Rangers Catcher May Be Out for Season

Texas Rangers’ catcher Ivan Rodriguez will probably sit out the rest of the baseball season with an injury to his left knee.

Doctors diagnosed Rodriguez with tendonitis after the Rangers’ August 22nd game against the New York Yankees. When the catcher squatted to get into position in the second inning, his right knee locked, causing tendonitis. Rangers orthopedist John Conway conducted an MRI exam on both knees that initially showed no injury.

Rodriguez sat out the next night’s game but played 16 innings of the 18-inning game against the Boston Red Sox, which the Rangers won.

Rodriguez traveled to California on Wednesday, September 5th, to consult with Dr. Lewis Yocum, the Anaheim Angels’ team doctor. He is searching for a second opinion on how to treat his injury. Rodriguez’s options are surgery to remove the bad pieces of the tendon, or medication and rest until the inflammation subsides. He has not played since being scratched from the lineup on Friday, August 31st.

“I’m not scared,” Rodriguez said on Tuesday night after a meeting with Conway. “I take pretty good care of myself. We’ll wait and see what the other doctor says. And then we’ll go from there.”

Rodriguez was recently taken out of the Rangers’ lineup after Conway became concerned with something he saw on the MRI of the catcher’s left knee. A follow-up MRI revealed tendonitis in the tendon that connects the kneecap and the leg bone.

Rodriguez will have the final say about his treatment. “It’s about him, not about the Rangers or about a contract,” Melvin said. “He’ll decide what is best for him, and then we’ll decide what is best for us.”