A.J. Burnett received the best possible news he could have on Monday in Pittsburgh after having an MRI done on his pitching elbow. The results, which could have been much worse, give the Pittsburgh Pirates and Burnett hope that he can pitch effectively again for the team.
On Monday, Burnett was diagnosed with a strained flexor tendon in his pitching elbow. Reports indicate that Burnett's UCL, which if damaged probably would have called for Burnett to get Tommy John surgery though he said surgery is not an option, is still intact. Burnett's timetable for his return is about four weeks. Burnett received a PCP injection on Monday for the strain in his flexor tendon.
There is little to no doubt that Burnett will at the very least try to come back and pitch effectively for the Pirates. Burnett said that he has been dealing with elbow issues for about 10 years, so he is a guy that can endure some pain and get through it. Amongst all of this, Burnett still will retire at season's end regardless of what happens. The question that remains for not only Burnett, but also the Pirates is, can Burnett return to the Pirates rotation and be an effective pitcher again?
Burnett spoke with the media on Monday and said that, "This is the news you want in order to get back on the mound. If it was anything ligament-wise, I'd have to reconsider." Burnett continued to speak, this time speaking of his timetable to return and he said that they're looking at an "iffy" four-week recovery timeline according to Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Burnett continued saying, "of all the news that could have come, this is the most positive."
Burnett is right about the news on his pitching elbow. A UCL injury, regardless of whether or not Burnett was going to still just try to build up pain tolerance and pitch through the injury, is no joke and this news was probably a much easier pill to swallow. However, no one should expect Burnett to come back and be the pitcher he was for the entire first half of the season. Burnett's injury is still one that carries some significance to it. In fact, a former teammate of Burnett's with the Pirates has gone through the same injury and history for him suggests Burnett may not be effective.
As Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweeted, Jason Grilli had a right flexor strain in 2013 and was sidelined by the injury for six weeks. Furthermore, Grilli was not the same pitcher after returning as he was before being put on the shelf with the injury.
It's a safe assumption that Burnett will return this year and pitch for the Pirates. However, to think that he is going to automatically get back to putting up the numbers he was accustomed to in the first half of the season would be absurd. Burnett is a good pitcher and he is right when he says that "guys come back from this." Guys do come back from this but there will be a question mark hovering around Burnett when he is able to return to the mound, so hopes should not be too high on a guy that is 38 years of age and coming off an injury of this nature. Fans should be cautiously optimistic about the news Burnett received on Monday following his MRI.