Injury Report: Swarzak

Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog

The Twins have placed RHP Anthony Swarzak on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 25th, with a rotator cuff strain. I was surprised by this, and after a quick Twitter inquiry, I learned that I wasn't the only one. It didn't seem like there were any tell-tale signs that he was hurting like there there were with Carl Pavano and Matt Capps, nor did it seem like there was a specific event that caused his injury. He last worked on Tuesday in Chicago, and he struggled (giving up a single and a home run in an inning of work). But then, all the relief pitchers struggled that day, so that doesn't really indicate anything.

So while we all were spending the last few days hungry for up-to-the-second word on Trevor Plouffe's jammed thumb, Swarzak suddenly developed a sore shoulder.

The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that stabilize the shoulder joint. The team is calling it a "mild strain," so it's probably a bit inflamed and sore. If there are no tears, rest and rehab should take care of it.

The Twins have purchased the contract of RHP Luis Perdomo to replace Swarzak. About five minutes of research on Perdomo reveals that he throws hard.

To make room for Perdomo on the 40-man roster, Carl Pavano was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. This move shouldn't push out Pavano's return; he's been on the DL so long that it'll be about 60 days before he's ready to return anyway.