ARLINGTON, Texas — Matt Harrison tried to pitch through lower back soreness his first two starts this season for the Texas Rangers. He then got two epidural injections and a second opinion when he went on the disabled list.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Matt Harrison tried to pitch through lower back soreness his first two starts this season for the Texas Rangers. He then got two epidural injections and a second opinion when he went on the disabled list.
Despite all that, the Rangers’ opening-day starter still won’t be able to avoid surgery.
General manager Jon Daniels said Friday that Harrison, on the disabled list because of an inflamed nerve in his back, is scheduled for an operation Tuesday to repair a herniated disk. The left-hander likely won’t be back in the rotation until after the All-Star break.
“The treatments we tried to do didn’t work. It’s unfortunate,” Harrison said. “I’m trying to stay positive through this and look forward to getting this taken care of and getting this thing back on track and getting back healthy and playing ball again. … This is pretty much last resort for getting it right.”
An 18-game winner and All-Star last season, Harrison still was having problems after the epidural injections in his back.
Harrison, in the first season of a $55 million, five-year contract, never had any back problems before this spring, when he first felt something wrong while running. But he kept pushing through, and symptoms got worse.
Despite stiffness in his back causing numbness and weakness in his left leg, Harrison made his first two starts. He lost both, giving up a pair of two-run homers in the first inning of the second one, and had an 8.44 ERA before going on the disabled list after that last start April 7.
“I thought I could make adjustments and pitch through it. But it just wasn’t working. The biggest thing was the weakness in my leg,” Harrison said.