Phillies starting pitcher Joe Blanton was just placed on the disabled list with an impingement in his elbow. However, while the injury might sound a little scary, general manager Ruben Amaro doesn't appear to be too concerned:
Joe Blanton Elbow Injury Not Considered A Major One
There is no timetable on a return for Blanton, but Amaro does not expect it to be a prolonged absence.
“We just don’t know,” Amaro said. “It’ll be a shorter one. We’ll find out. We’re generally pleased with the MRI.”
The MRI to which Amaro refers is one that Blanton had on Thursday, showing no structural damage. There was some concern because Blanton had been feeling discomfort for a few starts in a row, but the exam seems to have eased everyone’s mind.
Still, Blanton isn't completely out of the woods - while impingements are usually treated with rest, they do sometimes require surgical intervention. As David Murphy writes, Chris Carpenter and Bartolo Colon are among the pitchers who've had to go under the knife for an injury that was initially diagnosed as an elbow impingement.
So we’ll see. Odds are, Blanton’s back before long, but there exists some possibility that he’ll have to be opened up, which would knock him out for at least several weeks.
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