CINCINNATI - Eventually, Reds right fielder Jake Fraley will need surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
Just not yet.
Fraley, who was placed on the 10-day injured list on Friday (retroactive to Tuesday), was given a cortisone shot in the shoulder to help him try and continue playing.
“This cortisone shot I got will hopefully get me through to the end of the year," Fraley said on Sunday. "Maybe if we get to the end of the year and [in order] to be ready for the playoffs, maybe I need one more. I don’t know. For right now, this thing will do the trick.”
Fraley, 30, was injured in the eighth inning of Monday's win over the Yankees attempting a diving catch on Cody Bellinger's shallow fly ball near the foul line. He has dealt with issues in the same shoulder, including a subluxation, going back to 2021 while with the Mariners. But the labrum tear was a new injury.
Fraley got three opinions for his shoulder and recently met with team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Andrew Razzano to discuss surgical options. In past years, surgery for labrum tears often meant an 8-12 month recovery.
However, Fraley said he was presented with a procedure option with a much shorter recovery time.
“That surgery is basically [where] they go in there and they shave down that flap of the labrum that’s sticking out, where you have the tear, so it’s smooth," Fraley explained. "Then they take the bone marrow and cake it around your labrum to allow it to heal because it’s your stem cells. I believe there’s one other injection you get as well while you’re under. Apparently, there has been tremendous success for guys in my boat so you don’t have to suture anything down, which is obviously the risk."
Former Reds third baseman Eugenio Suárez had the same surgical procedure performed on his right shoulder in 2020. However, it was also Suarez's throwing shoulder. Fraley is left-handed.
“Using the example of Suárez, his shoulder has been great since and he hasn’t had any problems. It’s only a two-month recovery," Fraley said.
Fraley is batting .224 with a .707 OPS and five home runs in 47 games, having also missed 20 games in May with left calf tenderness. While the team is on a road trip this week at Boston and Philadelphia, he will remain in Cincinnati to do rehab and strengthening work. He is also seeking a protective shoulder brace to play with.
“Just a little more stability so on those plays where I’ve got to jump at the wall or dive forward like on the one I tore it on, it’ll give it a little more stability and just kind of help me get over the hump," Fraley said.