Dr. Schulz says every player responds differently in the recovery process, even with similar strains, when asked about the D-Backs starting pitcher.
Link to Article: What is Merrill Kelly’s injury? Explaining recovery timeline for Diamondbacks’ pitcher (msn.com)
The Diamondbacks suffered perhaps their most damaging injury blow yet earlier this week, when they placed Merrill Kelly on the 15-day injured list with a teres major strain.
They are now without two members of their first-choice starting rotation, as well as Ryne Nelson, their presumptive sixth starter. Kelly’s injury, though, is particularly deflating. He was off to an excellent start and has been a reliable fixture for years, with a 3.26 ERA since the start of 2022. The issue first appeared with discomfort in a bullpen session last week before Kelly was officially placed on the injured list Tuesday.
To answer some of the key questions facing Kelly as he works his way back, The Republic spoke with Dr. Brian Schulz. Schulz is the Los Angeles Angels team physician and an orthopedic surgeon at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Anaheim.
What is the Teres Major?
The teres major is one of two muscles in the back of the shoulder responsible for slowing the arm down at the end of a pitching motion. The other muscle is the much larger latissimus dorsi, or the lat, which Diamondbacks left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez strained in spring training. The lat is the largest muscle in the back, while the teres major connects between the shoulder blade and upper arm.
According to Schulz, the two muscles have a similar recovery process. “These traditionally heal very well, people get back,” Schulz said. “It’s just, with muscle injuries, unfortunately it is usually a decent amount of time that’s lost.”
What is Kelly’s Recovery Timeline?
Although the Diamondbacks have not publicly put a grade on Kelly’s strain, the good news is that it will not require surgery, according to manager Torey Lovullo.
The recovery time, though, still varies widely.
“If you’ve got a full tear, you’re looking at probably 4-6 weeks of no throwing, rehab only to let the muscle and the tendon heal,” Schulz said. “And then you’re looking at, if you’ve had a player shut down that long, you’re gonna have to build him up over the next probably 4-6 weeks. So any kind of significant injury, you’re looking at close to maybe three months.”
The opposite end of the spectrum looks much different.
“On the lighter end, maybe you shut the player down for 7-10 days,” Schulz said. “… If they’re a starting pitcher then you may have to build them up a little bit slower, couple weeks. And a lot of it just depends on how long they’re not throwing. If a player’s only not throwing for a week, it doesn’t take much to ramp back up.”
What’s Next For Kelly?
“It’s a more careful approach,” Schulz said. “It’s hard to extrapolate from that how severe the injury is but it must be something that’s enough where they want to make sure there’s some adequate healing before they start letting the player throw again.”
What is unclear is when the Diamondbacks will have Kelly undergo re-imaging. As Schulz explained, every player responds differently in the recovery process, even with similar strains.
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