It wasn't hard to see this coming, but it's still disappointing: Ben Sheets conceded Monday that he almost certainly will not pitch in the postseason. He tried to play through pain after an MRI revealed a torn muscle in his pitching elbow in late August but an MRI earlier this week revealed the injury is getting worse. From MLB.com:
"I'm going to keep pushing like it's series-to-series," Sheets said. "But I don't know if that's realistic. I would say I'm out, most likely, unless I can hit. And I can't hit.
"We went aggressive at it," Sheets added. "I tried acupuncture, I tried massage. We tried everything. I tried it, and it didn't work."
Sheets posted a pedestrian 13-9 record, but the Brewers won 18 of his 31 starts this year, thanks largely to his 3.06 ERA, the second-best mark of his career. There's no chance at all this team could have made the playoffs for the first time since 1982 without his contributions, so it's unfortunate he can't help them take the next step.
The timing of the injury couldn't be worse for Sheets on a personal level, as well. He'll be a free agent this winter, and considering he was already battling a reputation for being injury prone, the fact that he'll finish the season on the trainer's table should cost him more than a few dollars. But who knows, maybe this will work out for the Brewers in the end. If enough teams are scared of Sheets' injury history, he just may be enough of a bargain for the Brewers to re-sign him.
