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Last night, after giving up a couple early homers and then getting lifted after just a couple innings, Nick Tropeano was rumored to not be suffering from a run-of-the-mill bad start, but something a little more serious. There were rumblings about some soreness/stiffness in his arm and that's why he had such a terrible start, and was subsequently pulled.
Today, the Angels and their fans waited on some decent news to come back about NiTro's situation; perhaps he'd need a little 15 day stint on the DL? Or maybe it was nothing, and he could proceed to join the rotation again after some rest? Well, those hopes and theories have not only been put out to pasture, but they've also been set on fire, blown up and then set on fire again. It appears Tropeano's MRI came back with some really, really bad news...the same bad news we've already endured with Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney:
Today, the #Angels Organization released the following statement regarding the medical status of RHP Nick Tropeano. pic.twitter.com/7NFwAVIkVv
— Angels (@Angels) July 19, 2016
Yep, Nick Tropeano is looking at a bad tear, and it's seeming like TJ surgery is in his future. That is, unless a second opinion can come in and save the day. There's also the stem cell treatment that Heaney and Richards both tried, but for the former it just delayed the surgery a few weeks, while the latter is having more success. Either way, this will probably be the end of NiTro in 2016.
Beyond that, this could be the end of NiTro in 2017, as well...the reverberations of this are huge, not only in the young hurler's career, but also in the fact that the Angels now have their hands somewhat tied when it comes to trading away any valuable arms they have. Their wealth of starting arms has shriveled and withered away, what was once a boon for them is now just barely enough to get by.
What is going on with Angels pitchers and Tommy John surgery this year? Better yet, what curse has been put upon this team that gives them devastating injuries just about every two weeks? Here's to Tropeano and his recovery...hope he comes back in 2018 firing some serious bullets over the plate. Until then, things are going to get worse before they get better.