Jesse Litsch sidelined for six weeks following infection

Jesse Litsch will be not be allowed to throw for at least six weeks following a visit to Dr. James Andrews, but it’s not for the reason that you may think.

After being sidelined earlier in Spring Training with inflammation in his throwing shoulder, Litsch was shipped off to the infamous Andrews for a complete diagnosis that showed there was no structural damage.

To treat the inflammation, the Florida native was given an injection of platelet-rich-plasma (PRP), which is, according to John Lott of the National Post, the “removal of 30 to 60 millilitres of a patient’s blood, then spinning it in a centrifuge to separate the platelets. A small quantity of platelet-rich plasma is removed and injected into the injured area. PRP sends signals to the body to trigger healing mechanisms that can expedite recovery far faster than normal.”

The only problem, though, is that Litsch sustained an infection at the injection site that started to spread, which forced him to undergo emergency arthroscopic surgery and be on intravenous antibiotics for a minimum of four weeks.

While the setback is certainly bad news for him, he was on the outside of the Jays’ bullpen situation looking in and appeared ticketed to open the season with Vegas anyway. With Sergio Santos, Darren Oliver, Francisco Cordero, Jason Frasor and Casey Janssen already in the fold, that leaves just two remaining spots, which will likely go to right-hander Carlos Villanueva and left-hander Luis Perez, especially since the latter is out of options.

The news is certainly frustrating for Litsch, who previously dealt with injuries in 2009 and 2011 and is now looking at a return in mid-to-late April at the earliest.

-JM

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