Ruben Amaro Says Phillies Are The 'Most Conservative Club On The Planet' When It Comes To Injuries
By Spike Eskin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Ruben Amaro says the reason the Phillies didn't get Roy Halladay's shoulder checked out before Tuesday is because he wasn't injured.
"When a pitcher is not hurt, and he tells you he's not hurt, and doesn't give us any signs that he's hurt, then there's no reason to [get him checked out]," Amaro told 94WIP's Angelo Cataldi and The WIP Morning Show. "We're not that stupid," he said.
Halladay was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday and is likely to miss the next 6-8 weeks of the season with a strained right shoulder.
Though many have expressed worry over the velocity of Halladay's pitches, Amaro says the Phillies aren't among those concerned. "I will tell you this, one of the things that we were working on with him was his mechanics, because we felt like his mechanics were off a little bit. And that's probably one of the reasons why we felt some of his velocity was a tick down," Amaro said, noting the fact that Halladay's fastball was only about one mile per hour slower than previous seasons.
"We are the most conservative club on the planet [with injured players]. I will tell you that. When it comes to guys having issues, we try to nip them in the bud. We try to stay on top of them. The whole injury thing is a fluid situation. If a guy feels like he's able to pitch, it's that fine line between pain and injury," Amaro said. "Sometimes it's just natural discomfort--just part of the wear and tear process of being an athlete. And other times it can be injury. Each situation is different," he said. "A guy gets a hangnail, and we put the guy on the DL ... We have a lot invested in these guys."
As for Halladay hiding an injury, Amaro says that also isn't likely. "Roy's a smart guy. If he had felt there was something wrong with him, he would have let us know," he said. "There was nothing going on with his shoulder, until there was something going on. If he had been in pain, and he had been suffering, the guy would have told us ... He wasn't injured, until he was."
