Brad Ziegler will probably require knee surgery. Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
When the Arizona Diamondbacks are hanging around Los Angeles getting ready to play the Dodgers this weekend, one player will be making a side trip. Reliever Brad Ziegler will be seeing a doctor regarding some issues with his knee, according to Steve Gilbert at mlb.com. This could be the reason why the usually-reliable Ziegler has struggled so much over the past two months.
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Apparently, the injury took place on June 27th during pregame conditioning drills. He was diagnosed with frayed cartilage below his kneecap by team physician Dr. Michael Lee. Ziegler says that the knee does not bother him while pitching. That seems hard to believe considering how his performance since that date has slipped. While he had five consecutive scoreless appearances after the initial injury, he has been consistently cuffed around since July 9th. His July ERA was 4.05 and his August ERA was 7.20. Ziegler believes that he will need surgery:
"“[Lee] told me at one point that for this to get completely better, surgery is going to have to happen,” Ziegler said. “The question was how long could I go without needing it."
The recovery time for this procedure could be a little as four weeks and as long as twelve weeks. With the rosters expanded, it would be best to shut Ziegler down to prevent further damage and let them schedule the surgery as quickly as possible.