The Philadelphia Phillies would have one hell of a trade chip at the deadline in Cliff Lee…if Lee was able to prove he was healthy this season.
Well, just one start into the spring, Lee’s elbow is sore again. So much for that. Details from the Philadelphia Daily News…
General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Lee will be temporarily shut down after getting an MRI on his left elbow. Lee will miss his next turn in the rotation.
“You have to be alarmed, we have to be concerned because it’s the same area an he feels something,” Amaro said of the Phillies lefthander. “It’s the same area, the same issues he had last year.”
The Phillies and their fans should be hoping and praying that this is just a bump in the road for Lee as opposed to the end of the road. Lee made only three starts after May 18th while dealing with a strained elbow last season, and he wasn’t very good in those three starts.
At 36, any potential injury could be a career-threatening one for Lee, and I believe the Phillies are smart enough not to keep pushing him. Skipping his next start is a step in that direction.
Lee is owed $25 million in 2015, and has a $12.5 million buyout on a $27.5 million club option for 2016. Former Philadelphia rotation-mate Roy Halladay was limited by injuries in 2013, and retired once the season was over at 36.
It’s disappointing to potentially see Lee going down the same path, but that’s the life of a durable ace – everything is going well, and then the wheels completely fall off one day, never to be reattached.
