Rodon to see doctor for 2nd opinion

March 25th, 2017

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Left-hander is scheduled to visit Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday in Los Angeles for a second opinion on what he described as tightness in the biceps tendon area of his left shoulder.
Rodon seemed upbeat Saturday morning after Friday's MRI revealed no structure damage in relation to the issue causing him to miss a scheduled Cactus League start Friday in Mesa.
"Yeah, just a little sore from the injection or whatever they put in there," Rodon said. "I feel better. It's reassuring. From there, we'll go with the plan after the next exam. We'll see what we got.
"It's pretty tight up there. I've never really been that tight. I couldn't really step on some balls I wanted to throw to get that arm going. So, I had to get it checked out. It didn't feel too good."

Rodon, 24, was brought along gradually during Spring Training with a goal of maximizing his innings in the regular season. Manager Rick Renteria targeted Rodon for the fifth slot in the rotation out of camp, but general manager Rick Hahn told reporters Friday that Rodon felt good enough after his last side session that he was pushing to follow Opening Day starter against Detroit.
That sentiment was confirmed by Rodon on Saturday, but four days after his last start on Sunday, everything changed. 
"[Thursday] was a weird day for me. I wasn't very happy with it. I got that checked out, trying to figure it out," Rodon said. "I knew it was tight. It just felt like a lot of tightness.
"I could lift my arm above my head and throw with something on it, but not with the normal stuff I usually have. That's why I was a little concerned. But I guess I could kind of tell. I'm not a doctor, but you know your body. It's your body, so you know it the best. It didn't feel like anything was damaged, to me at least. But it was good to know nothing really was messed up in there."
Hahn said Rodon will likely start the season on the disabled list. One of Rodon's goals centers on reaching 200 innings, after 139 1/3 and 165 innings pitched in each of his first two big league seasons.
Being 100 percent healthy currently stands as the primary concern for Rodon, who understands the possibility of going on the disabled list.
"You don't want to go into the start of the season, and be behind the best guys," Rodon said. "It's not fun pitching when you are not feeling too good. I want to be 100 percent when I'm out there. That gives our team the best chance of winning.
"That's your tool. It's concerning. But that's why you go get those things checked out, and make sure everything is OK. That's what we did."