Sources: Santana Gets Cortisone Shot

By Mike McGann
Posted Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Copyright, 2009, FlushingUniversity.com

PHILADELPHIA -- Mets’ ace Johan Santana has a sore left shoulder -- apparently the cause of his loss of velocity -- and doctors were dispatched to Citizens Bank Park this past weekend to give the lefthander a cortisone shot, multiple sources told FlushingUniversity.com.

According to baseball and other sources, an associate of Mets’ team doctor Dr. David Altchek reportedly administered the shot, although it was not announced to the media. Earlier in the year, Santana angrily shot down a suggestion by former Mets’ pitching coach Rick Peterson that something was wrong with his knee and that was the cause of his recent loss of velocity and command.

it is unclear when the shot was administered, as typically, a patient is held out of physical activities for 72 hours following such a shot and Santana was able to make his regularly scheduled start against the Phillies Sunday, allowing two runs and three hits in seven innings of work. More commonly, pitchers are shut down for longer periods of time to allow the cortisone to fully take effect.

Usually, cortisone shots are administered to reduce inflammation in a joint, but shots can be used for various types of issues, including tendonitis. There was no word on the exact nature of Santana’s shoulder issue.

The have been hit hard by injuries this season, losing Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Carlos Beltran, J.J. Putz and Angel Pagan to injuries for extended periods of time. If Santana, who pitched with a knee injury at the end of the 2008 season, is forced to miss time, it could deal a severe hope to the team’s chances of staying in the playoff hunt.