[Luis_Rivera]

Ugh... bad news on Harden.

Rich Harden (RHP, OAK)
A day after it was announced Harden was going back on the DL, this time with elbow problems, more details were released. He has a sprained ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his pitching elbow. It is described as a moderate-to-severe sprain, but there's been no talk of the need for surgery at this point. His ailment is being compared to that of the Blue Jays’ A.J. Burnett, who has struggled with his ailment all spring. When Burnett first developed his sprained UCL, the diagnosis was a mild one. Houston starter Brandon Backe, still a candidate for Tommy John surgery if he doesn’t heal completely, received a moderate sprain diagnosis.

When the comparisons are made to other pitchers, Harden’s situation indeed sounds more dire even as the medical staff denies any surgery talk. Based on the new information, Harden sounds like he’ll miss a minimum of two months, maybe three months. If it were three months, he wouldn’t be back until early September, a point in the season the A’s likely would shut him down for the year rather than risk further injury.

http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/ar...njury-report9/

It's a shame if injuries do end up derailing the career of someone who looks like a future Hall of Famer at this point.