Rolen's prognosis worsening

Jays third baseman Scott Rolen returned to Dunedin today with a soft cast on his injured right hand and  plans for an extended rehab.

Rolen is feeling his way through the process, but said Baltimore hand surgeon Dr. Thomas Graham has advised him to prepare for a 4-6 week rehabilitation from the date of his surgery, which took place on Monday.

Without making any predictions, the club had initially hinted that Rolen might be ready soon after the pin in his finger is removed in ten days.

Graham's schedule would put the quickest date for Rolen’s return at April 21st - the tail end of a homestand against the Detroit Tigers. The worst-case scenario would see Rolen returning in early May after missing the first 33 games of the year.

As would be expected, Rolen hopes to push Graham's schedule forward significantly.

"We’ll be optimistic and try to cut that down as much as we can in the right way, the smart way," Rolen said.

Cathal Kelly

Comments

[Patrick G]

Anyone who thought that it was going to be a 10 day things was delusional. Oh, that's right JP was flappin his gums, 'nuff said. Always wait and listen to what the docs say.

[Curren]

All off-season, i was hoping that JP would sign someone like Dallas McPherson or some other good-hitting backup 3rd baseman. Even a cheap Hinske would be better than nothing. Much better than having to similar players in Scutaro and JMac