Kelvim Escobar Injured to Start Spring

Written by Mike Mariano | 18 February 2010

UPDATE:  Johan says they had a catch together and the "can't grip a ball" rumors are not true.  Well, damn -- forget everything I just said.

News out of Mets camp today, Kelvim Escobar has a sore shoulder to start out Spring Training.  This is the guy who missed the last two season's with shoulder problems (torn labrum) and was a major injury risk coming in.  $1.25 million dollars later, Escobar and his balky shoulder are having trouble again.  On the surface this doesn't appear to be all that noteworthy -- first days of spring, old pitchers are going to have shoulder soreness.

However, if Hardball Talk has it correctly, Escobar can't even grip a baseball right now and that signifies a much, much bigger problem.  I've had every type of shoulder soreness there is while playing ball.  Tendonitis, subluxation, impingement, rotator cuff weakness, labrum soreness, you name it.  Never once have I not been able to grip a baseball.  If I'm a Mets fan, I wouldn't count on seeing Escobar in that set-up man role for too much of this season.