In news unrelated to the world (not) ending, Marlins ace and a half Josh Johnson was put on the DL today. The official diagnosis is mild inflammation of the right (throwing) shoulder, something that has apparently been bothering him all season [via Yahoo!]:
“It took everything I had to go and say something,” he said. “Once I did, it was something lifted off my shoulders. Let’s get it right and get it back to feeling like it did at the beginning of the season.”
The move is retroactive to Tuesday, meaning Johnson might only miss two starts. The Marlins hope he’ll be able to pitch the first day he’s eligible to come off the DL, which would be June 1 at Arizona.
If revealing the injury to his coaching staff was really a boulder lifted off of his shoulders, that should help the pain. Amirite?
Look, pitchers throw through discomfort/pain unbeknownst to anyone but the pitcher all the time, but it’s rare they do it while also putting up numbers like Johnson has. 1.64 ERA, 240 ERA+, WHIP under one, 56 strikeouts in 60 innings, blah, blah, Cy, blah, Young. He’s allowed more than two earned runs in one one start this season, all of which have lasted at least five innings.
Injuries are the only thing holding Johnson back from elite, on-the-national-radar status — he had reconstructive surgery in 2008 and had to be shut down for the final three weeks of last season due to an ailing back and shoulder. Luckily, for the Marlins, Johnson, my fantasy baseball team, and general fans of exceptional pitching, this injury isn’t expected to be serious.
Even if he comes back as injured as before, I think he’ll do just fine.
