7/5/18

Mike Friere -Yo's Hip Flexor


As I write this piece, I sit comfortably inside of a rental cabin atop a nice mountain top in the lovely town of Morganton, GA.  My wife and I are enjoying a week away from the infernal heat in our home state of Florida and we are also celebrating our nation’s birthday.  This respite from our normal routine has left both of us in a pretty good mood, as you can imagine (a few IPA’s certainly make everything better).   

Despite this break, I have managed to keep up with the slow motion train wreck that is our favorite team (spotty “wifi” signals notwithstanding).  In short, things with the parent club have been status quo and the downward spiral towards a top three draft pick in 2019 has continued with vigor.  I suppose I agree with the idea that if you are going to lose, you may as well lose BIG and the Mets have certainly obliged.

With all of that said, there is a different situation that has been developing for some time and it has flown under the radar due to the plethora of negative storylines that appear on a daily basis.  That “situation” is the disappearance of Yoenis Cespedes from the Mets’ daily lineup.   Before I continue, I am aware that he on the disabled list and that is not actually missing.  His reported injury was listed as a “strained hip flexor” and he was placed on the 10 Day Disabled List on May 14, 2018.  Furthermore, he was eligible to return to the lineup on May 24, 2018 and at the time, it was viewed as a short term issue.

Well, that was fifty-one days ago as of this date, which is just over seven weeks or going on two full months.  I am not sure how you look at things, but in my world, nearly two months is quite a long time.  Hell, I fractured a collar bone when I was younger and I was pretty much good to go in that time frame, so I am not sure what is going on with Yo?

According to www.healthline.com, the main work of your hip flexors is to bring your knee toward your chest and to bend at the waist. Symptoms associated with a hip flexor strain can range from mild to severe and can impact your mobility. If you don’t rest and seek treatment, your hip flexor strain symptoms could get worse (but there are many at-home activities and remedies that can help reduce hip flexor strain symptoms).

A hip flexor strain represents a tearing in the muscles and they can range from mild to severe:
  • Grade I tear: a minor tear, in which only a few fibers are damaged
  • Grade II tear: a significant number of muscle fibers are damaged and you have a moderate loss of hip flexor function
  • Grade III tear: the muscle is completely ruptured or torn, and you usually can’t walk without a limp
***I am not sure what grade Yo’s current injury is, but based on the initial reports from the Mets, it would appear that it was on the shorter end of the listed spectrum (i.e. the initial return date that was published by the Mets).

How long it takes a hip flexor strain to heal depends on how severe the injury is. A mild strain can take a few weeks to heal, but a severe strain can take six weeks or more to heal per previous cases.  Failing to rest and recover a hip flexor strain usually only results in a worse injury and greater pain at a later time.

Now that we are well past the normal return date for a player with a similar injury, it would seem that one of two things are at play;  

1.  The situation was improperly reported by the Mets, which is possible because, well…it has happened quite a bit in the past
with different players and all types of injuries.

2. Something more sinister is at work, which would be Yo intentionally “slow playing” his return due to the current state of
the team and the direction it is heading.

***Recent reports have indicated that Yo has started to run during his rehabilitation, so that is a positive development (however, there is still not timetable for his return, so who knows when he will make it back).

Complicating the issue is Yo’s injury plagued past, which amounts to 800 games started in roughly 6.5 seasons in MLB (2012 through 2017, along with half of the 2018 season).  If you divide things out further, he has averaged approximately 120 starts per season OR he has missed 42 games per season (depending on your perspective).  Plus, he does have a bit of a reputation for being “difficult”, which is likely exacerbated this year by the lack of team success.

So, what do you make of the current situation? 

15 comments:

Tom Brennan said...

Enjoy the respite from the heat. We won last night, the bullpen didn't fold, and Cespedes is running again, too? Pinch me.

My guess is we will see him after the All Star break, the All Star game $28 million guys are actually supposed to play in. I would use him sparingly, focusing on 2019. When he will be older and perhaps more brittle.

Michael Freire said...

You hate to accuse someone without any evidence, but it certainly seems like he is "taking his time" here, doesn't it?

Anonymous said...

I could only hope, by some miracle of miracles he agrees to a trade and we find some hapless team willing to take him...

Mack Ade said...

I really am done with this guy.

I have never seen a more drama controlled situation by a prom queen in this business.

I know there is no market for him... and if we cut him, he'd sign with someone, get healthy, and lead the league in both home runs and stolen bases while winning the Gold Glove.

A miserable sign.

Tom Brennan said...

Hey, by the way, how is Mr Bruce doing? I look very much to seeing him out there for the next 2.5 seasons, and I'm sure I am not alone in that sentiment.

Besides, Swarzak has been lights out (he comes in, gets bombed, game over, lights turned off) and I really miss Jason Vargas, even more than I missed Jason Bay.

Unknown said...

They put together a team dependent on Cespedes the problem is 30% of the time you can't depend on him cuz he's not there

Bob Gregory said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bob Gregory said...

The entire team was built on Hope's, dreams, what ifs,could bes, fantasy, and a conviction that the front office knows better than anybody elses.

Other organizations build with brick, concrete, and steel.
The Mets organization is built with Legos, Lincoln Logs, splints, and gauze.

Last chance hoping that the Wilpon edict of "creative thinking" this summer results in a surprising and drastic shift in organization building philosophy.

Robb said...

I would like to make one point. I currently have a back and hip injury. It was not supposed to be severe. 2-3 weeks. Im now going into week six where Im not allowed to run or really do any activities. Im no elite athlete, but i run circles around most people. Injuries are just not all the same. And first they shut you down, expect it to heal, then when it doesnt they freak out. Its not like he can have 8 cortisone shots there. Sometime injuries just take time. But even more then that, a lot of times injuries are miss diagnosed. They think its the hip, but its the back. they think its the back but its the hamstring, etc. Its why things like broken bones are so much easier to manage.

Reese Kaplan said...

The Alderson/Collins philosophy is ruin a kid, don't hold veterans accountable. Not much has changed, but I've noted in private conversations with the staff that there has been a flurry of activity in promoting people up through minors ever since Sandy departed. Maybe they're finally realizing that the formula for success is not over-30 veterans you pay for past accomplishments, but instead developing younger (and cheaper) alternatives in-house or through...what's that called when you give up one or more of your players to get one or more players from another organization? I seem to remember other teams doing that regularly.

Tom Brennan said...

Robb, the next time a player is doing extreme weight regimens, the Mets need to steer clear. Look at 1986 Mets tapes - who was bulked out? Only Mitchell, naturally too...excessive weights has to lead to imbalances (like torn obliques) - Seaver had it right. Cespedes? Dead wrong. But it got him paid.

Michael Freire said...

Excellent point, Robb.........I am not sure what is taking place, but the way it was initially reported, you would think Yo would be back sooner then this, right?

amr elsa said...

Hip flexors, in the human anatomy, refer to a cluster of skeletal muscles that help to pull the knee forward, by flexing the femur or the thighbone onto the lumbo-pelvic complex. Together called iliopsoas, or the muscles of the inner hip, they consist of Psoas major, Psoas minor and Iliacus muscle. The hip flexor group of muscles, located in the abdomen and the thigh, are active when you stand up from a sitting position, or when you dance, climb stairs, run, play soccer or even when you do resistance training. Allowing the up and down movements of your legs and at the same time working to balance your spine’s stability, they represent the strongest muscles in your body.
https://healthandfitness2020.com/hip-flexor-pain-when-running-how-to-stop-it/
https://bit.ly/2vIhRlS

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