Matt Guerrier is recovering well after being placed on the 15-day disabled list on April 24th with right elbow tendinitis. Guerrier is eligible to come off the disabled list on May 4th, but so far there is no timetable on his return. My best guess is that we will see Guerrier return to action some time in the early to mid part of May barring there are no setbacks.
Guerrier struggled through the injury for the greater part of spring training which eventually led to the stint on the disabled list at the end of this month. Certainly not the way Guerrier intended on starting his 2012 campaign. As they often say in baseball, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
“For a little bit I thought I was getting back into it, so I pitched through it hoping it would get better,” Guerrier recently said.
By the end of spring training, Guerrier added, the injury “was really minor at that point. I was hoping it would work its way out. It didn’t.”
Best case scenario Guerrier comes off the disabled list shortly after being eligible to in the next few days. Sadly that probably will not be the case simply because tendinitis is one of those things that takes time and rest to heal properly. If Guerrier rushes and comes back to soon, this injury could plague him all season long, something he, nor the Dodgers can afford.
Before being placed on the disabled list Guerrier was off to an acceptable start for the 2012 season. In just under seven innings of work Guerrier had only allowed two runs for a 2.70 ERA, while punching out 4 batters, and walking five. Not exactly what we would expect from one of the more reliable and solid guys in the ‘pen, but considering he’s been battling the tendinitis for who knows how long now, I’ll give him a get out of jail free card on this one. Guerrier much like Todd Coffey who is ready to come off the disabled list today, is gearing for a fresh start on the 2012 season.
The Dodgers have been fortunate up to this point having the bullpen depth that they have, because so far Todd Coffey, Matt Guerrier, and Blake Hawksworth have all spent time on the disabled list in the early part of the season. Meanwhile Ronald Belisario is still on the restricted list as he serves out his suspension. Assuming all these guys can get healthy and Belisario gets his head on straight, Mattingly is going to be forced to make some tough roster decisions soon.