Cliff Lee’s season is in jeopardy before it has even started, but for now he will just be put on the 60-day disabled lists in the hopes of returning later.
About a week ago, Philadelphia Phillies‘ pitcher Cliff Lee discovered some pain in his left elbow after throwing for two innings in his spring training debut, and we now know that it is a tear in the common flexor tendon.
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The 36-year-old was held back by a strained flexor tendon in the same elbow last year, and he ultimately only played 13 games and finished with a 4-5 record with a 3.65 ERA and 72 strikeouts.
While surgery is the only thing that can 100 percent fix this injury, Lee and the Phillies realize that it would shut him down for the entire upcoming season and possibly for the rest of his career. This wouldn’t be career-threatening if this was happening eight years ago, but Lee is going into his 14th season and is starting to get dominating by Father Time (who is always undefeated).
Instead of taking the surgical route, Lee has decided to try to rehab the elbow on his own in the hopes of being able to pitch again this year. He has recently taken this route two other times, and they obviously haven’t worked out all that well.
The Phillies have officially shut him down for 60 days and have sent him home to begin the rehab process on his elbow.
Regardless of what goes on with Lee this year, he is still going to be owed $25 million for the upcoming season as he continues to cash in on the monster $120 million guaranteed deal that he signed with the Phillies in 2010.
Hopefully this isn’t the end of Lee as we know it, because seeing legends go out like this is always a terrible thing to witness.
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