TODAY: Skipper Bruce Bochy did not exactly calm fears over Cueto’s health in his update to reporters today, though uncertainty remains the overarching theme at the moment. As Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets, the skipper says that Cueto is heading out for opinions from multiple specialists — likely including Dr. James Andrews.
The precise nature of the injury, though, is not yet clear (publicly, at least). There’s no indication at present how likely it is that a surgical approach will be pursued, let alone what kind of timeline Cueto could be looking at for making it back to the mound.
YESTERDAY, 8:23pm: Giants GM Bobby Evans tells Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic that Cueto has been dealing with some elbow discomfort for at least a couple of starts (Twitter link). “We are getting our heads wrapped around it now,” the GM said. “We’re still trying to understand where he’s at.”
The organization is presently awaiting MRI results.*
8:04pm: The Giants have placed right-hander Johnny Cueto on the 10-day disabled list due to inflammation in his right elbow, the team told reporters (Twitter link via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area).
It’s yet another costly injury for a Giants team that is currently without Madison Bumgarner, Joe Panik, Mark Melancon and Mac Williamson, among others. Lefty Andrew Suarez is up to step into Cueto’s rotation spot, rounding out a starting mix that also includes Jeff Samardzija, Derek Holland, Ty Blach and Chris Stratton.
Even a brief absence for Cueto is a notable hit to the Giants, considering the level of utter dominance put forth by Cueto thus far in what was shaping up to be a rebound campaign. After missing much of the 2017 season due to a forearm issue (and struggling when healthy), Cueto opened the year with a superlative 0.84 ERA, 7.3 K/9, 1.7 BB/9, 0.28 HR/9 and a 45 percent ground-ball rate through 32 innings. With Bumgarner shelved for the first two months of the season, Cueto had stepped up and filled those considerable shoes, providing the Giants with a much-needed ace atop a shakier bunch of two-through-five starters.
*An earlier version of this post mistakenly stated that the team had not yet sent Cueto for an MRI.
R.I.P.
see you in 1.5 years!!
Gosh darn it.
I thought April was hard.
I guess pence is not missed even though he’s on major league rehab at Sacramento is he still a giant??
I’m really hoping this rehab lasts the rest of the year. Slater/Williamson/Duggar all are better. Maybe Shaw too.
Rehab assignments are maxed out at 20 days for position players, so they’ll have to do something, can’t just straight send him down
Unless he tweaks a hammy or strains an oblique (new injury) late in his rehab which would start the process all over again. Regardless, the past 3+ years have shown that he’ll make it back only to land back on the DL within a month or so.
He doesn’t need to come back at all. The guy has been terrible for a while now.
(Cue JonTron “Ooooooh NOOOOOOO!!!”)
With the frequency of TJ surgeries, it’s never surprising anymore, yet it’s always pretty disheartening to hear about. 1.5 for pitchers, and 1 for position players. Some never make it back and most are never the same. Hope Cueto’s arm turns out to be nothin’, but any time I hear the dreaded words “elbow discomfort”, I assume I won’t be seeing you for some time.
Cueto went through this in 2015 with the Reds, and he recovered without surgery. I’d like to think he’ll be fine after a few weeks rest, but I can’t help thinking his luck is gonna run out at some point with these elbow issues.
Is it me or does the NL West have the most injuries than any other division currently?
I thought the West was going to be a dog fight all year, and I guess it could still be, but man the injuries have piled up in the division. The Padres with Lamet and Margot, the Giants with Mad Bum, Pence, Queto and Panik, and the Dodgers with too many to list. Even the D-Backs have lost Ray now. It’s been tough out west for sure, just not the way I thought it would be.
And walker for d backs
This is getting ridiculous.
Why was he allowed to pitch if he’s experienced elbow discomfort for multiple starts?
He obviously didn’t tell anyone
Some guys are tough like that and refuse to tell the team/coaches and try to fight their way through it. Lackey pitched entire 2011 season with a torn UCL
Every pitcher hurts. It’s just a matter of how much.
If this has been going on for a couple starts, why didn’t they get it checked out????
“not presently scheduled for an MRI”
SMGDH
If I was a free agent right now, I might be wary of signing with the giants simply because I’d be expected to play hurt without getting fully checked out.
Yeah. How long does it take to do a freaking MRI? Next to no time. Why not do it??
I think they usually wait until inflammation is gone or almost gone so they can get a better look but I could be wrong
Unbelievable
To say Cueto was “struggling when healthy” is off the mark. He wasn’t really healthy all year, first dealing with blisters, and then the forearm issue. Even though he came back in Sept. he clearly wasn’t 100%.
That’s gonna hurt, let’s pray rnr gets us til at least bums back at full strength. Obviously his stats so far are amazing, as a giants fan I will honestly almost miss his joy and enthusiasm during his games as much as his performance … looking forward to the next dia de Cueto
Giants thought they were going to complete this year, but are looking like deadline sellers
That should be the case, but they have too many veterans with no-trade clauses who probably won’t waive them. McCutchen could be dealt, but he’ll be a rental, and he needs to step up his game before any team ever offers a fringe prospect. Nobody is gonna want Pence or Jackson. Crawford is owed too much for too many years, and his offensive production has been eroding for years. Ongoing health issues and salary obligations make Cueto and Melancon practically untradeable. Longoria May have appeal only if SF pays down his remaining contract. MadBum and Posey would fetch top tier prospects, but the front office will never trade organizational icons no matter what they’d get back. That leaves Belt and Panik as the most moveable, but Panik just had thumb surgery. Giants just aren’t in a viable selling position even if it’s absolutely necessary.
Belt’s issue is he’s a lefty slugger who can only play 1B/LF.
There’s a lot of options out there for a team looking for a player to hit 20+ homers and hold down a non-premium defensive position.
Some of those options can be had for the price of minor-league contract through the end of the season, instead of 3.5+yrs at $60+M remaining contract value (and Belt isn’t ever going to be on the low side of 30 again).
You are correct. Even if Belt stays red hot through July the Giants would still have to pay down that contract considerably to get any worthwhile return.
So wait… Your ace has been dealing with a physical problem “for at least a couple of starts” but there is no MRI scheduled so they can wrap their heads around what, inadequate information?
Jeez another one
Does an MRI not give the results right away?
It is immediate. It’s not like they’re running a DNA test on his elbow which could take weeks to get back. If it’s bad enough to put him on the DL, it should be bad enough to get an MRI……unless this is a phantom injury.
um, yeah you would totally want to put your ace with a 0.84 era on the shelf with a phantom dl….
man i really hope this isn’t TJ… just when you thought they might get the better of the opt out clause –
Sad to hear another quality player is on the shelf due to injury.
I love how everyone keeps talking crap about the Giants meanwhile they have won 13 of last 16 games. Lol