Injury Notes: Lorenzen, Wilson, Giants, Cardinals

Reds right-hander Michael Lorenzen recently sat out a few days after due to tenderness in his right elbow, and while an ultrasound initially came back clean, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Lorenzen experienced a setback when playing catch yesterday and will now undergo an MRI. The severity of the injury won’t be known until the Reds announce the results of the MRI, but clearly it’s troubling news for the team and the 24-year-old Lorenzen — one of Cincinnati’s most promising young arms. Lorenzen, formerly selected 38th overall in the 2013 draft, debuted with the Reds and pitched 113 1/3 innings for the Reds last season. While Lorenzen’s 5.40 ERA ultimately didn’t impress, the righty does own a strong 2.83 ERA in 184 2/3 career minor league innings.

More on some troublesome injuries around the league…

• Angels lefty C.J. Wilson suffered another setback in his recovery from shoulder pain, and his status for the first month or two of the season is “in question,” reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. Wilson felt discomfort in his shoulder after a bullpen session on Saturday and will only play catch on flat ground for the time being. A date hasn’t been set for another bullpen session, per manager Mike Scioscia, who simply said, “He’ll be ready when he’s ready.” Wilson is slated to earn $20MM this season in the final year of a five-year, $77.5MM contract signed prior to the 2012 season. His 2015 season came to an end when he underwent surgery to remove bone spurs in his elbow.
• Giants prospect Ian Gardeck will require Tommy John surgery to fix a torn ligament in his elbow, tweets Carl Steward of the Bay Area News Group. The right-handed reliever wasn’t likely to factor into the Giants’ plans in 2016, having spent the 2015 season at Class-A Advanced, but his loss is a hit to the club’s farm, as he ranked 17th among Giants farmhands, per Baseball America. BA noted that Gardeck overcame alarming control problems in 2015 and could move quickly through the system thanks to his newfound ability to spot his upper-90s fastball (which touches 100 mph at its best). San Francisco added him to its 40-man roster this offseason after a 3.54 ERA, 10.8 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 86 1/3 innings last season.
• Jhonny Peralta’s timeline to return to the Cardinals after thumb surgery is set at 10 to 12 weeks, writes ESPN’s Mark Saxon. That was the initial timeline came with his injury, though reports at the time of his surgical procedure speculated that a return closer to the All-Star break was possible. Rather, the 10- to 12-week period would set Peralta up for a return in late May or mid June, barring setbacks in his recovery. Peralta tells Saxon that he’s listening to advice from teammate Yadier Molina, who had a similar injury in each of the past two seasons. Speaking of Molina, Saxon notes that he took batting practice for the first time on Monday, though his Opening Day status remains uncertain.