Baltimore Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy has been playing injured all year.
Hardy admitted to the Baltimore Sun he’s played the entire season with a torn labrum in his left, non-throwing shoulder. Hardy’s isn’t opting for surgery – instead he’s going to rest and hope that heals it quickly. Hardy’s gone thought this before, as he’s already had the surgery to repair the shoulder in 2004 as a minor leaguer, but doesn’t want to go through it again.
This whole thing is crazy considering how torn labrums have decimated players in the past.
Hardy, who missed the first 25 games of the season with the injury, told the Sun’s Eduardo A. Encina he’s had a funky swing all season, due to concerns about getting reinjured.
Hardy said he’s restricted his swing all season, overcompensating with his top hand because of concern of re-aggravating the shoulder on his backswing. He took several measures to overcome the injury, tinkering with his swing and his stance and reducing his swings in batting practice throughout the season, but admits it has led to some bad habits at the plate.
Hardy has had a tough season at the plate, so this explains a lot.
His average has dropped down to a career worst .213, and his power had disappeared, rapping just 21 extra base hits in 111 games. The Orioles rank dead last as a team at shortstop in MLB in both average (.214) and wOBA (.237), and are the only team in the league to post a slugging percentage below .300 (.293) at the position.
Baltimore’s offense still scored a healthy amount of runs thanks to MVP-like performances from third baseman Manny Machado and first baseman Chris Davis, but Hardy’s injury and subsequent decline hampered what could have been a special offense.
His offense has taken a noticeable dip, but the reigning Gold Glove winner has had no issues defensively, committing only three errors all season.
Hardy told Encina if his ailments continue into next year, it could impact how long he plans to play in the league. He seems confident he will get stronger, and given his age and injury history, it makes sense why he would want to avoid surgery all together, however it all seems very risky.
