Report: Former Ace Johan Santana Suffers Setback During Latest Comeback
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Johan Santana desperately wants to get back to the majors, but it appears it might take him longer than he had hoped.
According to the Venezuelan Winter League's official website, the former two-time Cy Young Award winner's latest comeback attempt has been derailed by left shoulder discomfort.
An MRI showed no structural damage, but Santana will likely be sidelined a while, hurting his chances to go to spring training with a team. The news came on the heels of recent reports that as many as six major league clubs, including the Yankees, had interest in the veteran left-hander, who will turn 36 in March.
Santana, 139-78 in 12 major league seasons, has made just 21 big league appearances in the last four seasons due to a pair of shoulder operations
and a foot injury. He tore his left Achilles tendon last June 6 while pitching in extended spring training with the Baltimore Orioles. Santana was struck by a line drive and stumbled while in pursuit of the ball.
Santana, who won the Cy Youngs for Minnesota in 2004 and 2006, has not pitched in the major leagues since 2012 with the New York Mets. Santana signed a $137.5 million, six-year contract with New York before the 2008 season and had surgery Sept. 14, 2010, to repair tears in the front and bottom of his left shoulder's anterior capsule.
He returned to the majors on April 5, 2012, and pitched the first no-hitter in Mets history on June 1 against St. Louis, throwing a career-high 134 pitches. He then went 3-7 with an 8.27 ERA and cut his season short because of lower back inflammation.
Santana experienced weakness in his pitching shoulder during the following spring training and had surgery on April 2, 2013, for a tear in the capsule in the front of his left shoulder.
