On Saturday the Padres placed budding ace Andrew Cashner on the disabled list with elbow soreness. Given how things have been going for pitchers lately one might think that the next step was Tommy John surgery or, possibly, euthanization. Or, if he’s lucky, maybe they’d just shoot him into space in a cryogenic state in the hopes that future sports doctors could cure him.
Luckily, it does not appear to be as dire as all that:
#Padres announce that Andrew Cashner that MRI today concluded he has elbow soreness and irritation. Rest and recovery, no timetable.
— Corey Brock (@FollowThePadres) May 20, 2014
Cashner was off to a great start this year, starting nine games with a 2.35 ERA and 47/17 K/BB ratio in 57 innings. He’s got great stuff and killer velocity. And given how young guys with that profile have fared recently, medically speaking, here’s hoping that this relatively optimistic diagnosis holds.