Jose Abreu has been on the shelf recently due to what was initially described as emergency lower abdomen surgery. While we waited for more details, I started thinking of potential differential diagnoses. Herniation, torn oblique, shattered coccyx. I did not once think testicular torsion.

So what is testicular torsion? Testicular torsion occurs when one (or both) of the testicles twists around itself (usually rotating inwards), resulting in a compression of blood flow through the spermatic vasculature. Think of it as a kinked garden hose: when you obstruct the passageway, you get back up and increased pressure as well as devitalization. This is an absolute surgical emergency as well as a tremendously painful condition. The good news is that it’s fixable and from everything we’ve heard, Jose should recover just fine with a bit more time away from playing. We wish him all the best in his recovery.

Photo credit: Rick Osentoski- USA Today

Rodon struggled with upper biceps bursitis all season long and ultimately needed arthroscopic surgery to resolve the issue. His current timetable for a full return is 6-8 months, which seems fairly reasonable for a relatively non-invasive procedure and is generally good news seeing as that optimistically places his return at the end of spring training next March. And I have no reason to doubt that a professional athlete with a major league medical staff at his disposal can pull such a thing off.

But…

Contrary to what you may occasionally read, surgery never makes the operated part stronger. That’s just not how the body works. Surgical repair at its most basic is cutting away part of the body and hoping what you leave behind will repair at an acceptable level. The ideal treatment for inflammatory issues not involving major organs is rest and medicating. Surgery should always be the last resort. And that has me worried.

Rodon is one of the more important parts of the rebuild. He’s young, cost-controlled, and has the kind of talent that is one breakout away from being perennial All-Star caliber. But he’s only managed to pitch 234.1 innings over the past two seasons and is now battling back from going under the knife. Speaking from experience as someone who has had arthroscopic surgery on their dominant shoulder, it’s not the most fun thing to live with. I’ve healed perfectly, but the lingering thought of “what if this movement puts me right back in that sling” hovers. The Sox need to play it careful with Rodon next season or risk losing the one currently-proven member of their future rotation in seasons that will actually matter.

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Speed is the name of Tilson’s game. He only managed four home runs last season in 100 games in the absurdly hitter-friendly PCL. For him to be worth anything, he needs to be able to run like a young Scott Podsednik or else he will be lucky to look like an old Scott Podsednik. Tilson tearing his hamstring in his first game with the Sox last year was incredibly bad luck and it looks like he’s yet to fully recover from it.

When news of the stress reaction in his foot broke (apologies for the pun) earlier in spring training, I was reminded of a condition in race horses called catastrophic breakdown. The basic gist of it is that one of the numerous small bones in a horse’s leg breaks or is weakened, resulting in increased strain on the rest of the legs ultimately ending in broken legs that will never be able to heal. Think of Jake Peavy’s torn lat coming from his altered mechanics after spraining his ankle. Think of Brett Lawrie’s entire existence up to this point.

The team fully shutting Tilson down at this point is the best possible thing for Tilson’s health and career at this point, but it’s not painting the prettiest picture for the rest of his career. Stress reactions can rapidly become stress fractures, turning plus speed into mediocrity with alarming quickness. Tilson’s life as a baseball player isn’t quite in its third act just yet, but it’s closer to being there than it was a month ago.

Lead Photo Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports