Should fantasy owners release Alex Gordon?
Josh Reddick and Alex Gordon have both suffered hand/wrist injuries recently but only one would give me worries as a fantasy owner. Both players appear to have avoided going under the knife and are scheduled to heal with a conservative plan which will likely include immobilization of the injured area to allow healing to occur naturally. Reddick is reported to have fractured the tip of his thumb, while Gordon’s fracture is to the scaphoid bone which is a small bone located between the thumb and the forearm. Although any injury can take a wrong turn and take longer than anticipated, one of these injuries would appear to have a much higher chance of complications, while the other should be smooth sailing. As a fantasy owner, you must have the worst case scenario in mind so you can have a plan in place if the injury does not heal as planned.
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In the case of Josh Reddick and his distal thumb fracture, I really don’t see how you can botch this healing process. Similar to how the injury occurred (during a traumatic impact), re-injuring or delaying this injury from healing would likely have to involve traumatic impact. This means that if Reddick can avoid falling on his thumb, bumping into something or someone with force, or slamming his thumb in a door; he should heal in a 3-4 week time period and return to play shortly after that time. I would assume a splint of some sort will be protecting that thumb during the healing time, while Reddick should be pretty much free to condition without much restriction to make his return a bit easier once the bone is deemed healed.
In the case of Alex Gordon and his scaphoid fracture to his right hand, I would be a little more cautious as a fantasy owner. This injury could heal very smoothly, but there are a few factors that make this a more troublesome injury. The scaphoid bone is a bone of the wrist, and by nature, it helps with wrist stability and mobility. For a baseball player, wrist mobility and stability are vital for activities such as throwing and batting. The scaphoid fracture is a little tricky to give a prognosis from afar, as it has a unique characteristic of being a slow healer if fractured on the forearm side as compared to being a faster healer if the fracture is on the thumb side. The main reason for the faster or slower healing is blood flow is better toward the thumb and no matter what the injury is, the blood flow to the area is essential to healing. Areas with good blood supply heal faster, while areas with poor blood supply heal slower. The estimations of him being out 3-4 week make me believe this to be a thumb side fracture. Even if all the factors are in Gordon’s favor, healing requires swelling and inflammation that may have an effect on his wrist mobility and stability which could slow his return to play or have some negative effect on his productivity upon returning.
Overall, both Josh Reddick and Alex Gordon look to have dodged injuries that could have been worse. Not having to undergo surgery eliminates some variables such as infection risk, incision healing, and possible additional surgical precautions. Although what surgeons do is often amazing, I usually describe surgery as organized trauma. Even with the advancements in surgeries that allow tissues to be repaired with minimally invasive techniques, it is always good news when a player can avoid surgery. Both Reddick and Gordon have this non-surgical approach as a positive factor in their rehabilitation process. Hopefully, they will both successfully get through their immobilization period without complication and proceed with Physical Therapy followed by a return to action. Overall, I would feel comfortable hanging on to either if I were already invested. However, if I had to pick the safer bet to return on schedule and without complication, I would go with Josh Reddick all the way.
Dr. Eric Petty is a Physical Therapist who is taking his talents from the treatment room to help fantasy owners. You can find more of his work at his site, The Injury Report Doctor, and you can follow him @DrPettyIRD.
