Happy B(ean)- Day
Today is Francisco Cervelli’s 24th birthday. However, his celebrations won’t be going according to plan. He’ll be celebrating his birthday with a trip to the hospital; and not for the reason that many 24 year olds go to the hospital on their birthday. The Yankees number one option for backup catcher for the 2010 season left today’s game against the Blue Jays early. In the third inning Cervelli was hit in the head with a low 90′s fastball from Blue Jays’ pitcher Zech Zinicola. The pitch drilled Cervelli squarely in the helmet dropping him immediately. Joe Girardi rushed out to the field and after about a minute Cervelli stood up under his own power. Cervelli was taken to local St. Joseph’s hospital in Tampa and was diagnosed with a concussion. The series of events brought back memories of when David Wright, the third baseman of the subway rivals was beaned in the head last August by a low 90′s fastball from Matt Cain. Wright missed a total of 14 games as a result of his concussion and post-concussion symptoms.
This situation will be something that the Yankees will have to monitor closely. Earlier this winter Cervelli took a bat to the back of his head on a hitter’s backswing while catching for a winterball team in Venezuela. While Cervelli wasn’t diagnosed with a concussion after taking the bat to the head, he was toldnot to play for a month. Even if Cervelli has to miss two to three weeks like Wright did last year, he most likely will not be ready for opening day. In that event, it is expected that the Yankees will take veteran Mike Rivera on the opening day roster as their backup catcher. Even if Cervelli is able to return more quickly than Wright, he does run the risk of reinjury. Being behind the plate, Cervelli would run the risk of taking a foul ball off the mask that could set him back weeks. The Yankees will be sure not to rush the situation as it is only spring training. At any rate, Cervelli will be on the Yankees major league roster this year whether it is on opening day or towards the end of April.
Another thing that the Yankees will have to keep an eye on is how Cervelli acts once he is totally healthy. For any player, especially a young player like Cervelli, taking a fastball to the head can be a traumatic event. This may affect his approach at the plate as he may back of the plate a little making him vulnerable on outside pitches. Also, the Yankees will have to monitor his approach on inside breaking balls as this event may cause him to have a tendency to give up on inside hooks earlier than necessary.
Here’s to hoping for a quick recovery for Cervelli and the contributors at BronxBombersBeat would also like to wish him a happy birthday!
UPDATE: 3/6- 5:00 p.m. Apparently reports that Cervelli had suffered a concussion earlier were false. According to Yankees.com Cervelli went to the hospital for precautionary measures and his CT scan came back negative. Cervelli said that he was worried initially, but everything is going to be ok. “I’ll rest a couple of days and I’ll be back” Cervelli said. Whether or not he has a concussion, this is something that should still be watched closely by the Yankees. The two head injuries in a relatively short period of time could prove to make him more susceptible to more serious head injuries in the future.
Feel free to give your thoughts on how this injury will impact Cervelli’s progress this spring and how it will impact his season with the Yankees.
Photo courtesy of Zimbio.com
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