Chipper’s Knee Injury

Hello again everyone from the vacation paradise of southeast Michigan, where the game is to see how many ways you can describe the area without using the word “Detroit” as a descriptor!

As we head towards the weekend series with the Phillies followed by the All-Star break, one issue that strikes me as critical is Chipper Jones‘ right knee. It’s been no secret that the knee has been bothering him since at least early May. The knee has rendered him less than his normal level of effectiveness from the left side of the plate (.239/.321/.418/.739). While there have been flashes of the sweet left-handed swing that will land him in the Hall Of Fame, more often we’ve seen pop-ups, weak fly balls, and rolled-over ground balls. “Torque from timing” is just not there, at least not consistently. Conversely, his numbers from the right side of the plate are actually pretty good (.290/.383/.419/.803). After going virtually his entire career where he’s been mostly feared as a left-handed batter, this sort of seems to me like the universe has been set on its ear.

Now that Chipper’s fellow players have rewarded him for an incredible career with one more trip to the All-Star game (making up in small measure for him being overlooked for most of the past 10 years, with only one selection from 2002 through 2010), the question for me becomes what should Chipper do about the knee?

It would seem from what has been said publicly that the plan is to tough it out for the entire season, getting cortisone injections every six weeks or so (he just had one such injection this past Sunday). Forgetting the long-term implications of cortisone on his knee, I see two main problems with this approach: 1) The cortisone doesn’t last for six weeks; it seems that Chipper feels better for maybe two to three weeks and 2) While the injection helps, it doesn’t provide complete relief or complete confidence for Chipper. It has appeared from the two injections thus far that about the time Chipper is feeling more comfortable at the plate the benefits of the shot wear off.

In my opinion, Chipper has put up with the problem, to his own personal detriment, because of the injuries to the team and the compounding effect of the poor hitting the team has endured. To me, with the impending return of Martin Prado after the All-Star break, the best strategy would be for Chipper to play until the benefit of the cortisone wears off, maybe in late July. He should then have the surgery to repair his torn meniscus (apparently this would be a minor procedure), recurperate for three weeks, then be ready for the stretch run in late August.

Don’t get me wrong: I love to watch Chipper play, and will rue the day he retires. But I’d rather watch him play at 100%, especially if this turns out to be his last season.

You know my take; now what’s yours? Please take our poll and then drop a note as to why you think the way you do!