Kapler: Arrieta has bone spur in right elbow
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NEW YORK -- Phillies manager Gabe Kapler confirmed on Sunday morning that right-hander Jake Arrieta has a bone spur in his right elbow. MLB Network Insider Ken Rosenthal was the first to report that Arrieta has an arm issue.
This marks the second time in his career that Arrieta has had a bone spur in his elbow. He worked through a spur with the Orioles in 2011 before undergoing season-ending surgery in August of that year.
Arrieta will be evaluated by the Phillies' medical staff in the next few days, and then the team will make a decision on what comes next. Arrieta told Kapler that something was wrong with his arm a few days before his last bullpen session, but Arrieta told the manager that he could work through the injury.
That turned out not to be the case. Arrieta had a game he would like to forget on Saturday, a game the Phillies lost to the Mets, 6-5, at Citi Field. He allowed six runs (five earned) in 4 1/3 innings and hit three batters, which incensed Mets third baseman Todd Frazier and manager Mickey Callaway.
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“He is the toughest guy out there, and has wanted to pitch through it," Kapler said. "We always respect the competitor Jake is."
After Saturday’s game, Arrieta said he was “laboring physically,” and wasn’t able to put the ball where he wanted. He lost feeling for everything on the mound. It’s been that way for a few weeks, he said. He even hinted to the media that he may be hurting. Arrieta started being concerned after he hit three batters with changeups.
“Physically, I’m not in a great spot,” Arrieta said.
Asked if he was healthy, Arrieta hesitated and said, “Overall, I feel all right, but we’ll see.”
When told there was meaningful pause in his answer, Arrieta said, “Overall, I feel pretty good. We’ll see in the next couple of days. … We’ll have a better idea over the next couple of days.”
Arrieta is in the second year of a three-year, $75 million deal, and has the ability to either opt-out and enter free agency this offseason, or return to Philadelphia next season for $20 million.
The Phillies were already rumored to be in the starting pitching market leading up to the July 31 Trade Deadline, though their prospect stock isn’t as deep as it once was after the club traded away up-and-comers J.P. Crawford and Sixto Sanchez this past offseason.