Daily Dose: Thumb's Down
Ryan Braun declined to have surgery last offseason to address a nagging right thumb injury. But, after suffering through a disappointing 2014 campaign, the outfielder has now decided it’s time to go under the knife.
Braun decided against a variety of surgical options last winter because the odds of any of them alleviating the nerve issue in his thumb didn’t seem to be particularly high. However, the 30-year-old and the Brewers feel that they’ve now found an option that’s “minimally invasive” and gives him a better shot at getting healthy. He’ll undergo a cryotherapy procedure – which involves the freezing of damaged tissue -- on Thursday in Los Angeles, with Dr. Vernon Williams performing the operation.
"It has been the plan for a while," Braun told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "The plan all along has been to find the least invasive option that we felt like would give me the best chance to get the closest to 100%. I don't feel like I need to be at 100% to be one of the best players in the game, but I've got to be at 80-90%. I have to be able to use my top hand in my swing to feel like I can do the things I'm used to doing and capable of doing."
The catch with the cryotherapy procedure is that it’s never been performed on a thumb before, so Braun is going into uncharted waters here. However, according to Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash, the surgery “has been successful with other parts of the body,” and “there is no downside to it... it can't make it worse."
After hitting .313/.374/.568 and averaging 33.7 homers and 107.2 RBI in his first six seasons, Braun fell to .298/.372/.498 last year and .266/.324/.453 with 19 homers and 81 RBI over 135 contests this season while battling the thumb issue. There will be those that say the drop in production is at least partly PED-related, and that might be true. However, there’s no doubt that the thumb was a huge issue, as Braun often was unable to pull the ball with any authority because of so much pain in his top hand.
A rehab schedule should be available shortly after Thursday’s surgery, but Braun is expected to be ready to go for spring training. We’re not going to know for a while how effective the procedure was, but it’s worth a shot as Braun tries to regain his 2007-12 form. A first-round pick in fantasy drafts last spring, Braun finished 2014 as the 65th-most valuable hitter and 31st-most valuable outfielder.
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Managerial Movement
-- Ron Gardenhire has been a fixture in the Twins’ dugout since 2002, but on Monday he officially became former Twins manager Ron Gardenhire.
Gardenhire led the Twins to division titles in each of his first three seasons and four of his first five campaigns, but times have been tough of late. The Twins finished at 72-90 in 2014, which was their fourth straight 90+ loss season.
"This is a little bit of a difficult day for a lot of us," general manager Terry Ryan told MLB.com. "We've been together with Ron for a long time. ... I think it was mutually agreed upon that we're going to go in this direction."
Gardy has finished runner-up for American League Manager of the Year five times and won the award once. He also has a pretty solid career record of 1,068-1,039. However, he struggled with a 6-21 postseason record and the regular season losses piled up the last few years.
"I'm gone. I'm out of here because we didn't win," Gardenhire said. "That's what it gets down to in baseball. That's what it should get down to -- you have to win on the field. These last four years have been tough on us."
Hall of Famer and current Twins coach Paul Molitor is seen as the most likely internal candidate to fill the managerial vacancy, though bench coach Terry Steinbach, Triple-A manager Gene Glynn and High-A manager Doug Mientkiewicz could also receive consideration. White Sox third base coach Joe McEwing and Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo are seen as the top external candidates, with Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo, Rays bench coach Dave Martinez and A's bench coach Chip Hale also reportedly in the mix.
While the Twins have plenty of holes on their big league roster, they have a terrific farm system, so it’s a job that could be attractive. The team’s search for a new manager will begin on Tuesday.
-- A.J. Hinch’s first shot as a manager didn’t go well, but he’s about to get another chance.
Hinch was introduced as the Astros’ new skipper on Monday, taking the place of Bo Porter, who had been fired at the beginning of the month.
"I am extremely excited to bring in A.J. as our new manager," Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow told MLB.com. "Throughout our process, we searched for a person with previous Major League experience who could effectively lead our young, growing nucleus of talented players. I have no doubt that A.J. is the right person to do that. He brings experience as a Major League player, Major League manager and player development executive. His skill sets and leadership abilities will be enormous assets in our clubhouse and to our entire organization."
Hinch went 89-123 in parts of two seasons with the Diamondbacks from 2009-10 and was most recently vice president and assistant general manager with the Padres. He had zero managerial experience when given the job in 2009 and was just 34 years old at the time. Now 40 and having received experience in a variety of roles in baseball, Hinch should be better prepared to succeed this time around.
As FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal notes, Hinch is “well-versed with the team’s emphasis on statistical analysis.” Also, much like the Twins, the Astros have plenty of young talent coming up through their system, so he could be arriving in Houston at the right time.
National League Quick Hits: Hyun-Jin Ryu (shoulder) felt fine during a bullpen session Sunday and is trending towards being available for the NLDS ... Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said Sunday that he expects Dee Gordon (hip) to be ready to play on Friday for Game 1 of the NLDS ... Tanner Roark is not expected to be part of the Nationals’ NLDS rotation ... Matt Holliday expects to be fully recovered from the flu by Wednesday's first postseason workout ... Chris Stewart is listed as day-to-day after X-rays on his hand came back negative on Sunday ... The Marlins announced Sunday that they've signed manager Mike Redmond to a contract extension through the 2017 season ... Brandon Kintzler will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair his left patella tendon ...
American League Quick Hits: Josh Hamilton (shoulder) went through a full workout on Monday with no issues ... Matt Shoemaker (oblique) played catch Monday without issue and will throw another bullpen session Tuesday ... Clay Buchholz is scheduled to undergo surgery Tuesday to repair the meniscus in his right knee ... Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Monday that he expects Alex Rodriguez to be the team's third baseman next season but first needs to see in spring training how A-Rod is physically ... Trevor Plouffe underwent surgery Monday to repair a fractured left forearm but will be ready for spring training ... Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said Monday that the club is interested in discussing a contract extension with Yoenis Cespedes this offseason ...
