Tommy John? While you wait

The tweets came Sunday morning, and were an odd read indeed: Micker Adolfo, despite a tear in his right (throwing arm) UCL, will be a full-time DH in the Chicago White Sox minor league system throughout 2018.

That seeming contradiction was explained to reporters in Glendale by chief medical correspondent and general manager Rick Hahn.

“Even if there is a surgery, [he’ll] still be able to get a couple hundred at-bats under his belt this year and then ramp back up again post surgery, so he doesn’t miss significant time in 2019,” Hahn said. “If this works, he’s not going to miss out much of the important side of the development, the offensive side of his development.”

Translation, for those who wish to be unencumbered by Dr. Hahn’s diagnosis: We signed Adolfo to to drive the ball into the power alleys, and his offensive reps even are far too precious to lose in his key, age-21 season.

Adolfo has what Hahn termed “a pinhole tear” in his “very robust” (?) UCL, as well as a tear in the flexor muscle. While that sounds horrifying, on the e-gus dislocated elbow level or worse, apparently not so.

Adolfo will not risk further damage to the tear by swinging a bat, and that goes for even the worst case scenario, in which rehab is not healing/strengthening the injury. Best case, Adolfo’s rehabilitation works, and the young outfielder is throwing (!) again in May, with a return to playing the outfield in 2018 in the offing.

Back to the worst case-scenario: If Adolfo does in fact need surgery, the White Sox will time it so the procedure is done immediately after the season or just prior, so that the young clubber’s recovery will be complete in time for spring training.

Voila! Tommy John surgery, with no time lost!