Ricky Nolasco pitched through pain in 2014 to the tune of a 5.38 ERA, and after one disastrous start this season he’s already looking at a possible trip to the disabled list.
According to Twins reporter Rhett Bollinger, Nolasco, who allowed six runs in just three innings against the Tigers on Wednesday, flew back to Minneapolis to get an MRI after feeling discomfort in his right elbow. Manager Paul Molitor told the Pioneer Press that Nolasco “felt a little bit of a spike in his elbow.”
Nolasco felt something in his elbow on a pitch to Avila yesterday so he flew back to the Twin Cities to have it checked out
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) April 9, 2015
https://twitter.com/dbremer_pxp/status/586176301968584705
Nolasco is in the second season of a four-year, $49 million contract and Hardball Talk’s Aaron Gleeman says the Twins regretted that commitment “almost immediately.”
Nolasco’s deal in 2014 was the richest free-agent signing in Twins history prior to Ervin Santana signing an even bigger deal this past offseason. As it turned out, Santana is serving an 80-game suspension after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
