Eric Gagne to DL with Sprained Medial Collateral Ligament

Eric Gagne has been nicked up all spring. He missed two weeks with a knee injury, and while he's had some success after returning, (discussed on this very site, in fact) his velocity hasn't been what we've seen from him in the past - his fastball is topping out at 90, rather than 97 MPH.

Well, we may finally understand why. The Dodgers placed Eric Gagne on the 15-day DL today with a sprained right elbow - more specifically, a sprained medial collateral ligament. Ouch. (For those keeping score at home, that's the same ligament that Gagne had replaced in his 1997 Tommy John surgery.)

Gagne noted that he first felt the pain in the elbow while throwing a breaking pitch to the Mets' David Wright:

"I didn't feel it when I threw the pitch, I felt it when I let my arm down right after the pitch. It's my elbow and I had it before. I feared the worst. It was almost a relief when I got the results. I didn't think it would be that good... It's real frustrating. I wish it happened early in spring. I feel I let down the team."

The Dodgers insist that this latest setback is not related to Gagne's return from his recent knee injury, and GM Paul DePodesta notes that things could be worse, saying that "(t)here's no tear", and "(s)tructurally, he's in real good shape", but that's largely irrelevant for Dodger fans and Gagne fantasy owners. The sad facts are, Eric Gagne has a sprained ligament in his throwing elbow, and there is no timetable set for his return.