On paper, Seth Lugo landed on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday with a shoulder impingement. But in reality, it's his right elbow that has prompted his latest trip to the shelf, multiple sources told Newsday.
Lugo has been pitching through a partially torn ligament in his elbow suffered this spring, choosing to rehab rather than undergo Tommy John surgery, which would have wiped out his season.
His shoulder issue, sources said, is believed to be relatively minor, and likely fallout from pitching through his elbow condition. But once his shoulder is rested, he will be re-evaluated. Despite the decision to pitch through his elbow condition, Tommy John surgery always has loomed as a possibility, and this latest setback could increase the likelihood of the procedure.
Lugo had been slated to start Wednesday's Subway Series game against the Yankees. Instead, the assignment will fall to Robert Gsellman, who will be activated from the disabled list.
Since coming off the disabled list in June, Lugo hasn't complained of pain. But a source said he has been working in a somewhat diminished state, unable to generate the same arm speed as he had before the injury.
The numbers seem to bear that out. Lugo has had an across-the-board dip in velocity. The spin rate on his curveball _ the pitch that helped him bail out a banged-up rotation last year _ also has had a noticeable drop.
In 12 games (11 starts), Lugo is 5-3 with a 4.85 ERA in 68 2/3 innings. He hasn't been as effective as he was last season, when he went 5-2 with a 2.67 ERA while emerging as a stabilizing force for a starting rotation that wilted beneath the weight of injuries.
The Mets announced the move before Tuesday's game against the Yankees. Neither Lugo nor general manger Sandy Alderson was available for comment. Lugo's DL stint is retroactive to Aug. 12.
Lugo, 27, suffered the injury sometime during the spring. During that time period, he also pitched for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.
After going on the DL just before opening day, Lugo underwent platelet rich plasma therapy in hopes of avoiding surgery. Pitching through partial UCL tears isn't uncommon, with the Yankees' Masahiro Tanaka and the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright prominent examples.
Gsellman has been out since June 29 with a strained left hamstring. A year ago, his performance also steadied a banged-up rotation. But like Lugo, the 24-year-old Gsellman has struggled to replicate those results.
In 17 games this season (14 starts), Gsellman is 5-5 with a 6.16 ERA in 76 innings. He struggled early during his minor league rehab assignment, prompting Alderson to say that performance rather than health was the reason he had yet to be promoted to the big leagues.
But Gsellman responded by tossing six shutout innings on Friday for Double-A Binghamton. He threw 83 pitches in that outing, which should allow him to take the mound on Wednesday with minimal pitch-count restrictions.
Gsellman finished his rehab assignment 1-0 with a 2.92 ERA in four starts, all at Double-A Binghamton.
