NEWSLETTER
The MRI Chicago Cubs pitcher Angel Guzman had on his throwing shoulder came back with horrible news.
Cubs pitcher Angel Guzman has a significant tear in a ligament in his right shoulder and will not be ready Opening Day. Whether he will undergo surgery is yet to be determined.
“He has a very unstable shoulder,” Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said on Saturday. “There’s no timeframe of anywhere soon that he’ll be pitching. Obviously, it wasn’t good news.”
Guzman underwent an MRI on his shoulder on Friday after complaining of discomfort. He had not thrown off the mound this spring.
It’s been a difficult few months for Guzman, 28, who injured his right knee running in Venezuela, then five days later, lost his brother, who was shot to death in Caracas on Jan. 11. Guzman, who has been recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, had yet to throw off the mound this spring.
“You just feel terrible for the kid,” Hendry said. “Right when he has success and has great stuff, something has gone wrong. We were very pleased with his throwing in January. It’s a shame.
“At one time, this guy was as good a prospect as [Carlos Zambrano] in the system,” Hendry said of Guzman, whose career has been slowed by shoulder and elbow injuries. “It just seems like it’s been one thing after another. He’s had some success the last couple years with well-above-average stuff and was capable of pitching at any point in the game for you.” cubs.com.
Just terrible for both Guzman and the Cubs, who were counting on Guzman at the back end of the bullpen. Some reports suggest that even if Guzman opts for surgery, it will be of the career-threatening kind.
Obviously it’s not a matter of life and death, but as far as injury news goes, this is about as bad as it gets.
