PHILADELPHIA -- Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff hopes to have answers soon about the strange sensation he felt in his fingers when he pitched on Sunday.
Eickhoff will undergo testing on Thursday in Philadelphia before visiting Dr. Robert Thompson, a vascular surgeon who specializes in Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.
Eickhoff left Sunday's rehab start with Triple-A Lehigh Valley after feeling a twinge in his right index and middle fingers after throwing a curveball and a subsequent pitch.
Thompson also is the director of the Washington University Center for TOS.
"I can do normal things. I feel like I'm good everywhere else, it's just when I get on the mound, I feel it," Eickhoff said. "I'm hoping I can get in there ASAP for my own sanity. We'll see how it goes."
Eickhoff's season ended last August when he experienced "nerve irritation" in his right hand, and he said at the time that he experienced "tingling ... almost like numbness or weakness." He said what he felt on Sunday was very similar, although not as severe.
Eickhoff, who played catch on Wednesday with injured right-hander Pat Neshek, started the season on the 10-day disabled list because of a strained right lat.
Asked earlier this week if circulation issues were a possibility, Eickhoff said, "No, that all checked out. I actually had that done prior. Actually, I think it was during the lat [injury], just to make sure everything was all good there. ... It seems like [a nerve issue], but I'm going to wait until I get some more tests done and find out for sure before I start worrying about it or get too down about it."