The baseball gods have not been kind to the Mets this spring, as the team has been plagued with injuries to several starters. With Dillon Gee's return coming soon, let's take a look what his recovery looked like over the past few weeks since being placed on the disabled list on May 8.
What is the injury?
Gee was diagnosed with a groin strain. The group of muscles affected is called the adductors, which consists of five muscles near the groin that work to bring the leg back toward the middle of the body. A strain indicates that the muscle(s) were overstretched and that the fibers that comprise the muscle(s) were disrupted. This can cause severe discomfort—to which most males who have attempted a split can attest.
How was it caused?
It’s very possible that Gee’s injury was caused by his left leg landing a little too far out after winding it up during his delivery. Between that, the trunk rotation component, and the force generated from the landing leg, the left leg (for a right handed pitcher) is placed under a lot of stress. The right leg is in mid-air after the ball is thrown and all of the body weight is then transferred onto the left leg, until the pitcher's right leg is back on the ground. When the left leg is landed too far out, there is additional stress placed on the adductor group; as a result, it is stretched out more than it usually is, while still being forced to generate enough force to complete the pitch.
Repeat that process 94 times (the number of pitches thrown during his last outing against the Nationals on May 3), and you can see how the adductor group—as well as all of the other muscle groups in the leg—was put through a lot of mechanical stress. This slight flaw in Gee’s delivery can easily be enough to strain his groin and sideline him for a few weeks.
What does the rehab process look like?
The first phase in any rehabilitation is to reduce the pain that exists from the irritation and inflammation of the affected area. While there are several methods of rehab, Gee elected to receive a cortisone shot that blasts the injured area with corticosteroids, which act to reduce the inflammation. The second phase is to regain any strength and range-of-motion deficits that may exist. This includes strengthening the adductor group, as well as any other weak muscles in the leg. Some core stabilization exercises will be added to promote better body control, and stretches will be incorporated to loosen any tight muscles.
After completing this phase, Gee will begin throwing again. Gee has done this over the past week, pitching in minor leagues with a hard pitch count to prevent any setbacks. The pitch count gradually increases as his workload increases in order to ease him back into pitching pain-free. Gee has pitched in two minor league games so far during this rehab stint.
Bottom Line
It appears that Gee’s strain was mild, as he only missed about three weeks—the typical recovery time for a grade one/mild muscle strain. Manager Terry Collins indicated that he will insert Gee into a six-man rotation, meaning that the righty will likely make his next major league start sometime this week.