Cespedes needs surgery

[Centerfield]

Calcification on both of his heels causes pain. Compensation for that causes his leg problems. Needs surgery. 8-10 month recovery.

I have no idea why he hasn’t already had this surgery.

[Edgy MD]

Wow. Too much milk! That's a new one.

[MFS62]

Yep, I was hoping to read about the win last night. Instead, I got this happy wake up news this morning:

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/m/73fd1e66-3827-3616-b7c7-02ab26a7a7ed/ss_yoenis-cespedes-injury-horror.html

"Yeah, just rest it and see if it gets better."

Its like they haven't heard about, or don't know how to use, modern diagnostic techniques or equipment.
Or maybe, nobody asked him "How does it feel?" or "where does it hurt?"

Yech.

Later

[bmfc1]

Exactly. If management knew about this then why did he rehab for so long? If they did then why did Sandy question his recovery time? It was like Cespedes was telling the reporters and the Mets brass about this for the first time.

[Lefty Specialist]

Boy, this must really be affecting his golf game.

[smg58]

He doesn't have to run while playing golf.

The Mets dealt for him and signed him to contracts twice, so they know all this (unless the medical staff are spectacularly bad at doing their jobs, which...). Surgery in June would have had him close to ready by Spring Training. So why is he playing? It seems to me that he can only DH without this surgery.

Edited July 21, 2018 by Guest

[Guest d'Kong76]

bmfc1 wrote: t was like Cespedes was telling the reporters and the Mets brass about this for the first time.

That's the way it seems to me, which is just too bizarromets for me to wrap
my head around without a few more cups of joe.

[Centerfield]

All of this makes perfect sense if you imagine yourself an idiot that prioritizes selling tickets in a lost season above all else.

The Mets are irate this morning. Not because their star player is hurt, but because he let the press know. Now they will face public pressure to allow him to have surgery.

This is Beltran all over again.

[Centerfield]

d'Kong76 wrote: bmfc1 wrote: t was like Cespedes was telling the reporters and the Mets brass about this for the first time. That's the way it seems to me, which is just too bizarromets for me to wrap my head around without a few more cups of joe.

The Mets knew. He is examined by their doctors. This is not news to them. They were just hoping it would go away.

[smg58]

Centerfield wrote: This is Beltran all over again.

Unfortunately, yes. While the possibility that the Mets' front office and doctors missed this is regrettably plausible, the situation is entirely consistent with the Mets' tendency to get guys back on the field as quickly as possible, even when not in the team's best long-term interests.

[Guest d'Kong76]

I don't know what to think at this point. Dropping that bomb on the public
in your first game back after months and after all the side drama while not
playing during this popular series is bizarromets.

[bmfc1]

From Tim Britton in The Athletic:

Why hasn’t Céspedes gone under the knife yet? Well, it doesn’t sound as if he or the Mets understood the extent of the issue back in May, when he first landed on the disabled list. The Mets had mentioned the heels once before, but that wasn’t until two weeks ago. Assistant general manager John Ricco, part of the interim decision-making trio in the front office, talked about the heels as a chronic condition Céspedes has dealt with since he was a teenager; he did not mention the idea of surgery being a possibility. Céspedes on Friday night said they’ve only been getting worse in recent years. Why it has taken the organization this long to properly diagnose Céspedes recalls their similar medical meandering with David Wright. That did not turn out well.

https://theathletic.com/440109/2018/07/21/heel-turn-yoenis-cespedes-bad-heels-further-muddy-mets-long-term-plans/

[G-Fafif]

The Wilpons' malfeasance in the realm of players playing through injuries is often attributed to a desire to sell tickets. Is anybody (and by "anybody," I mean a critical mass of potential customers) moved by the notion of seeing one particular home team player in this day and age, especially when the player is old news? Perhaps when there's a shot of adrenaline from a superstar being novel and fresh there's a rush on the gate, but is anybody really suddenly going to be, "Gotta go to Citi Field to watch Yoenis Cespedes in his fourth season as a Met?" Same for any marquee personality in recent years once the shine wears off; as great as they were, after a while the likes of Piazza, Martinez and Santana, to name three larger than life acquisitions, were just players on the downside of their respective careers.

If Cespedes was theoretically contributing to a legitimate pennant run, sure, but then you're talking about coming to see the team, not a unicorn.

[ashie62]

Another big contract gone totally bust.

Done for 2018

Surgery in 2019

OH! 2020 Club Pro Westchester

Edited July 21, 2018 by Guest

[Guest cooby]

Centerfield wrote: Calcification on both of his heels causes pain. Compensation for that causes his leg problems. Needs surgery. 8-10 month recovery. I have no idea why he hasn’t already had this surgery.

I thought you meant right away, you rabble rouser

[Guest cooby]

Oh wait...

[G-Fafif]

Yo won't be in the lineup today.

[ashie62]

Yesterday was a "Yo" sighting with quite the presser

[metirish]

You couldn't make this stuff up.

[HahnSolo]

Gelbs on today’s pregame reporting a Mets source saying the team had no idea that surgery was a possibility.

What a mess. But so typical Mets.

[Centerfield]

It’s hard to understand how a club can be this incompetent.

First Beltran. Now Cespedes. Why on earth would any free agent want to play here.

[smg58]

He's going for an MRI tomorrow with a visit to a foot specialist. This was probably what Cespedes wanted in the first place.

[Ceetar]

smg58 wrote: He's going for an MRI tomorrow with a visit to a foot specialist. This was probably what Cespedes wanted in the first place.

I think quite the opposite.

[Fman99]

So his comeback lasted one game? What a fuck fest.

[Centerfield]

Ceetar wrote: smg58 wrote: He's going for an MRI tomorrow with a visit to a foot specialist. This was probably what Cespedes wanted in the first place. I think quite the opposite.

It really is amazing how entrenched you are in your thinking. I would think if I was as consistently wrong about things as you are I would start second guessing myself. But you. You just keep chugging along.

[Ceetar]

Centerfield wrote: Ceetar wrote: smg58 wrote: He's going for an MRI tomorrow with a visit to a foot specialist. This was probably what Cespedes wanted in the first place. I think quite the opposite. It really is amazing how entrenched you are in your thinking. I would think if I was as consistently wrong about things as you are I would start second guessing myself. But you. You just keep chugging along.

If i was actually wrong, maybe. But I'm not. I just take almost nothing from anonymous Mets 'insiders' filtered through reports at face value.

Really I'm just asking for some fucking critical thinking and the so called Mets "reporters" are incapable of it.

The way they've treated Cespedes is pathetic.

As pathetic as the Wilpons are, there's no way they're dumb enough to prioritize practically meaningless ticket revenue for a few months of a dead season for even a month of 2019 time when that potential revenue is probably worth 2x even without factoring in the exponential value of Cespedes being ready to go a month earlier and earning the Mets wins.

Did Cespedes beg to be put on the DL? Did he beg out of those rehab games a month ago halfway through? Supposedly Cespedes was the one that asked to play first, not the Mets trying to force him to play through it.

[Centerfield]

Ricco noted that a team doctor examined Cespedes in Florida last month, and "it was the same diagnosis" that the conservative options should first be explored. An argument can certainly be made that the Mets may as well have Cespedes do the surgery since they will miss the playoffs, but the Mets aren't there just yet. Cespedes said the surgery would sideline him for eight to 10 months, which would compromise his availability for next season. Next year will be the third year in his fourth-year deal. “It depends on definition of bad days and how frequent those bad days occur. He’s had the condition for years – he’s played," Ricco said. "So that’s part of the decision we have to make, along with the medical advice, as to is it worth shutting him down for that length of time because the bad days are too frequent and too painful for him to continue?"

https://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/mlb/mets/2018/07/22/mets-claims-there-no-disconnect-slugger-yoenis-cespedes/816870002/

I wonder if Carlos Beltran is watching all of this, and if he thinks to get on the phone and tell Ces to just have the surgery.

I would think that if the bad days keep him sidelined for two months, then he comes back, DH's one game, and is unavailable again, that yeah, there are too many bad days.

[Ceetar]

Here's some fairly well researched facts from Stephania Bell about what's likely bothering Cespedes and the typical treatment for it.

https://t.co/qiVXeGwzGo

Linked via Lindsey Adler, who I typically find very LOLMets in coverage, which this is not.

Here's a quote.

The initial course of treatment for this type of condition is typically conservative. Modifications in footwear, physical therapy, episodes of rest and efforts at pain management are all first steps before proceeding to surgery. The medical literature is consistent in recommending surgery as a last resort, in part due to the invasive nature along with the extended recovery time. Depending on the individual case, the recovery window can vary, even exceeding the eight- to 10-month time frame Cespedes referenced.

[Centerfield]

The initial course of treatment for this type of condition is typically conservative. Modifications in footwear, physical therapy, episodes of rest and efforts at pain management are all first steps before proceeding to surgery. The medical literature is consistent in recommending surgery as a last resort, in part due to the invasive nature along with the extended recovery time. Depending on the individual case, the recovery window can vary, even exceeding the eight- to 10-month time frame Cespedes referenced. The recovery is dictated in part by how extensive the surgery is; the more debridement (or cleanup) of the tendon required to remove the calcific deposits or repair the tendon, the more complex the healing process. Then there is the element for an elite athlete such as Cespedes that involves reintegrating to sport and addressing any compensatory mechanics that were present before surgery. These higher-level rehabilitation components are not easy steps, nor are they quick. When assistant general manager John Ricco spoke with reporters Sunday, he said the heel condition predates Cespedes' time with the Mets, referencing the chronic nature of the condition. Ricco reiterated the notion that surgery is a last resort after conservative treatments have been exhausted. "The surgery is fairly radical, it's going to put you out for a while, so it's not something that you look to do immediately," he said. Ricco went on to say the Mets will have Cespedes evaluated by their medical staff, and, given that Cespedes raised the issue of surgery, they will take it seriously.

More of the quote.

Let's understand the story Ricco is trying to peddle here.

*The Mets and doctors have known about Cespedes's heel condition since before he ever signed with the Mets. It's a chronic thing, and it is something that he and the Mets have always tried to manage.

*This weekend, for the first time, Cespedes has raised the issue of surgery.

*Since Cespedes, seemingly on his own, has raised the issue of surgery, he is now going to see a foot specialist. We are told to keep in mind that surgery is a last resort, and conservative methods are recommended first.

If you are to believe that story, that means that despite Cespedes having missed the bigger chunk of two years, and the team knowing all along that there were heel issues, that the conservative methods have not yet been employed. That somehow the team and Cespedes knew the heels were hurting, but never thought, hey, maybe we should try orthotics or episodes of rest.

We are also led to believe that Cespedes raised the issue of surgery. Not any team doctors. Not any trainers. That this athlete from Cuba has raised the issue of surgery, and seemingly knows the recovery time. And now that he's raised the issue, he is going to see a specialist for the first time.

I feel like I'm in some bizzarro world. The team's story, their excuse, their explanation for their incompetence, is that Ces has a chronic heel problem, but for two years, they didn't send him to a specialist, and are just now, going to try the conservative methods. This is beyond stupid.

We all know what happened here.

Ces has heel issues. Everyone knows it. When these leg problems arose in 2017, Ces saw team doctors. The doctors gave the diagnosis. Heel spurs. Conservative methods and rest were recommended. If that doesn't work, surgery as a last resort. No one wanted to go the surgery route. So Ces tried the conservative methods and rested. He rested until the pain died down enough, and then played through pain, and hoped to do so again in 2018.

2018 arrived. After a while, the heel problems came back. And so did the leg injuries. Ces rested, and rehabbed. It hasn't worked. Ces's heels are still "on fire". A frustrated Ces is resigned to the fact that surgery is necesary. Says so, but the Mets disagree. The Mets want him to play through the pain. They are at odds. Sandy, and the higher ups, call him out. Shame him publicly for being soft, or dogging it. Privately, they tell him they are not on board with the surgery and they won't sign off on it.

This hurts Cespedes. He has been dedicated to the team and played through pain. He has no idea why they would call him out like that. He makes up his mind that he's going to throw the organization under the bus. Comes back, gets in front of the media. Drops his bombshell. I'm not soft. I'm fucking hurt. I need surgery. He knows full well the fan base will blow up.

The Mets are caught with their pants down. They never expected Cespedes to go public. 24 hour gag order while they try to scramble for a story.

This mess from Ricco is all they can come up with. Instead of coming clean, they decide to tell the public that he has not yet seen a specialist, and that they are going to try conservative methods starting now.

Give me a fucking break.

[Ceetar]

see, your premise starts wrong.

*This weekend, for the first time, Cespedes has raised the issue of surgery.

All Cespedes did was mention it's something he has to consider. Everyone knew that the surgery was the end point they just didn't think there were there yet. It's absolutely infuriating that after months of barraging Cespedes to talk that they're killing them for being too open about it. I don't know where they were on the conservative timeline. I suspect the spurs were nowhere near as bad when they acquired him. It sounds like the heel itself was never the real issue. If you want to point fingers, I'd start with not instantly pegging the ancillary leg/hip issues as a result of compensating for the heel. It sounds like he made these physical adjustments (probably mentally, as we do when part of us hurts) and was mostly fine for a while, and when he later developed issues from that, perfectly normal ballplayer issues that happen to everyone, they didn't instantly think "well, maybe we should see if we can put some cushions in his shoe".

Beyond that, the Mets (and/or Barwis I guess) are not, or at least ,were not (I've heard some positive things this year on this front) have not been doing things like monitoring nutrition or running mechanics (Hey Reyes, run differently!) , and all this advanced body metric/fit bit type stuff. That cutting edge science/tech stuff that could give teams an edge. (like feeding the minor leaguers!) That's always been my contention, that they don't push the damn envelope, or at least, what they think is pushing the envelope is really just hiring big name guys through nepotism like Barwis, who very well might just be fine, but they never quite fully vet these guys. It feels like typical rich people stuff "Do I know a guy who does X?" versus "Let's find the absolute best guy who does X". And THAT is where the Mets are actually poor at, though I can't speak to how most of the other rich owners find people.