By Sheila Dwyer, Knee1 StaffMinnesota Twins right fielder Chad Allen will sit out the rest of the season due to an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee.
Allen sustained his injury during an extra-inning loss to the Cleveland Indians on August 14th. During the 11th inning, Allen’s cleat got caught in the grass when he attempted to scoop up Kenny Lofton’s hit off the wall. Allen managed to hold Lofton at third base by throwing the ball side-armed to the infield before falling to the ground in pain and grabbing his knee.
“Very courageous,” Twins manager Tom Kelly said after the game. “His knee was blown out and he got up and went after the ball. A lot of guys would have just laid there. That was pretty good. Talk about courage.”
Allen underwent MRI testing on Wednesday in Minnesota. The test revealed that he sustained a complete tear to the ACL and tore cartilage as well. Typical recovery time for such an injury is one year.
Allen’s injury is only the latest in a series of setbacks for the team. The team lost their sixth straight game to the Indians on Wednesday, and their record is 9-23 since the All-Star break.
“We’ve had some tough times but we can’t cry about injuries,” Kelly said. “My guys have been playing their butts off and that’s all I can really ask of them right now.”
Reference:
www.yahoo.com
Photo courtesy of www.mlb.com
