Watson: Shoulder Injury Occurred While Playing Racquetball

In an interview I conducted on the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast this Thursday, Phillies righty pitching prospect Shane Watson admitted that his recurring shoulder injury was a result of reckless play in a sport away from the baseball diamond.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with me and the show’s co-host and producer Tug Haines, the Phillies top draft pick from 2012 admitted that the issue, which has kept him out of action since July, initially popped up in 2012 when he was playing racquetball.

“Well, um, well it first started was me, when I was first  drafted…me being young and, uh, young a dumb, if you will, a whole year and a half ago,” Watson stated. “I was actually playing, like, tennis or racquetball or something and I, uh, like, ran into the wall and I injured my shoulder that way and they said it’s inflamed from that.”

Haines then jokingly reminded Watson that action on the court is not a contact sport. As a group, we shared a laugh, but the revelation that the 20-year-old hurler suffered damage to his throwing shoulder because of sports activity off the baseball field is certainly noteworthy. It would seem the Phillies are aware of this, if the organization’s physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti has knowledge of this mishap.  Ciccotti officially diagnosed Watson with an enlarged capsule during a visit to Philadelphia this week.

The six-foot-four 200-pounder was home in California, resting this month and was not actively working on a pitching program.  He was set to begin throwing again December 1st, but experienced high levels of discomfort in the joint during the week before Thanksgiving Day and alerted his agent and the Phillies of the setback.

Watson, drafted 40th overall last year out of Lakewod High School in California, dealt with considerable health issues after signing with the Phillies.  Struggling with sickness and weight loss it was discovered that the youngster has type 1 diabetes. Efforts were made to address the concern and Watson was able to learn how to manage it, but he pitched in just five games with the rookie level Gulf Coast Phillies last year.

This year with Class A Lakewood, Watson sported a 4-6 record with a 4.75 ERA while striking out 53 and walking 28 in 72 innings pitched.

Currently, Watson, who was ranked by PhilliesNation as the Phillies’ 17th best prospect heading into the 2013 season, is in Clearwater, FL rehabbing the injury and will be reevaluated next week to see if surgery is required.

To hear the full interview in which Watson discusses a potential surgical repair as well as a time frame for recovery and unveils his family tree’s connection to a regional founding father, click HERE to download or stream the episode.