CHICAGO – When White Sox pitcher John Danks heard the word "tear" associated with his left shoulder injury, he immediately thought the worst.
Sox's team physician Dr. Gregory Nicholson calmed his fears and assured Danks he would not need shoulder surgery after an MRI revealed a Grade 1 tear in the sub-scap. There is no timetable for Danks' return.
"It’s frustrating because it feels good one day and then it feels like crap the next day," Danks said after the Sox's 12-3 loss to the Cubs Monday. "So it is frustrating, but at the same time it’s good to actually know what we’re dealing with now."
Danks expects to take a few days before resuming any activities. He landed on the 15-day disabled list May 25 with a left shoulder strain after his start at Wrigley Field against the Cubs on May 19. In that outing Danks picked up the win and did not allow a run on three hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Danks, 27, is 3-4 this season with a 5.70 ERA in nine starts. During the offseason the Sox signed Danks to a five-year, $65 million extension.
"Just the regular pictures from my first MRI to today looked pretty darn close to the same," Danks said. "It’s not anything worse, it’s just going to take a little longer I think than we first anticipated.
"I went out and pitched last week and felt fine, stuff was great. It’s just having trouble bouncing back and this is the reason. Stay on top of it and get back as soon as possible."
-- Meghan Montemurro
