DETROIT -- An MRI, a shot with a big needle and rest finally have resulted in improvement for Adam LaRoche’s sore right knee.
The White Sox designated hitter said Wednesday an MRI taken last week determined he has patella tendinosis in his knee. He originally suffered the injury, which has kept him out of the lineup since Sept. 13, two months ago and said knee soreness persisted after he banged into a wall. He later re-aggravated it sliding into second base.
But now the knee feels as good as it has after LaRoche took batting practice on Tuesday and he hopes he to return to action during a four-game series at the New York Yankees, which begins on Thursday night.
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“(The injection has) been very helpful,” LaRoche said. “(Tuesday) was by far the best it has felt in two weeks. The last probably three days it has gotten a little better every day. I still feel it, but I feel like it’s playable.”
LaRoche has a .211/.298/.347 slash line with 12 homers and 44 RBIs this season. Had it been before September, LaRoche may have landed on the disabled list and would have had a chance to go on a rehab assignment before he returned to action. But since minor league baseball is over, LaRoche has had to limit his work to batting practice.
Robin Ventura is hopeful to get LaRoche back on the field in New York but wants to make sure his knee doesn’t flare up and force him to exit a game early again.
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“You’re ramping it up somewhat,” Ventura said. “The last couple of times he’d been out there we had to take him out of the game. About halfway through the game he started feeling it enough to where we had to take him out.
“You’ve got to get him back on the field and get that timing going again.”