Company

Jake Westbrook, Fausto Carmona, Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner, Josh Barfield, Michael Aubrey. All of them are currently on the DL for the Indians. It seems they won’t be getting Carmona and Hafner back anytime soon.

Reports from the Indians might as well be coming from the Cleveland Clinic these days. The latest from the Tribe is that Fausto Carmona will not be making his scheduled rehab starts after feeling soreness in his hip from a 50 pitch simulated game at Mahoning Valley on Monday. The hip was still sore on Wednesday. That can’t be good. Friday, Fausto was to make a rehab start and then another on the 25th. It was hoped that he would then be ready to take his spot in the rotation. We can kiss that time table goodbye. Best case scenario is that Fausto’s pain wasn’t due to anything new, or any further damage. Even so, it is unlikely that we will see Cleveland’s ace of the future before the all-star break.

Meanwhile, the team awaits word on Travis Hafner’s shoulder from Dr. James Andrews. Travis visited the famous surgeon on Wednesday to get another opinion on his injury. Anyone else hope that Dr. Andrews finds something wrong? Not that I wish ill health on anyone, but there just has to be some type of explanation for Hafner’s production doesn’t there? Maybe there is some sort of procedure that would be worth shutting Travis down for the year. For better or worse we have Travis for awhile here, and I’d rather see him try again next year with a repaired shoulder and time to recover.

It does make you wonder about the Tribe’s medical team doesn’t it? Westbrook ends up needing the dreaded Tommy John surgery after getting a second opinion. Hafner’s shoulder has bothered him for over a year, and no relief could be found in the Indians’ camp. I fear that Fausto’s hip is injured more than the medical staff originally thought. Obviously I’m no doctor. I do play one on the internet though…