Detroit Tigers' Joel Zumaya Being Held Out of Action, Again

I’m getting that "doom doom" feeling about "Zoom Zoom" again.

Joel Zumaya is feeling discomfort in his pitching shoulder, again. And he’s being held out of spring training competition, again. And the Tigers’ bullpen—specifically, the role of the setup man—is in flux, again.

Sigh.

It may not be as serious as in previous instances, but anytime the topic du jour is Zumaya’s shoulder, and the discussion includes words like "stiffness," "soreness," and “won’t pitch”—well, you’re excused if you start developing a nervous tick.

I’m not ready to breathe deep when it comes to Zumaya and his attempts to play out a season in good health. I won’t exhale until the 2009 season is in the books and Zoom Zoom hasn’t spent one day on the disabled list, though I know that may be a pipe dream.

You just can’t convince me that a pitcher is free from arm or shoulder trouble until he’s played at least one season DL-free.

Zumaya needs to cause hitters to look skyward if Tigers' pen is to be successful

Of course, Joel and the DL can become good acquaintances over the years, and it still won’t mean his career is a dud or that he can’t be a key contributor to the Tigers’ bullpen. It just may mean that he’s a high-maintenance pitcher.

That, I suppose, I can contend with. But there’s still nothing sadder than seeing a young player flame out before his time (see Fidrych, Mark) due to injury or other things out of his control.

I’m sure the Tigers, burned in the past, are babying Zumaya, maybe beyond what’s actually necessary. I have no qualms with that. I just start to squirm when I read that Zumaya is being held out of spring games.

The Tigers can still market a C, C+ bullpen without Zumaya, but it’s a solid "B" with him healthy and doing his thing. And the Detroit ballclub, as a whole, jumps a half-grade or so with Zumaya manning the seventh and eighth innings.

As pitchers and catchers reported for spring training last month, Zumaya declared himself healthy and pain-free. He claimed he hadn’t felt this good in quite some time.

Then, a few appearances later, he began to be held out of the "reindeer games." Gotta hope that's just a precaution.

I’m not being totally selfish here; I want Zumaya healthy for his sake, too, and not just for the Tigers’. I don’t want him to be another cautionary tale. Like I said, it’s too sad.

I’m not in super-duper panic mode yet, but I’ll feel a whole lot better once Zoom Zoom is back on the mound, throwing pills to the plate rather than ingesting them for pain relief.