Baseball - Mets’ Orlando Hernandez Had Arthritis Of

The Mets announced that Orlando Hernandez would miss 5 days of Spring Training as he had arthritis in his neck and would have to receive treatment for the same. Hernandez, Mets no. 2 starting pitcher, had to undergo an MRI examination followed by treatment in Manhattan.

Four days prior to being diagnosed with arthritis of the neck, Hernandez experience pain in his neck and upper back after throwing. He left the Spring Training camp in Port St Lucie and was taken to a Manhattan hospital where he was given a cortisone injection in the affected area. It would be another 3 to 4 days before the cortisone starts acting and during that time he would be out of Spring Training.

Omar Minaya, Mets’ general manager, said that the cortisone injection had a positive effect on Hernandez and he started feeling immediately after receiving the shot. According to Minaya, the diagnosis was good news since the doctors have ruled out any vertebrae problem in the 37 year old pitcher, who is suspected of being four years older than his Mets’ publications’ listed age.

Minaya was quick to refute that age factor. According to him arthritis could affect anyone and the person could be treated to a certain extent with massages. Though the Mets are trying to downplay Hernandez missing the camp, he is considered to important an aspect in first few months of the season. Hernandez and Tom Glavine have been identified by Minaya as rotation certainties.

Last season Hernandez made 29 starts out of which 20 were with Mets. He was due to start the first game of the National League Division series but did not since he ended up tearing a muscle in his right calf and then did not pitch in the postseason.