Panic Post

From Tyler Kepner (NY Times):

The injury is to the top of Wang’s foot, the same general area that reliever Brian Bruney injured when he tripped while covering first base in April. Bruney was found to have a Lisfranc injury and is expected to miss a minimum of three months.

Wang has symptoms of the same injury, including swelling and the inability to bear weight on the foot; he left Minute Maid Park on crutches, in a soft cast. Bruney’s injury was in the middle of the foot, and Wang’s is believed to be in the webbing of his toes, between his big toe and second toe.

Hmm, this is nothing but speculation on Kepner’s part, yet the similarities between the two cases are somewhat troubling. Bruney has been on the DL since April 24th and since he opted out of season-ending surgery, he’s been rehabbing his foot and could actually return around the AS Break. However, obviously if Wang has the same injury then he would be out for about 3-4 months (without surgery). The Daily News also outlines the similarities between the two injuries, as the Yanks initially thought that Brian Bruney had a sprained foot as well, until learning the truth, later on. Again, this is all rampant speculation and is not meant to scare fellow fans, although the idea is entirely numbing.

I must admit, however, that the location of Wang’s pain seems troublesome. According to this website, Lisfranc injuries are actually pretty rare and are often caused by some blunt force that is usually stronger than simply rounding a base (yet it is not limited to a heavier force, like a fall or a car crash). That information is good, but it’s the pictures on this site that scare me, such as the following:

Well, I’m no expert but as you can see here, the Lisfranc joint “area” is in between the big toe and the second toe (thereabouts). As stated in Kepner’s piece, Wang is feeling pain in the webbing which joins his big toe and his second toe. He’s having trouble applying weight on his foot, which can be expected with any foot injury (fracture, sprain, ligament damage, etc.), but he’s also experiencing a tremendous amount of swelling (both of these are symptoms of Lisfranc injuries). Then again, this could be some sort of stress fracture, or these could be indications of a variety of other foot issues that we’re all unaware of (I’ll end the speculation here).

When you read the papers later in the day (or in the morning) a lot of them will say Wang’s season is over in order to drum up trade talks (and sell papers through the trade chatter). However, I must reiterate that nothing is confirmed as of now. C.C. Sabathia is suddenly on everyone’s mind but remember, the Indians are only 5.5 games back in their division while the White Sox and the Twins all have their share of question marks (the Tigers are also beginning to surge a bit). The AL Central is still a very “open” division and with the Indians playing the lowly Rockies next, it could be a while before a decision is made about moving Sabathia.