UPDATE: David Waldstein of the New York Times reports that Chamberlain will be released from the hospital tomorrow, which indicates that no infections have developed.
Furthermore, Yankees manager Joe Girardi told Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com that no microfractures were found in the ankle and that Chamberlain will be in a cast for the next six weeks. It’s still early, but these are some very encouraging signs that he’ll be able to resume his playing career, perhaps as soon as this season.
4:15 PM: Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told Kieran Darcy of ESPNNewYork.com this morning that Joba Chamberlain could be released from the hospital as soon as today.
Chamberlain suffered an open dislocation of of his right ankle Thursday while jumping on a trampoline with his 5-year-old son. There is concern that he could develop an infection immediately following surgery, so it would be a positive sign if he is released this soon. But results of a CT scan and an MRI aren’t yet known.
Chamberlain also told Cashman that doctors think he could be back on the mound by July if all goes well. But again, it’s much too soon to tell.“He was hopeful that he could be back on the mound by July, is what he said that they had told him,” said Cashman, who visited Chamberlain in the hospital Friday afternoon. “That’s what he told me the doctors are telling him.
“That’s the optimistic side, but I’m only getting that from Joba,” Cashman added. “I don’t think anybody can tell anybody directly right now anything on that.”It seems almost trivial to discuss Chamberlain’s chances of pitching this season, but even assuming that he doesn’t have any complications with the ankle, the injury pushes back his rehab from Tommy John surgery. He faces some pretty long odds. And because he’s arbitration-eligible for the final time this winter, there’s a chance that he has already thrown his final pitch in a Yankees’ uniform.
