Gallar-Doh!

As someone who spent the offseason successfully acquiring Brewers future star pitcher Yovani Gallardo, I really didn’t need to start the upcoming week with this news. It turns out that Gallardo has a lateral tear in the meniscus in his left knee and will fly to Milwaukee tomorrow to go under the knife. This is where my former colleagues at Fanball would like me to insert the Anchorman reference to Baxter barking twice if he’s in Milwaukee.

I should be more optimistic, because meniscus tears are not actually that serious, but I gave up a lot to acquire a guy who I strongly believe has potential to mature into the top starting pitcher in baseball. Apparently he suffered the injury during a throwing session and the knee swelled up significantly after the session, leading to the diagnosis. Gallardo is expected to return to Phoenix after the surgery to rehab the injury with the club at the team’s Spring Training facility.

“I don’t think it’s common, but it is an athletic injury and it is a relatively routine procedure and routine recovery time,” assistant general manager Gordon Ash told MLB.com. “As with any medical condition, everybody is different, but we’re guessing right now that, depending on how he handles the surgery and how much swelling there is, that he should be back participating in a month. That puts us at the middle of March. We’re going to be touch-and-go to start the season, but we’ll see.”

As bad as a knee injury sounds, and it is expected to keep him sidelined four weeks, fantasy owners shouldn’t overreact here. The meniscus is the shock absorbing cartilage in your knee and while that obviously plays a major role in the knee’s ability to function, it heals much quicker than say your ACL, MCL, and PCL. The WebMD report on typical recovery from this procedure states that the patient typically keeps the knee immobilized for two weeks before a two week period of limited motion. Rehab begins right after the surgical procedure, but it can be months before heavy exercise is advised.

I contend that a professional athlete is in better shape than your average patient so it’s reasonable to assume their body may respond quicker and more effectively. That said, this sounds like it will be four weeks before he even starts throwing off a mound again. If you can acquire him at a bargain price, now is the time to do so, because after he’s back to 100 percent, it shouldn’t take him long to start making good on his potential.

EDITORS NOTE: Thanks to Chris over at the Disabled List Informer for his comment and additional information regarding Gallardo. You can find that info here.

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