Carson High graduate Darrell Rasner said he's determined to return sooner than expected.
New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Rasner, a 1999 Carson graduate, could miss up to three months after suffering a broken right index finger on Saturday. But Rasner said he's determined to beat that estimate.
"No disrespect, but I think I can be back earlier than that," Rasner told MLB.com. "I'm going to do my best to get back before then. It's just one of those things that I can't believe."
Rasner told MLB.com he had not seen the X-rays of his fractured right index finger, nor was he quite sure what exactly was done in the surgical procedure performed late Saturday night.
Rasner was struck by a batted ball in the first inning of his start on Saturday while facing the Mets' Endy Chavez.
Rasner said he had surgery performed on his finger on Saturday evening at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan.
Rasner said that doctors had been optimistic toward a full recovery, though the date of Rasner's return to the Major League roster in 2007 is uncertain, with a lengthy rehab stint likely.
"The whole thing about it is healing, for one thing," Yankees manager Joe Torre told MLB.com. "Then you start Spring Training all over again. It's not like a leg muscle or something where you can still keep in shape. That's the frustrating part about the whole thing."
In recalling what happened on Saturday, Rasner told MLB.com, "I thought I had a bead on it. It came up and hit the tip of my finger. It got kind of numb for a second, and I thought I was going to be able to stay in the game. But then I threw a few (warmup pitches), and on the last one, I felt it pop."
Rasner said he had hoped to return to Shea Stadium for Sunday's finale of the Subway Series, but that the pain from the surgery had become too great.
"I wanted to go today, but it really started hitting me a couple of hours (before game time)," Rasner said.
So far this season for the Yankees, Rasner has gone 1-3 with a 4.01 earned run average.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment