I wouldn't read too much into this as he says he might be available soon thereafter, but I guess it's just a reminder that he's got a bit of a caution signal hanging next to his name.
ESPN.com wrote:When the Tampa Bay Rays open defense of their American League championship this season in Boston, one of the main cogs in their lineup is likely to be missing.
Center fielder B.J. Upton, who is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, is expected to miss the first week of the season when the team visits the cold Northeast with early April stops in Boston and Baltimore
I probably wont discount him much but that shoulder is a little scary. I believe when he dislocated it last year on one of the most violent swings i've ever seen he said something like, "this happens about once a year and they just pop it back in" (i'm paraphrasing). So I guess its a little bit of concern...
Not alot of talk in the other thread but it does make me worry his power won't be there for the first month or so if this does linger. Definately going to keep an eye on him in spring.
Not alot of talk in the other thread but it does make me worry his power won't be there for the first month or so if this does linger. Definately going to keep an eye on him in spring.
It's in the 11th round, so it's a no brainer, but I still don't like it. If someone's shoulder is so weak that they can't even play AT ALL, it's not a good sign for the long-term potential of his power throughout the year.
Curtis Pride wrote:Ugh, he's a keeper option for me.
It's in the 11th round, so it's a no brainer, but I still don't like it. If someone's shoulder is so weak that they can't even play AT ALL, it's not a good sign for the long-term potential of his power throughout the year.
I think they just see it as a bad idea to start out the year in the cold weather (@ Bost, @ Balt) Shoulders don't respond very well to the cold, so why risk it when they can just hold him out 6 games and let him start his season back in the cozy dome of Tampa.
By the time they hit the road again it's to the West Coast and Minn (dome). Just playing it safe to start out the year. Not a bad idea.
I think it is more because it will be very hard to get the shoulder loose in cold weather than anything else.
As someone who has been through a rehab of a very similar surgery, I can tell you they have really no idea what he will feel like in April. They'll keep working on it, getting it loose, exercising it, and when it's ready, it's ready. My doc told me at the time of my surgery that the chance of dislocating from the same activity was pretty close to zero. He also told me that once my body adjusted, the shoulder would be much stronger than before. He was right on both accounts (so far), and he is no Dr. Andrews, and I am old now and certainly no BJ Upton.
Downgrading BJ based on this is a mistake, IMO. Now, if he really starts hitting and is having problems with his swing, then I'd start making adjustments.
Agree that its a good idea to be conservative and hold him out from the cold, but how can they accurately say 2+ months ahead of time that he's going miss only the first week of the year? I'll let someone else take the risk with their 3rd round pick.
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by bigwords » Wed Jan 14, 2009 5:16 pm 
