.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Should've traded Danks when we had the chance!

[iamshack]

Personally, I wanted them to trade Danks prior to 2011 and then at the deadline too, but Williams found it imperative to have him and resign him. It was Williams' last mistake.

 

Still, our very own physical therapist has basically said that this is not something that is going to ultimately ruin his arm and that he will (should) eventually find his stuff again. I just can't be overly concerned at this point.

I think it was more indicative of his value on the market than any desire of KW's to keep him around...although his left-handedness and perceived durability probably made a bit more comfortable signing him to a long-term deal.

 

 

[ptatc]

I'm in the middle on this...

 

Should we be patient with Danks coming back from this? Yes. Absolutely.

 

Should we be a little afraid the Sox gave 5 years/65 mil to a guy that may never be an above average major league starter again? Hell yes.

 

I'm not saying it was a bad deal at the time. It would just be unfortunate if the Sox don't get the value back for that investment.

Since he hasn't been able to pitch, I'm sure most of it has been covered by insurance and Danks is getting workers comp. This means he is actually making more money as he is exempt from some of the taxes.

[Reddy]

Danks is a high 3's upside pitcher. end of story. he's a good decent pitcher and as a #3 he's great. is he worth the money? doubtful... but at this point lets stop b****ing about the past and cross our fingers can come back and be somewhat valuable.

[clyons]

This article tries to provide some perspective by citing comparative injuries:

 

http://www.southsidesox.com/2013/3/20/4125...urgery-pitchers

[Dick Allen]

This article tries to provide some perspective by citing comparative injuries:

 

http://www.southsidesox.com/2013/3/20/4125...urgery-pitchers

Interesting, but they claim Danks' injury is most like Santana's. Santana came back last year and was pretty awesome the first 3 months. He even pitched a no hitter. He then hurt an ankle and was horrible. I don't know how much of that horrible can be attributed to his shoulder.

 

I think it's way too early to be worried about Danks.

[southsideirish71]

There are a couple of things in play here. There is the velocity. Which as PTAC has stated is building up the muscle, loosening up any of the tightness, running free and easy during delivery. Then there is command and control. Throwing a strike is control, command is where you can throw the strike to a part of the zone. This includes understanding the way your pitches break or move that day. Command is going to take the longest as his shoulder is still getting used to the motion and he is gaining confidence. Also there is the mental fear factor as well. One of the biggest issues for a pitcher that gets hurt is to distinguish discomfort with pain. Pitching and recovering from a turn through the rotation deals with soreness, thats discomfort. When you feel a twinge or sharp stick, thats pain. Sometimes the minute you feel anything negative you want to back off. I think he will be fine in the end. Its just going to take time to regain his form.

[flavum]

Coop on Danks

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...0,6050154.story

[southsider2k5]

Coop on Danks

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...0,6050154.story

 

Cooper seemed pretty positive. He said he is continuing to improve, and is planning on having him start again Sunday. Also interesting to hear that Axelrod is on the same schedule as Santiago. He could be the fifth starter still if Danks can't go.

[Jake]

Cooper seemed pretty positive. He said he is continuing to improve, and is planning on having him start again Sunday. Also interesting to hear that Axelrod is on the same schedule as Santiago. He could be the fifth starter still if Danks can't go.

 

Also, that was the worst interview ever.

[ptatc]

This article tries to provide some perspective by citing comparative injuries:

 

http://www.southsidesox.com/2013/3/20/4125...urgery-pitchers

That article is pretty much on the money. There were two primary factors that they left out. First the length of time that he couldn't throw prior to the surgery left his rotator cuff in a comparatively weakened condition. The cuff wasn't involved much even though the article stated that his subscapularis tendon tear had healed. I still think it was a misdiagnosis found by MRI. As stated in the article, MR imaging is not real accurrate especially in the shoulder where there are so many structures in a small area. Inflammation in one anatomical structure could easily be mistaken for the others. The second factor is the new thermal shrinking technique for the capsule. Physician's don't like to do the surgery because there can be alot involved with cutting the capsule and suturing it up just right. Dr. Romeo uses a device through the scope that uses heat to srink the capsule instead of relying only on the sutures. I'm sure many of the other physician's use them as well but they weren't as available or trusted until a few years ago.

 

This is why all of the different pitcher's injuries need to be taken individually and cannot always be generalized. I tear that is more anterior is very different from one that is more inferior. The comorbidity factors of cuff or labrum injuries is a good point though.