Unbeknownst to, I think, anyone up until the moment they announced it, it turns out the injury bug has bitten the Blue Jays again. Anthony Alford&#8217;s hamate bone is, apparently, broken! Because this fucking season, man.
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Anthony Alford is still in Milwaukee with the Blue Jays. Update coming later. Appeared to be a left arm/wrist issue bothering him last night
&mdash; Arash Madani (@ArashMadani) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArashMadani/status/867394351512604672">May 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Dwight Smith Jr. up, Anthony Alford not listed on roster. Martin plays 3B for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash">#BlueJays</a> with Stroman starting <a href="https://t.co/TcwTMeCzVt">pic.twitter.com/TcwTMeCzVt</a>
&mdash; Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) <a href="https://twitter.com/bnicholsonsmith/status/867395240138686464">May 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Anthony Alford going on DL <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash">#BlueJays</a>
&mdash; Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) <a href="https://twitter.com/bnicholsonsmith/status/867396817616379904">May 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Anthony Alford to DL with left hamate fracture&#8230; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash">#BlueJays</a>
&mdash; Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/867397671857917953">May 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Fractured hamate bone doesn&#39;t need big crash or collision. You can fracture it with a swing alone. Often from jolt of pressure from bat knob
&mdash; Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/867401238245240832">May 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Fun!
John Gibbons told reporters, <a href="https://twitter.com/bnicholsonsmith/status/867406949159018496">including Benny Fresh</a>, that Alford is due to be out for four to six weeks. So there&#8217;s a significant chunk of what was to be a key development season for the star prospect now out the window, and he gets to accrue big league service time while he heals, to boot.
Super fun!
Jays fans may remember the hamate bone as what it was initially presumed José Bautista had injured on a massive swing at Yankee Stadium in July of 2012, which all but ended his season. The injury ended up being to his tendon, but I definitely remember looking up a bunch of stuff on the hamate &#8212; a small bone in the hand/wrist that&#8217;s occasionally prone to breaking in athletes that swing clubs or bats or racquets &#8212; at that time.
More recently, back in 2015, Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins broke his hamate, and the excellent Marlins blog, <a href="http://www.fishstripes.com/2015/6/29/8859347/giancarlo-stanton-injury-explaining-the-hamate-bone-fracture">Fish Stripes</a>, had a lengthy post on the injury. They explained:
<blockquote>In the past, these injuries could have been managed conservatively with casting and immobilization, but it has been found that this causes lack of rejoining of the bones. Now, the standard of care is to do surgical intervention. As mentioned by [then-Marlins back-up infielder Jeff] Baker, the usual method is to excise or remove the hook of the hamate. Removal of the hook removes the attachments of a few ligaments and muscles, so there is a concern for decreased grip strength in the future, but the alternative of open reduction and internal fixation of the bones shows no difference in grip strength.
After that, the patient undergoes physical therapy for recovery. It includes allowing time for wound healing and slowly rebuilding strength. Timing for recovery is different for individuals and depends on what level of activity is needed afterwards. Excision of the hook allows for immediate beginning of therapy, with a likely progression to full activities within six to eight weeks. Other surgical options involve casting for two weeks followed by physical therapy, making hook removal the best option for an athlete like Stanton.</blockquote>
Super fun! Though in piece Jeff Baker also says that &#8220;I don&#8217;t say this lightly, but if you&#8217;re going to break something in your hand, the hamate is going to be the way to go.&#8221;
Cool, but, um&#8230; can we actually maybe just stop? With the fucking injuries? MAYBE? ALREADY??

Unbeknownst to, I think, anyone up until the moment they announced it, it turns out the injury bug has bitten the Blue Jays again. Anthony Alford's hamate bone is, apparently, broken! Because this fucking season, man.

https://twitter.com/ArashMadani/status/867394351512604672

https://twitter.com/bnicholsonsmith/status/867395240138686464

https://twitter.com/bnicholsonsmith/status/867396817616379904

https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/867397671857917953

https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/867401238245240832

Fun!

John Gibbons told reporters, <a href="https://twitter.com/bnicholsonsmith/status/867406949159018496">including Benny Fresh</a>, that Alford is due to be out for four to six weeks. So there's a significant chunk of what was to be a key development season for the star prospect now out the window, and he gets to accrue big league service time while he heals, to boot.

Super fun!

Jays fans may remember the hamate bone as what it was initially presumed José Bautista had injured on a massive swing at Yankee Stadium in July of 2012, which all but ended his season. The injury ended up being to his tendon, but I definitely remember looking up a bunch of stuff on the hamate -- a small bone in the hand/wrist that's occasionally prone to breaking in athletes that swing clubs or bats or racquets -- at that time.

More recently, back in 2015, Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins broke his hamate, and the excellent Marlins blog, <a href="http://www.fishstripes.com/2015/6/29/8859347/giancarlo-stanton-injury-explaining-the-hamate-bone-fracture">Fish Stripes</a>, had a lengthy post on the injury. They explained:
<blockquote>In the past, these injuries could have been managed conservatively with casting and immobilization, but it has been found that this causes lack of rejoining of the bones. Now, the standard of care is to do surgical intervention. As mentioned by [then-Marlins back-up infielder Jeff] Baker, the usual method is to excise or remove the hook of the hamate. Removal of the hook removes the attachments of a few ligaments and muscles, so there is a concern for decreased grip strength in the future, but the alternative of open reduction and internal fixation of the bones shows no difference in grip strength.

After that, the patient undergoes physical therapy for recovery. It includes allowing time for wound healing and slowly rebuilding strength. Timing for recovery is different for individuals and depends on what level of activity is needed afterwards. Excision of the hook allows for immediate beginning of therapy, with a likely progression to full activities within six to eight weeks. Other surgical options involve casting for two weeks followed by physical therapy, making hook removal the best option for an athlete like Stanton.</blockquote>
Super fun! Though in piece Jeff Baker also says that "I don't say this lightly, but if you're going to break something in your hand, the hamate is going to be the way to go."

Cool, but, um... can we actually maybe just stop? With the fucking injuries? MAYBE? ALREADY??

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