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Victor Martinez undergoes microfracture surgery: injury worse than expected

The Tigers report Victor Martinez had microfracture surgery on his left knee and had repairs to his MCL and meniscus on Friday. Dr. Richard Steadman is optimistic Martinez will be ready for ACL reconstruction surgery in 6 to 8 weeks.

The Tigers' press release states:

The preliminary surgery on Friday went well according to Dr. Steadman and he is optimistic Martinez will be ready to undergo ACL reconstruction surgery on his left knee in approximately six-to-eight weeks. The Tigers continue to expect Martinez to be sidelined for the 2012 season.

Martinez injured the knee roughly two weeks ago while doing an off-season workout.

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anyone who held on to hopes of him returning this year

can forget that now with this news

Did we really just sign Prince Fielder? Holllllllllly sh*t.

by tigers22 on Jan 30, 2012 12:47 PM EST reply actions  

that was my first thought

Not only that, but a player at his age may have trouble being ready at the beginning of next year. Ugh.

by BeardedPlayoffJesus19 on Jan 30, 2012 12:51 PM EST via mobile up reply actions  

Didn't Carlos have Micro surgey

I don’t think he ever came back 100%

by msivits on Jan 30, 2012 12:55 PM EST up reply actions  

Microfractures seem to be pretty bad

Over at MSU Delvon Roe had micro fracture surgery. He had to quit this season because his knees couldn’t take it anymore. I am officially pessimistic about V-mart coming back to full form for 2013.

by jbeshay on Jan 30, 2012 1:03 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions  

Just slap a

cybernetic leg on him, it’s a risky operation, but it’s worth it!

by LTownDown on Jan 30, 2012 1:25 PM EST up reply actions   1 recs

We can do it! We have the technology!

"Some guy told me I should walk with the Lord. I'd rather walk with the bases loaded" Ken Singleton

by NCDee on Jan 30, 2012 2:37 PM EST up reply actions  

We can rebuild him

Make him faster, stronger, better than ever before.
The Six Billion Dollar Man!

"King of Minutiae"

by Tigerdog1 on Jan 30, 2012 4:21 PM EST up reply actions   1 recs

Anecdotally speaking

Microfracture is what Carlos Guillen had too as its performed when the meniscus tissue is worn or damaged.
It’ll be non-weight bearing for a couple months, typically (and takes about a year to fully rehab alone). The ACL & MCL repairs to follow are also a long recovery, but can vary depending on the type of repair the use (cadaver, patellar, etc.) from 9-24 months to reach full strength. Best bet for VMart is 2013 at the soonest and I would doubt catching is in his future considering his age.
Unfortunately, I’ve had all these surgeries as well (four knee surgeries total). I can tell you that the ACL/PCL repairs are not as painful, but one is never the same. It takes about 2 years for the patellar or hamstring repairs to regain full strength (which is never as strong as the original). Cadaver or artifical are faster, but risk rejection and/or further injury.
The microfracture is a frustrating process…they drill holes in the bone surface to draw blood & marrow, which fills in for the lost or worn meniscus tissues. You can’t put any weight on it for 2-3 months, depending on the size of the damaged tissues and you have a machine that moves your leg about 8-10 hours/per day to prevent scar buildup. The swelling is pretty severe & everything gets weak over time…it takes a long time to rehab & get strong again.
As mentioned above, 1 year would be the MINIMUM that I would expect him back. It could be longer than that. In the long run, he’s doomed to osteoarthritis, as well, but that won’t be an issue for several years, likely after his playing career is over.

by rings on Jan 31, 2012 5:10 AM EST up reply actions   1 recs

Great post

Thanks for the first-hand insight!

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." -Rogers Hornsby

by InLeylandWeTrust on Jan 31, 2012 10:47 PM EST up reply actions  

Hoping for a good recovery!

Probably better he take the full year off to recover anyways than potentially rushing back and re-injuring himself.

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." -Rogers Hornsby

by InLeylandWeTrust on Jan 30, 2012 12:54 PM EST reply actions  

Yeah

As far as I see it, this just pushes back his recovery time.

"You, on the other hand, make Eeyore look like Rainbow Brite." -johnmoz

"I think of you more as the blue book style essay of sports journalism."-Kurt Mensching

by David Tokarz on Jan 30, 2012 1:23 PM EST up reply actions  

Henning questions:

V-Mart, is it true or not that you injured your knee further when you heard Miggy would be playing third base? Follow up question. You’re looking husky. What’s that about?

by mattintoledo on Jan 30, 2012 1:00 PM EST reply actions  

Lynn

Could the guy be any more pessimistic about the deal? His stuff is becoming unreadable.

by DUTCH613 on Jan 30, 2012 1:15 PM EST up reply actions  

Good point

He has been a complete downer since the moment we signed Prince. Not one positive view has come out of his mouth. Pretty tough to do when you add a bat like that too.

by DUTCH613 on Jan 30, 2012 1:22 PM EST up reply actions  

For what it's worth...

Knobler says he could actually come back stronger since the meniscus damage that was repaired was actually wear and tear that had been there previously.

Microfracture surgery scares the crap out of me though.

by BayesLaw on Jan 30, 2012 1:23 PM EST reply actions  

Yeah, I'm not sold on the effectiveness of microfracture surgery

It’s still mostly experimental and is pretty rare in non-athletic populations. Results are mixed, so hopefully V-Mart is one of the lucky ones that it pays off for.

by Rob Rogacki on Jan 30, 2012 2:35 PM EST up reply actions   1 recs

I think I was confused here...

Tigers press release says meniscus was injured two weeks ago. Maybe there was some other wear and tear that potentially could be fixed.

by BayesLaw on Jan 30, 2012 2:43 PM EST up reply actions  

This makes me very sad.

I may have to send the very first fan letter of my entire life, in which I will wish Victor all the best for 2012 and let him know how much I admire him as a player and a father.

(That’s c/o Comerica Park, 2100 Woodward Avenue, Detroit MI 48201 should any of you be inclined to do the same)

"Some guy told me I should walk with the Lord. I'd rather walk with the bases loaded" Ken Singleton

by NCDee on Jan 30, 2012 2:43 PM EST reply actions  

Wait -- I lied

I just remembered I sent a fan letter to John Chancellor once.

"Some guy told me I should walk with the Lord. I'd rather walk with the bases loaded" Ken Singleton

by NCDee on Jan 30, 2012 2:44 PM EST up reply actions  

Anyone

that thought he was coming back this year was being overly optimistic. Let the docs fix his knee and let him heal/rehap without the stress of trying to make it back this year. Heck, go to Europe and do some plasma enriched therapy!

by jeremy j on Jan 30, 2012 3:12 PM EST reply actions  

Fielder - A VMart replacement permenently

Doesn’t this news lead anyone to believe that the Tigers already knew the seriousness of VMart’s injury when they signed Prince? The Tigers experienced microfracture with Carlos Guillen and he never came back right/healthy. The surgery has produced a mixed bag throughout the athletic world AND Vmart is not young or even middle-aged for an athlete.
Not to be the super-negetive, sky is falling guy but, isn’t it fairly safe to assume that the Tigers expect VMart is probably done and Prince is the permanent replacement – not through position but, through salary. If VMart is forced to retire in a year, the payroll comes down mightily and we are able to go find another above-average bat for DH/1B/3B.
I don’t think this is an outrageous suggestion, given the seriousness of the injury and VMarts age and the recent experience with C. Guillen.

by Moneybag on Jan 30, 2012 3:45 PM EST reply actions  

I wouldn't Assume...

Good insight. I think they may have expected that more could have been wrong. We all would have been okay this year with a one-year replacement, unless Victor wasn’t healthy next year and ends up pulling a Carlos. Then we would have wished we signed Prince when he was killing us in Texas. I think Fielder covers them if Victor becomes all but done, but nobody can know what will happen with Victor. Prince is a heckuva insurance policy against it though.

Remember how lauded the Tigers were last year with his signing? When Adam Dunn and Jason Werth ended up being no more than, well, Adam Dunn and Jason Werth, or as Dan Dickerson called him, a “strike out machine,” the Tigers were applauded for making such a great signing in Victor. I want him back bad. More than proving himself as a great player, his clubhouse attitude and his little boy made cheering for the Tigers a little more extra fun. We would all love to see him back and healthy.

by ottisfranklin on Jan 30, 2012 4:33 PM EST up reply actions  

Great Idea.

Should we lose V-Mart permanently, we should use all of that money on a DH/1B type (sarcasm)! We could just DH Miggy most of the time.

I would still welcome that top of the lineup help we have been needing… maybe it would come in the form of a LF or 2B?

Jesus don't love me, no one's ever carried my load. I'm too young to feel this old. - Caleb Followill

by Nich on Jan 30, 2012 4:33 PM EST up reply actions  

Or...

Sizemore, Victorino and a guy named, and I hope I get this right— Gran-der-son, all become free agents for the 2013 season (Granderson has a $13 million dollar option though). They would all look good at the top of our lineup, and in LF…

Jesus don't love me, no one's ever carried my load. I'm too young to feel this old. - Caleb Followill

by Nich on Jan 30, 2012 4:38 PM EST up reply actions  

DH

I wrote my post assuming both Fielder and Miggy are against being full-time DHs. Which, all evidence points to. For the next 3 years, certainly this year and next, they will be playing the corners. If VMart is done – we will need a DH. And we will have the money from VMart to get one. Now, if VMart is getting $11M a year, you can get an above average DH and that 5th starter/2B you desire.

by Moneybag on Jan 30, 2012 10:00 PM EST up reply actions  

DH-Miggy

Furthermore, Nich, you, like most fans seem to think you can order these players around to fit YOUR line-up fantasies. “We could just DH Miggy most of the time”. What gives you, or any other poster on this website, the idea that Miggy wants to DH? Almost every single MLB player hates the DH position – unless that person is 38 and on bad knees. Fielder took the Tigers contract on the understanding he WOULDN’T be a DH. Why do you think players ask for these things? Why again would you think Miggy wants to play DH? Just because him playing there fits your line-up doesn’t make it realistic. People need to understand, everyday players play the field because they LIKE baseball -not just hitting. This isn’t slow-pitch. These guys like ALL aspects of baseball – they do it for a living. If you go through every quote from every guy who has transitioned to DH you will hear the exact same thing. Its pretty hard to get used to the down time between at-bats. Why again would Miggy voluntarily do this? Why do you think they ASKED Miggy about signing Fielder? Maybe because they couldn’t JUST MAKE ONE OF THEM A DH. Jesus.
You people need to think a little more realistically.

by Moneybag on Jan 30, 2012 10:08 PM EST up reply actions  

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I just got served, yo’.

Maybe you should try re-reading my post, which begins, “Should we lose V-Mart permanently.”

That in itself is not meant to be taken seriously— my point was, if somebody is going to speculate about something that ridiculous after V-Mart just had his (first) surgery, then I should at least use it as an opportunity to retort with something productive, like requesting that top of the order help, yet again.

I offered a suggestion that would take less money in 2013 than two expired contracts (Young, and again using the ‘V-Mart is done clause’ that was created) and would gain us top of the order help, and a slick glove in LF.

I am like most fans in here, you are right, because I am not ready to call V-Mart’s career over with. I am also looking at having people setting the table for our version of Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz (circa. 2003) to make Prince’s signing more tolerable.

Drops his microphone on the stage

Jesus don't love me, no one's ever carried my load. I'm too young to feel this old. - Caleb Followill

by Nich on Jan 31, 2012 9:08 AM EST up reply actions  

Miggy might not need to play much 3B after all...

Did we really just sign Prince Fielder? Holllllllllly sh*t.

by tigers22 on Jan 30, 2012 5:33 PM EST reply actions  

Miggy at third scares me a lot less the DY in any position.

Tired of generic music??? Exterminate All Rational Thought is here to help!

by Siggzilla on Jan 30, 2012 7:54 PM EST up reply actions  

False

DY doesn’t scare me much at DH.

by Rob Rogacki on Jan 30, 2012 8:13 PM EST up reply actions   1 recs

Well there's the exception I was eluding to

If it takes the glove off (d)Elmons hand, I’m cool with it.

Tired of generic music??? Exterminate All Rational Thought is here to help!

by Siggzilla on Jan 30, 2012 8:20 PM EST up reply actions  

He scares me there too

I’ll believe he can hit when he does.

First person to say ALDS gets whacked with a foam noodle.

"You, on the other hand, make Eeyore look like Rainbow Brite." -johnmoz

"I think of you more as the blue book style essay of sports journalism."-Kurt Mensching

by David Tokarz on Jan 30, 2012 10:31 PM EST up reply actions  

ALDS

Good luck hitting me in Minnesota.

by lesmanalim on Jan 30, 2012 10:38 PM EST up reply actions  

Bonk

"You, on the other hand, make Eeyore look like Rainbow Brite." -johnmoz

"I think of you more as the blue book style essay of sports journalism."-Kurt Mensching

by David Tokarz on Jan 31, 2012 12:54 PM EST up reply actions  

That's bad news for VMart

I hope the rehab goes well and he comes back stronger and faster. This is just a speed bump for a great hitters like him. He can go on to have a great career at the DH spot, like Edgar Martinez and Paul Molitor did. He really is a special talent.

by Keith-Allen on Jan 30, 2012 7:25 PM EST reply actions  

Dr. Steadman - LOL

I had a snowmobile accident in Lake Tahoe in 1982 or 1983 that broke my right leg. Eventually I had seven operations on my right leg over the next two years due to the accident.

Dr. Steadman performed the first surgery.

The dude is now 87 years old.

by Buddahfan on Jan 31, 2012 3:11 AM EST reply actions  

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