Do you think Joel Zumaya has his own personal room at Dr. James Andrews' practice by now?  He has to know the staffers by name.  Glass Joel is once again set to be examined in Alabama, as soreness is flaring up in his right shoulder again.

Just a few days ago, weren't the Tigers saying that Zumaya was recovering nicely, throwing without pain, and feeling general optimism?  How fast it changes.

Depending on the diagnosis, Zumaya could undergo surgery to remove a bone shard that developed from the stress fracture he suffered last year.  If that's the case, his season is probably over, as the recovery time would be at least eight weeks.  (Zumaya will likely opt for surgery after the season, anyway.) 

But here's the nugget from Jason Beck's blog post that should cook your noodle:

Zumaya came back better than expected in late April, throwing fastballs at his old velocity at 100 mph and above. For that reason, Zumaya said last week, he wasn't overly concerned when he had shoulder soreness a few weeks ago. Once it became more severe during that outing at Yankees Stadium, Zumaya told the team medical staff.

Joel, Joel, Joel.  We take off our collective glasses and pinch our brow at this. 

I understand that Zumaya wants to pitch and there's a stigma that develops around anyone who frequently gets injured.  The last thing he probably wants to tell management is that he's hurt again.  And maybe he thought this soreness was no big deal compared to other pain he's felt before. 

But has Zumaya learned nothing?  This is a long season.  The man should get a diagnostics check after every time he pitches, like Tony Stark checking Iron Man's suit following his latest adventure.  I feel like the Tigers should shut Zumaya down anyway, but if he recovers, I suppose they should use him.  Maybe not in any important situations, however, until he proves he can locate his pitches.

The exam is scheduled for this morning.  We'll surely hear the results soon thereafter.  Stay tuned.