Adam LaRoche was diagnosed with a partially torn labrum back in spring training, but it turns out the damage is now much more extensive.
Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports that LaRoche has a large tear in his labrum and a small tear in his rotator cuff. The plan is for him to rest for 2-3 weeks before being reevaluated. He doesn’t want to waste much time if he’s not making progress, so a decision about surgery could be made rather quickly.“I love playing and I want to be out there with the guys, but I’m not selfish enough to stick it out the whole year and potentially miss next year,” LaRoche said. “We are going to give [the rehab] a shot.
“Hopefully a miracle happens so we can get it playable. If not, I’m not going to milk it here and hope for the best. If this doesn’t work, I’m pretty sure I’ll make the decision to get it fixed.”The Nationals signed LaRoche over the winter to a two-year, $16 million contract with a $10 million mutual option for 2013. The 31-year-old first baseman is batting .172/.288/.258 with three home runs and 15 RBI over his first 177 at-bats this season. Entering Tuesday’s action, only Jonny Gomes had a lower batting average (.171) among qualified batters.
