Phelps felt the same discomfort that landed him on the DL earlier in the month.
BALTIMORE — For the second time this month, David Phelps appears to be headed to the disabled list with elbow issues. His availability for the remainder of the 2017 season seems in question after he exited Wednesday’s 8-7 loss to the Orioles in the sixth inning with the familiar feeling of discomfort in the back of his elbow.
After walking Jonathan Schoop on six pitches, the third batter he faced, Phelps motioned to the athletic trainers in the dugout and manager Scott Servais dugout that something was wrong. He walked off the mound with head athletic trainer Rick Griffin after a brief conversation.
Phelps felt the same inability to extend his elbow on his pitches that put him on the disabled list in early August after leaving the game in Kansas City. It was later diagnosed as an elbow impingement. He spent just over two weeks on the disabled list — missing 14 games — before being activated.
“In the bullpen, it’s fine,” he said. “Playing catch, it hasn’t bothered me. It’s just when I get out there. That last curveball to (Tim) Beckham when I really tried to get on top of it, (the elbow) grabbed a little bit and the same thing with the cutter in to Schoop. The arm just doesn’t want to get extended. It’s frustrating. I’m out there trying to help the team win a ball game.”
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Phelps had made two appearances since being activated from the disabled list on August 23 and had no problems.
“The outing in New York, I just got tired with a lot of pitches and in Atlanta it felt good,” he said. “I wouldn’t be out there if I didn’t feel good.”
He will undergo a MRI and meet with team doctors to try and figure out what is causing the impingement. He thought the previous DL stint had cleaned up the issues.
“That is the most frustrating part is that we thought we were on top of it,” he said. “I guess you really never know how your body is going to react until you are out in the game.”