MRI shows damage in Beede’s right elbow
Giants pitcher has flexor strain, UCL sprain
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. >> Tyler Beede’s chances at earning the fifth spot in the Giants’ starting rotation took a blow Tuesday when he began to feel tightness in his right elbow.
An MRI taken that night showed a flexor strain and UCL sprain in that elbow. While that is an ominous diagnosis, Beede was optimistic he won’t need surgery. The Giants, however, won’t make a determination on that until they get a second opinion this week. Either way, Beede will not be ready for Opening Day.
“When you hear that or read that, it doesn’t sound super encouraging,” Beede said on Wednesday. “But from my perspective, as well from Dr. (Ken) Akizuki and the tests that they’ve done, that it’s better than that.”
Although the MRI showed damage in multiple spots, Beede said the ligament is still mostly intact. A UCL sprain can often be a precursor to Tommy John surgery.
“It doesn’t feel like I have a torn UCL,” Beede said. “It does feel like there’s some stuff going on that I will continue to rehab and to work through and recover these next couple days.”
Beede and the Giants haven’t settled on who to go to for a second opinion, but renowned sports orthopedic surgeon Neal ElAttrache, based out of Los Angeles, is one option.
Beede, 26, was battling primarily with fellow righthander Logan Webb for the final spot in the Giants’ rotation. Webb got his second start of the spring Tuesday against the Rangers, and Beede was scheduled to follow with his second appearance of the spring. But he came out after only one inning, after feeling tightness in his right elbow while throwing his curveball.
Manager Gabe Kapler said there wasn’t one, single pitch Beede began to feel the discomfort. He was allowed to finish the inning, getting a fly out for the final two outs.
When he returned to the dugout, he informed
Kapler how he was feeling, and it was an easy decision to shut him down.
Beede first felt his arm tighten up after a live batting practice session about a week and a half ago, he said.
“I’ve had arm fatigue before during spring training; I’ve had forearm discomfort. Nothing I felt that I couldn’t work through,” Beede said. “Work with the trainers, get it feeling right. And that week I did that. I got treatment as normal and felt really good for that Thursday outing in Peoria.”
But Beede said his bullpen before Tuesday’s outing “didn’t feel great” but he didn’t raise any concerns until it failed to get any better when he took the mound in the game.
“I didn’t feel particularly good throwing any pitch,” Beede said.
The plan is for him to rest the arm to allow for the inflammation in his flexor tendon to go down before they treat the UCL. Beede said he looked to Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Tyler
Glasnow, who dealt with the same issue early last season. He missed about four months but returned to make four short starts in September and posted a 1.46 ERA.
Beede started 22 games for the Giants in 2019, but his spot in the rotation was never a given for 2020. He posted a 5.08 ERA in 117 innings, while striking out nearly a batter an inning.
Manager Gabe Kapler said this could open doors for other starters to compete for the final spot in the rotation.
“I think it introduces some new, exciting competition,” Kapler said. “I think it reinforces that we’re fairly deep. It’s not deep with established veteran players with a lot of success, but deep with starting pitching possibilities.”
He named Webb, Shaun Anderson, Andrew Suarez, Trevor Oaks, Trevor Cahill and Tyson Ross as options who “can think about possibly starting at some point.”